More about Russian Women: The Essence of Russia

I believe Russia is a female country, a country of women. Without questioning the value of Russian men nor considering the immense Russian cultural, artistic and religious treasures and relics, what definitively impresses most visitors (obviously including me) during a trip to Russia are the Russian women.

Russian women impress more than Russian men. Yes, regardless of whether you are a man or a woman, in Russia for a long business trip, an expat, a tourist for just a few days, or if you are a student or a pensioner: what you’ll remember about your Russian experience are first of all its women, then comes the rest.

In fact, although Russian men are similarly to Russian women warm in their nature, they generally tend not to take too much care about their appearance, which makes them less remarkable than women when you just look at them. This doesn’t mean they are not smart, educated, kind and sensitive to their women’s needs and desires. For example, compared with foreign men in this aspect, even in their own country they seem very closed and change-resistant this is particularly true for the current middle-aged male generation. The younger generation definitively has greater access to international standards and trends, and perhaps also driven by a stronger curiosity they are learning how to care more about their appearance.

Should I specify right now that by talking about Russian women I’m not only referring to their indisputable beauty? Maybe I should: well, I’m not just directing my thoughts towards one of the most common international stereotypes (and a reality): the astonishing beauty of Russian women. But I cannot ignore it either. While the reality is evident going around the big cities such as Moscow or St Petersburg as well as in rural villages, in winter or in summer, there is a second dimension surprisingly able to shadow the glamour of the Russian beauty. This is probably the main reason why Russian women seem so interesting, attractive and memorable - their strong character which surely enables them to fight to “survive”, advance and succeed in the extremely competitive environment of today’s Russia without impacting their exquisite natural gentleness. They tend to have a high level of education as well as possess open-mindedness, intelligence and pragmatism, and this combined with their strong ethics at work, where they prove to be reliable and hardworking, can make them exemplary employees. Their attributes include clarity in setting personal objectives and the consistency in achieving them, an ability to always guide and support their partners, in good times and in bad, and the proven ability to overcome any difficulties while still remaining feminine regardless of the socio-economic context in which they find themselves. Does it seem too much? It is not.

And we are back to the beauty of Russian women. In a convergence with their natural beauty, Russian women - it appears crystal clear - are nowadays extremely determined to affirm their femininity, to be and appear like women regardless of their income and personal situation.

Russian women seem to make something of a mission of valuing their femininity with a dress code, careful makeup, and high heels they apparently never abandon: in the office, visiting shopping centers, going around with their friends, walking with their kids, in supermarkets, in a park or at a museum, with no difference whether they are going to drive a car or take the underground, and even ignoring the sometimes challenging Russian weather or the road and sidewalk conditions.

Why, you might ask? Simply, Russian women desire to be beautiful and attractive. And they succeed because they know well how to do it without offending their intelligence, their dignity as a woman, and surely without merchandising their body. It has nothing to do with feminism in Russia. It is about culture, education and desire.

As a visitor, it is of paramount importance not to confuse a dress code which sometimes might leave little to the imagination with an invitation to approach a woman believing she might be somehow “easy”. You can instead easily avoid making a poor impression by just not thinking that whatever you see is obvious. The era of Russian women looking for foreigners to escape Russia and improve their living conditions is definitively over. The opposite might be true now.

Surely these are not unique differentiating factors of Russian women, but I believe this combination explains why many non-Russian men fall in love with Russian women although they might keep struggling forever with the cultural differences. But that’s definitively a different story.

What I believe is important to consider, when striving to understand today’s Russian women, is the historical context that has contributed to the conditions and common elements you can notice in their personality.

Simply learning the recent history of Russia has personally helped me a lot; along with progressively understanding and appreciating the positive aspects of my now years-long experience in the country, while also clarifying many of the more or less apparent and strong paradoxes and contradictions that characterize daily life in today’s Russia.

In fact, although the situation is gradually changing for the better with benefits spreading from the wealth Russia has been generating in the recent years, I’m pretty sure that together with the impression of Russian women what you’ll bring back from your Russian experience are the extremes you will notice simply going around the country, and - if you stay long enough - you may also come to struggle with. Anyhow, Russian citizens are fighting against them almost daily, and be sure they will progressively solve them; at least the most pressing ones.

materials used from http://russiaforbeginners.ru

Negotiating with Russians

Foreword

These notes are offered as a guide to help you as a foreigner living and working in Russia to succeed as a negotiator or contribute to the success of your company or team’s negotiations with Russians, whether they are with private business or with the public sector. They are based on my personal experience of Russia (and the Soviet Union before it) over three decades. Having worked in the public sector of a distant western country New Zealand - for thirty years I moved to the “dark side”, establishing my own company Prior Group in 2006 to promote business with the new Russia. Why? Because of the amazing opportunities for contributing, via business, to the development of this exotic, great country whose future shape matters to the world. I hope that the picture that emerges from these notes is that of a country of present promise going through an understandable and essentially normal processes of change. It is an exciting time to be here in Russia it is hard work but it can also be a lot of fun. This is a country with the “wow factor’!

