Why Every Business Leader Should Speak The International Language Of Tech

A tool to build stronger business relationships

The following is adapted from From Simi Valley to Silicon Valley.

As an avid lifelong gamer and technology professional, I’ve learned that the language of technology crosses all borders. 

Whether those borders divide countries or cultures, speaking the language of tech empowers you with a guaranteed way to break the ice with other tech experts and find common ground, leading to better relationships and business outcomes. 
 

Even if you aren’t a tech expert yourself, being able to speak the language of tech will give you an edge in your next global meeting. Let’s look at what you can gain from “speaking tech” and how to adopt the language into your vocabulary. 

During my time as the head of technology at Corbis, a photography rights company owned by Bill Gates, I began to travel to remote locations for the first time in my life. Corbis had a global market and international locations that included China, Japan, Germany, France, and the UK. My time at Corbis served as my introduction to what would become extensive international travels to dozens of countries and hundreds of cities across the globe.

During my travels, I learned how powerful the languages of technology and gaming are, no matter what other types of barriers might exist. Before I departed for trips to our offices in Asia, Corbis would provide my bio and information about me to the team I was going to visit. 

I distinctly remember landing in Tokyo for the first time in 2006 and being greeted by a crowd of employees. When other executives came to visit, employees were generally shy but, because I was a gamer and technologist, they felt comfortable with me even though most of them didn’t speak English. They had created a binder that contained a sheet for each person in the office, each of which included a picture, their favorite video game, and the team member’s signature in Kanji. Having this foundation of familiarity and common interests led to a more productive meeting because we didn’t need generic small talk to warm up and instead could get right to business.

Gaming and technology turned out to be a huge ice breaker and a major advantage for me in terms of building relationships that most other executives didn’t even understand. I would talk to employees and other business contacts around the world about apps, games, and e-tournaments. No matter where we lived, we were all playing the same games and shared the same vernacular and subculture. 

It’s been over a decade since my time at Corbis, and I still speak that gaming language as I travel around the world, and it still breaks the ice and creates connection and trust. This has been great for me, too. It can be intimidating to go to a place where people don’t speak your language or abide by the same customs. 

I have found that tech and gaming level out this big, diverse world. They create shared passions and hobbies and, with that, a sense of trust and solidarity. They tend to take the bigger differences of language and culture and shrink them, while simultaneously building a bridge of similarity and interest.

You don’t need to be a high-level gamer or technologist to speak the language of tech—all you need is a genuine interest and willingness to learn. 

Start by reading up on the latest developments in mainstream technology or today’s most popular games. Speak to your employees about their gaming interests and consider trying a free-to-play game on your computer. You might find that you enjoy gaming more than you expected. 

If you can familiarize yourself with even the most basic lingo of the gaming and tech worlds, you’ll arm yourself with a powerful tool to cross-cultural barriers and form better connections with your business partners. 

For more advice on technology and business, you can find From Simi Valley to Silicon Valley on Amazon.

Stephen Gillett is the co-founder and CEO at Chronicle—an Alphabet company born out of X, The Moonshot Factory—and is an executive advisor to the CEO at Google. As one of the youngest CIOs of a Fortune 500 company in history, he was responsible for leading the technological transformation of Starbucks under Howard Schultz. Stephen’s previous positions included CIO at Corbis, working directly with Bill Gates; President at Best Buy; and COO at Symantec. As an avid lifelong gamer, Wired also recognized him as an innovative Guild Master in World of Warcraft.  Visit https://chronicle.security/ Connect Stephen Gillett Follow @stephengillett