By Neda Mikalauskaité
It is my third week at the hotel in Lithuania where I do my internship. I receive a formal Google invite to a one-on-one meeting with the General Manager of our hotel via e-mail, even though he is sitting one room away from me. As the time comes, I get more and more distracted from work, only focusing on the upcoming meeting.
I had never had a meeting with the head of any company, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. As my parents run their own company, I have heard stories and seen the way they communicate with their employees. It is a rather formal communication, as I believe there is a strong hierarchy in the company, as well as an official atmosphere. For example, even my cousin’s husband, who is part of the family, addresses my parents with the formal ‘you’ in Lithuanian, both in the workplace and during family gatherings!
Luckily, the General Manager of our hotel is German, so I didn’t have the dilemma of which ‘you’ to use, as the English language only has one. I knocked on his door, and heard a cheer to come in. Intimidated, I sit down and watch the situation unfold. My palms are sweaty, and I am fidgeting with my fingers, scared to hold eye contact. Then I hear “Hey Neda, it’s lovely to have you here, how are you doing? You just finished lunch, right? Is the food good in the staff canteen today? It’s really a hit or miss here.”
I was completely taken aback by his informal behavior and carefree manner, but I instantly started to feel better. We talked about the food in the canteen, then about Lithuanian food in general, and somehow ended up talking about where we both studied. The relief I felt after realizing that I was more an equal than an inferior to him was unmatched. Eventually we discussed the needed work topics, and I even got a fist bump for my good idea! Now every time we see each other, we greet each other with a fist bump – it’s become our thing!
Now when I look back, I realize that it was silly of me to be dreading this meeting so much, or being intimidated by my boss. Apparently, according to the Hofstede model, Lithuania has a higher Power Distance index than Germany (42 compared to 35), which means that Lithuanians are more used to a centralized working approach, stricter rules, more official atmosphere, which is quite the contrary for Germans. Surprisingly, I don’t have to fear for my head when called to his office!
That would be my advice to anyone fearing their boss as well – don’t get inside your head too fast! Maybe they are used to a low power distance as well, and if not – remember they are people, just like you, and you are just as good of a person as them, so keep your head up!