INTRODUCTION

Russia today is a true negotiators paradise. It is a “can do, must do” society, rather than a can’t do, won’t do society, and the question constantly asked is “why not?” rather than the negative “why?” But everything has to be negotiated. Positions in the economy have to be fought for and won, defended, given up, fought for again and again, as the economic battles ebb and flow. If it sounds like a “peaceful war” that’s what it is. The negotiating process provides as many ups and downs, twists and turns, tests of mettle - and tests of metal - as a negotiator could possibly wish for. It gives wonderful insights into Russia and its peoples. You will have the chance of eyeball-to-eyeball confrontations with proverbial “bad cops” and subtle and elegant negotiations with proverbial “good cops”. The funny thing is, they almost always are singing from the same song sheet. You will learn that there is almost certainly a “good cop-bad cop” genetic marker that sets Russians apart.

The good news is that to do well in Moscow, and in Russia, gives the visitor professional and personal skills and knowledge that will transfer to any environment in the world. The good news is that everything is possible and that you can be as good as you can be. The bad news is that pretty well everything is hard and success in negotiations, as well as in life with the Russians generally, does not come easily. You cant come to Russia, hit the ground running and expect to be doing the big deals immediately (not unless somebody else has set them up for you). The big deals will come but only after a lot of hard work and thorough preparation, may be after two to three years, or more. Then it]s time to move quickly: Russians take a long time to saddle up, but ride very quickly.

The bad news is that it is not a zoo but a jungle out there. The good news is that seeing a real Russian bear both of the literal and metaphorical variety - in the wild is a unique and unforgettable experience. The good news is that you should never be bored Russia will guarantee you a roller coaster ride that will exhilarate and appal. But Mother Russia does not discriminate this is the reality for Russians as well as the reality for you as a foreigner living in Russia. Don’t forget: if it’s hard and uncertain for you, it’s harder and more uncertain for the locals. This is a country living on the edge.

Russia demonstrates the energy of what I like to describe as constructive anarchy. Moving at the rapid pace of a flying BRIC (the acronym coined for the dynamically developing economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China), the Russian economy provides for every level of negotiator: from the trainee, wet-behind-the-ears novice, to the seasoned multinational negotiators and traders in all types of goods and services. Within Russia you will meet every form of commerce - ancient, modern and post-modern practised everywhere from humble stalls to huge and sophisticated malls and high fashion stores, which rival anything in the world. It’s an economy on steroids demonstrating the powerful, not to say earthshaking drive, of a mighty Russian rocket lifting off from the Baikonur spaceport. The Russian economy thrusts forward with a mixture of refinement and brute force it may not be pretty but it is effective.

For contrarians who believe in the true, untrammelled, unmitigated forces of capitalism, Russia provides a haven, probably, alas, only temporary, from the management gobbledegook and political correctness that bedevil creativity and innovation in other, more mature economies. Here success is measured in profits and failure in bankruptcy. Nobody has time to write stacks of internal strategy and policy documents which serve only to deplete the world’s forests and hasten global warming.

PREPARATION FOR NEGOTIATION

Environment Scanning

Preparation for the Moscow assignment includes recalibrating one’s mental compass. I have found the following two Russian works of great help in understanding who the Russians are and, therefore, how to prepare mentally for negotiations.

My indispensable guide to the Russian mentality and business practice is the 1830s novel by Nikolai Gogol “Dead Souls”. Don’t be put off by stories of blockbuster Russian novels that take years to read. This one is under 1000 pages long, so, as Russian novels go, it’s a quick and easy read. Even after nearly two hundred years, this is one of the keys to modern Russia. Admittedly a bit light on the Russian “soul”, it is a brilliant exposition of Russian business types who you will find to be alive and well in the 21^st century.

