If you want your business to thrive in Brazil, build a relationship of trust with your colleagues, clients and service providers that generates confidence.

Why do foreigners in Brazil have such alarming stories?

When we think of a long term work project in Rio de Janeiro, most of us picture ourselves playing (or rather watching) futvolei on the beach sipping at fresh coconut water. So why is it that so many foreigners working in Brazil call HQ once a week with alarming stories about unmet deadlines and Brazilian colleagues who don’t do what they say they would do?

The most common quips I’ve heard foreigners use when speaking of their Brazilian colleagues and suppliers is , ‘They’re fake,’ ‘They’re not committed to work,’ or the classic, ‘They never reach deadlines’. As a result, after a few weeks of making such remarks, many foreigners resign themselves to the fact that they’re going to have a hard time getting their project accomplished. What they don’t do, is take the time to look into why they are interpreting the Brazilian work methods in this manner. If they did, they could then create a strategy to change what is happening around them.

What is the most common adjective that Brazilian use about their foreign colleagues?

Have you ever asked yourself what impression your Brazilian counterparts have of you? Little do we know what negative adjectives they may be using to describe our behaviour. I recently asked a former Brazilian colleague of mine what the most common adjectives Brazilians usually utter about foreigners. She replied, ‘They’re inflexible, always stressed, and they usually feel that things should be done their way, (the foreign way). How can we avoid these negative depictions and enjoy the merge of cultures?

Avoid these criticisms by building a relationship of trust

These criticisms (on both sides) often come up in moments of frustration. When we’re relaxed and have time to consider why the people around us are behaving a certain way, we usually find an explanation. However, that doesn’t help us achieve our goals and reach our deadlines. We need to go one step further. That is to say, we need to consider what we can change to be more effective when working with culturally diverse people.

The three points I mention below are only an introduction. I shall not endeavour to write more in such a brief post.

Three steps to keeping harmony and creating a strong team

Brazil is incredibly vast and has a huge population of over 207 million, made up not only of natives but also a mixture of immigrants mainly from Japan, Germany, Spain, the Middle East, Italy and of course Portugal. It’s therefore hard to say that there is one common way of behaving, of managing teams and of communicating. For example, Paolistas in the south will tell you that they are different to the Cariocas from Rio, who in turn say they are different to the North Easterners. Consequently, I shall stick to a few characteristics that several regions have in common, with an emphasis on Carioca behaviour; we have to start somewhere.

1. Building a relationship is the most important factor to being successful in Brazil    

Firstly, if you ask a group of Brazilian individuals what their number one cultural value is, it is likely to be, ‘smiling’.  Consequently, to be successful in Brazil, the one most important word to remember is, relationship. Little is achieved unless you make an effort to get to know your colleagues or clients personally before making requests or explaining how something should be done.

Imagine this scene: You’ve been sitting at your computer all morning. Your tummy starts to grumble and you realise it’s lunchtime. You mention to your colleagues sitting beside you that you’re going out to get a sandwich. As a result, you pick up your sandwich, take it back to your desk and nibble at it while working. My dear reader, that is mistake number 1 in Brazil. Relationships are a vital part to getting any job done. Therefore, having lunch with your colleagues and asking about their children, grandmother, aunts, uncles, cats and dogs is vital.

The offer to share a “cafezinho” is a chance for Brazilians to get to know you

The work sphere and the private sphere are mingled into one. If you’re leading a group of Brazilian employees make sure you show interest in their private lives. Brazilians generally prefer to build a relationship of trust with the people they do business with. That is to say, once they trust you, it will be instinctive for them to want to help you reach your objectives.

Therefore, if your service provider offers you a cafezinho before getting down to work don’t even contemplate refusing, irrespective of how many coffees you may already have had that day. Sharing a coffee is a chance for them to get to know you. Consequently, if you’re working on a long-term project, take the time for the two-hour lunches and don’t talk business over lunch; pull out your phone and share your photos of your nephews, nieces and puppy dogs too.

2. Read between the lines to thrive in Brazil

Secondly, one difficult issue that foreigners in Brazil tend to deal with, is having to read between the lines. How do you make a decision when you cannot tell if your interlocutor is saying yes or no? How do you know what your subordinates are capable of if they don’t open up and debate your ideas?

It’s rare to hear a Brazilian say outrightly, ‘No’. That is to say, keeping the harmony and not wanting to offend anybody is important. Also, keep in mind their colonial history where big farmers were boss. Consequently, subordinates will not often openly give you feedback.

“She lied to me!” is a quote often heard by foreigners in Brazil

Imagine you’ve asked a government official in Brasilia for fifty work permits,”for Thursday”. That offical will unlikely tell you that your request is impossible. Even though they know that it’s highly unlikely you will receive these permits, they will rarely use the word, ‘No’.

Instead you’ll often hear ‘vamos ver’ (we’ll see), or, ‘Thursday could be possible’, when in fact Thursday is actually out of the question. So, on Thursday afternoon you’re looking at your watch every 20 minutes waiting to receive the fifty work permits. The 50 staff members are arriving in the country the next day. Therefore, you call the official angrily telling her she said they’d be there on Thursday. To sum up, your blood pressure starts to rise and then the frustrating negative comments start to pour out of our mouth.

Little do you realize that your Brazilian government official had actually said. ‘No’, you just didn’t hear it, or rather you didn’t pick up on it. Therefore, when making requests try to pick up on the gestures and facial expressions of the person opposite. Eventually, you will learn to read the ‘No’, and not end up waiting for something that was never intended to arrive.

3. ‘O jeitinho Brasileiro’

Finally, Brazilians are generally extremely optimistic. ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way’, or in Brazilian terms, ‘o jeitinho Brasileiro’. You’ve probably heard of it or even seen it done. There is so much admin and bureaucracy to get through in Brazil, that even the Brazilians complain about it. As a result, getting through all the red tape is difficult for anybody to accomplish their goals and reach deadlines promptly.

Therefore, Brazilians become very creative in finding solutions to get around the red tape and generally in terms of problem-solving. For example, they are adventurous when it comes to looking for new ideas. Often they will not even tell you that there is a problem to solve because they’re proud to be able to solve it for themselves using their flexibility. 

Learning to bend rules helps Brazilian stay ahead

Often, a Brazilian won’t tell you there is a problem if they think you’re not the kind of person who accepts bending rules. Rules are not always followed to a T. However, you’ll be surprised that your event will start on time as per plan. In conclusion, the backstage may look a little untidy, but the stage will be as sparkling as the sea at Copacabana beach on a fresh midweek morning with the sunrise beaming over Sugarloaf.