Trade Routes: Courtesy is Not Obsolete
By: Michael Wynne
Posted: February 11, 2008, from the February 2008 issue of GCI Magazine.
Back to the February issue.During a World War I joint forces strategy meeting between French and American senior officers—long before the concept of globalization as we know it in business—a French officer commented: “We’d better inform our British colleagues of the outcome of our meeting.”
His American counterpart asked, “Why? Nothing we discussed involves them.”
“It is a matter of diplomatic courtesy,” replied the Frenchman.
“Diplomatic courtesy is nothing but hot air,” replied the American.