No matter what one’s role or purpose in Moscow, it is essential to learn as much about Russia, its peoples and its history as possible before embarking on your assignment here, let alone negotiations. If you can learn something of the language, too, that is a bonus. Personally, I fell in love with the Russian alphabet when I was at high school, and was lured by its fascinating letters into the literary, cultural and historical world of Russia, without ever making progress as a linguist. The spoken language is not the only medium of communication as every negotiator knows. Context really does matter. Russia is a political economy going through a period of intense and rapid change. Once you get to Moscow you will be sinking or swimming in the torrent (sometimes as a result of flash flooding which is far from unknown during a summer downpour). On-the-job learning is exhilarating, but stressful and forewarned is definitely forearmed.

Russia is the sum of all that it has met and it has met a lot. Over centuries of human history its space has been crisscrossed by peoples from East and West, pretty well all of whom have left their traces. The space occupied today by the Russian Federation is as rich and diverse in its peoples and cultures as any area on earth. Russia is not only the bridge between Asia and Europe. It has pathways to the Middle East and the Mediterranean, with all the rich business histories and traditions of those trading cultures.

Not surprisingly, business in Russia pulls together many and varied elements of domestic and foreign business cultures. Mentality is one of the key Russian business concepts. The Russian way of looking at business is varied, sometimes in the extreme. European face but Asian mentality is a useful way of approaching the task of understanding. But this is far from the whole story. For a start, it leaves out the element of passion: Russians are a passionate people. Yes, they know how to make money and how to keep money, but they will often do things against their monetary best interest because they want to do so. For example, protecting honour and saving face can combine in interesting ways in Russia. Don’t get mad, get even does not always apply to Russians: getting mad and getting even can be very satisfying.

Materials Used from http://russiaforbeginners.ru

You, Russians and Money

Although I am the proud holder of a British Passport, I have lived in Russia for so long that it is difficult for me to remember how it felt when I first arrived here. That said, I have worked with a number of ex-pats over the years and offered much free advice and support. Whilst the old maxim that �money cannot buy you happiness� is certainly true � failure to manage your financial arrangements in the days immediately before and after your re-location will certainly increase the chances of misery.

Before you get here

Your preparation for moving to Russia should really start before you arrive. I would encourage everyone � whether you are relocating as a result of your employment or with your spouse or partner, to have a comprehensive review with their existing bank. This should cover all those things that are impacted as direct result of living and/or working abroad � an �International Needs Review�, even if that does sound very grand.

The sort of areas this should cover includes:

· Can my current bank help me open an account in Russia before I arrive?

· Can I transfer money from my existing accounts to Russia and how much will it cost?

· Can I manage my existing bank accounts on the internet?

· Is there any impact to any of my existing financial arrangements � for example my pension; any savings accounts; any stocks and shares?

· Are there any implications if I buy or sell those investments while I am in Russia?

· What are the implications if I lease my home whilst I am in Russia?

· Is my will up to date � and are there any implications if I die in Russia?

There are countless questions and your current bank should be able to help you. They might suggest that you seek specific professional advice � a tax specialist for example before you leave. For many, their employer will make this service available. If so � take full advantage.

It is also worth asking your employer a few questions before you get here. Many employers have set allowances to support international postings. Make sure you understand exactly what these cover and how you will be recompensed for those expenses that you initially pay for. Ask what support you will get from Human Resources in your company � before you leave and when you arrive in Russia.

�How often will I be paid?� can be so basic � and is often missed. Many Russians are paid twice a month � which can have disastrous consequences if you have structured your existing regular payments on the same day.

Finally, don�t forget to arrive with some Rubles. These can be bought quite easily in Europe or the USA. This is the only legal tender in Russia. Trying to manage several large suitcases (to get through the first few weeks till your freight arrives) and managing an ATM at the airport is just unnecessary stress. The taxi driver will be less than impressed with anything other than Rubles.

OK I�m at the airport

Russia has a complex set of customs regulations relating to monies that can be brought into the country without filing a customs declaration. The position is exaggerated because the regulations change frequently. If you plan to bring in foreign currency in any quantity, you should seek up to date advice on the best approach.

Banking in Russia

For the �first timer� abroad, understanding the implications of receiving your income in a different currency can be baffling. Initially it feels like you�re on holiday. The exchange rate between the currency you are familiar with and the Ruble � or any currency, is not always in nice round numbers. Your existing bank or any exchange bureau should be able to provide you with a small exchange rate table. If not, prepare one for yourself. Keep it small enough to fit in your wallet or purse � and it will save you having to do your maths with a queue behind you. One of my previous colleagues mentioned how cheap his supermarket shop had been � until I pointed out that he had missed a nought off his calculations!

