Situation: A CEO is struggling to manage conflicting demands from a key foreign client. The client frequently changes targets and priorities; however, the performance contract with the client does not allow variations from plan. In addition, the CEO and client have different expectations concerning ROI. How do you manage conflicting demands from a client?

Advice from the CEOs:

• Recruit or access expertise from an individual who knows both cultures to coach you on intercultural communications. This will help you to avoid inadvertent miscommunications where your well-intended queries are negatively interpreted by the other party.
  • Cultural interpretation is an increasingly important factor for multi-national business growth.
• Are there elements of the client’s structure and the agreement with the client that offer significant benefit, but which are underappreciated by company staff?
  • Access to capital?
  • Access to funding or allowance on expenditures that allow the company to increase staff to meet company demands?
  • Assure that staff are aware of these benefits and how critical these can be to the company’s, and their future growth and income.
• Meet with the client’s leadership to outline the conflicts that the company faces meeting the client’s needs and demands. Explain to them how these conflicts are compromising the company’s ability to meet their needs. Once the conflicts in priorities are clearly expressed this may help the client to understand and resolve the conflicting demands.
  • This may involve a considerable personal risk and cost to the CEO. However, if the effort is successful it will, in the long-term, benefit both companies.

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