Once you�re arrived in Russia, if your existing bank was not open an account for you in advance, you should open a local bank account as quickly as possible. Be prepared for the process to take some time. Not every bank is capable of dealing in a foreign language. A new colleague recently arrived from the UK and it took her four weeks to open her account and get a debit card. Ask how long the process will take � and if you have not heard in that timeframe � go back to the bank and ask about the current status of your application.

Many expats will be very used to paying for the majority of goods and services with cards � debit or credit cards. This is not a safe assumption in Russia. The number of stores and restaurants that take plastic is increasing � but you would be wise to ensure that they actually accept plastic before you start shopping or sit down to eat. In my early days in Russia, I had the embarrassing experience that the supermarket did not take plastic and I had a trolley full of shopping. Even today, the largest �hypermarkets� still do not take plastic. Be warned!

You will also need cash for Metro tickets and international dialling phone cards that you might previously have been used to purchasing from a machine using plastic.

Talking about carrying cash is a timely moment to mention discretion. I would not encourage anyone to walk around with significant sums of cash � and certainly never to display large sums of money openly. If you want to keep a quantity of cash on you, keep some in your pocket or wallet and the rest in a security wallet inside your shirt. No matter how positive you feel about Russia or how hard you try to blend in � you look foreign and will therefore be the target of the pickpockets and thugs that exist in every large city around the world. And as a banker, I would be totally remiss if I did not say, please, please do not write down your new card PIN numbers and keep them with the cards, however tempting.

The only number you should ever write down is the telephone number to ring in the event your cards are lost or stolen. It is worth keeping this at home � along with a list of all your card numbers. If you do lose any cards or have your bag/wallet/purse stolen, ring all the card issuers as quickly as possible so that the cards can be blocked. Russian banks are just like all other banks � and you can be liable for fraudulent transactions if you do not notify the bank or card issuer as soon as you realise your cards are missing.

All Russian banks offer the wide range of products that you will be used to. Once you have a found a bank you are comfortable with, you can discuss any banking requirements.

Materials Used from http://russiaforbeginners.ru

Tips for Foreingners in Russia

1. Russians do not trust each other readily. If you want your staff to develop and work as autonomous teams, you need to create and maintain mutual trust.
2. Read one of the great Russian novels � whether you choose �Dead Souls�, �Crime and Punishment� or �Anna Karenina�, they will give you great insights into Russian culture.
3. Get out of Moscow. The pace of life is very different and you will get a snapshot of the �real� Russia.
4. Russians are people-people and if you are to build your team you must take time to create relationships with your colleagues. It may seem a slow process but it will produce real long term benefits.
5. Never forget a close colleague�s birthday.
6. Use the Metro in Moscow or the other cities. It is cheap, quick and even with only simple Cyrillic, easy to use.
7. When speaking English, never assume that you have been understood.
   Russian do not like losing face and admitting in front of colleagues that they have not understood English would risk that happening. They are likely to just sit there and say nothing!
8. Bear in mind that during the winter months there is very little sunlight. You and your colleagues are thus very susceptible to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and the clinical depression that goes with it.
9. Learn a bit of Russian � even if just the ability to read Cyrillic � it will make your life so much easier.
10. Ask your colleagues which restaurants and bars they go to � not only will you have a real Russian experience but you will probably save money too.
11. Remember money is not the only driver for Russians when they are job hunting � conditions of employment and the range of benefits offered can mean much more.
12. Do not be modest in talking about your education and qualifications.
    Russians respect study and learning.
13. Drinking in Russia may be on a scale that you are not used to. Pace yourself and if you have any doubts then only sip during toasts.
14. A successful negotiation in Russia requires above all that the relationship between the parties be built first. You need to take time in the early stages to do this.
15. There is no bad weather in Russia � just bad clothes and shoes.
    Prepare yourself properly for the winter.
16. Russian employees may seem to make long and chatty phone calls. This is all part of building and maintaining the relationships that are so critical to business life in Russia.
17. Russia is a safe country if you use your common sense. Avoid railway stations at night, nightclubs with lots of black limos parked outside and groups of skinheads on the streets and you will be safe.
18. Russians are problem avoiders rather than problem confronters � you need to develop a high degree of trust in your colleagues before they will come to you to tell you about something that has gone wrong.
19. The Russian view of time is similar to that in many Latin cultures � meetings will rarely start or end on time nor will people always arrive at work punctually.
20. Be very careful about making comparisons with �home�. Russians know very well that the infrastructure in Russia is bad � although improving � and do not need foreigners to point this out to them.

Materials Used form http://russiaforbeginners.ru