Meet Christian Höferle: The Culture Guy + founder of The Culture Mastery

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christian Höferle and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christian, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
50 years ago, when my parents got married, my mom was pregnant with me. Her belly was showing through her white dress. Back then, in southeast Germany with its fairly conservative, Catholic society it still raised eyebrows when couples didn’t hide the fact that they were going against the “official moral code.” My parents were no rebels, nor were they hippies. They simply decided to live life on their own terms as much as possible. Now, as a husband and father of two teenage daughters who my wife and I raised in the U.S. South, I find that I, too, often went against the grain of “normal.” In fact, challenging the mere concept of “normal” has become the core of my work. Raised in a small Bavarian town of 20,000 people, just north of the Alpine ridge and the German-Austrian border, the first people who I recognized as “different” were the Turkish, Italian, Greek, or Portuguese immigrants that lived in our town. Much later, during my first stay in the United States as a 17-year-old foreign exchange student, I began to realize that it was me who was different; that there is more than one particular way to do things, and that outside of their native culture everyone is a stranger. That’s how my journey of exploring the many cultures of the world started. You might say, my desire to get away from small-town life drove my curiosity in that which is different. Ironically, this interest in urban otherness occasionally led me back to provincial places. Throughout my life, I’ve lived in big cities and small towns. And all of these places taught me something. When our family decided to call Atlanta home in 2017 the learning didn’t stop. Our move to West End has been providing lots of lessons for me. As a White man living in a neighborhood that has traditionally been mostly African-American, I am continuously learning how the history and present of the United States are shaping the way different groups of people live and behave with each other. As a German immigrant, I am also aware of how my American experience is unique – perhaps even not “normal.” I am a Bavarian at heart, an ATLien by choice, a European by conviction, and a German by passport. 

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The work we do for our clients isn’t what typically makes headline news. We are a stealth force that makes professionals better at what they do – especially as they work in an international context. Our clients trust us and rely on us to lead their teams to more success across cultural borders. The people who engage with us for coaching, training, and consulting quickly experience how the label “normal” becomes irrelevant. In fact, there are thousands of “normals” around the world and all of them have validity – in their respective cultural contexts. I am a huge fan of building bridges across cultures – and not at all enthusiastic about walls. Remember: I grew up in Germany, where there was a wall for 40 years. It didn’t work. Our clients also know that “soft skills” are, in fact, hard. They come to us because they want to develop their ICE-Q, which is the combination of three essential power skills: intellectual prowess (IQ), cultural intelligence (CQ), and emotional intelligence (EQ). By combining these three Qs we get ICE-Q – the secret sauce of international business success. Science shows that without a solid foundation of cultural competence, companies leave money on the table of international business. Since starting The Culture Mastery in 2009, our clients have experienced measurable improvements and outrank their competition when it comes to structuring, leading, and communicating across cultures. I am a strong believer that any conflict – business or otherwise – can be resolved with a better understanding of our cultures. And as a German, burdened with the inherited guilt of the most horrific crime against humanity, I feel it is my duty and my moral obligation to make our world a more peaceful, responsible place. At The Culture Mastery, we help multinationals and their employees to work better together across cultures. When companies work internationally, their employees need to be effective in collaborating with people from cultures that are foreign to them. They need to be able to sell and market to customers with unfamiliar consumption preferences. Failing to communicate, manage, inspire, and lead across cultural differences is a huge risk for these companies and the lack of cultural competence is a bottom-line relevant issue. We are the Aspirin to their global headache.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
In 2020 that’s an unfair question to answer, for reasons we all know too well. In my perfect world, we start on our front porch with my special Negronis, so my friends can settle into West End and meet the neighbors before we explore the city. After the aperitif round at home, we’ll head over to Poncey-Highland for a slow dinner at Tiny Lou’s, followed by drinks on the Clermont Hotel rooftop. Since my friends can sometimes be a bit on the wild side, we’ll finish off the night at the Clermont Lounge – because it’s an Atlanta icon and because they’ll be happy when we reduce the pace in the days to come. To counterbalance that night of raw entertainment, day two will begin with high culture at The High Museum. You haven’t really been to a major city unless you take time to explore the arts – and The High is a must when visiting Atlanta. The afternoon is reserved for a stroll through Piedmont Park and the Beltline. Being able to showcase a walkable, bikeable city in the United States is a privilege and my guests from Europe won’t expect how accessible Atlanta neighborhoods can be without a car. Our dinner consists of a combination of different bar foods we pick up along Beer Alley in Malt Disney. Throughout the week I’ll also make sure my visitors get to experience the contrast between the Old South parts of Atlanta and the post-Olympics revival parts. We’ll take a look at posh Buckhead and the resurgence of SW-ATL. And we’ll eat and drink at Golden Eagle Diner’s Club.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Without my wife, Brigitta, I would live a completely different life. A life less daring and probably fairly boring. Brigitta is the fire under my butt, the spontaneity to balance my analytical approach, the waves breaking at my rocky shore. Without my grandfather and godfather, Christian Karl, I would have never attended a higher education institution. It was Karl-Opa who nudged me towards academic achievement and taught me Latin. He had already passed when I graduated high school (“Gymnasium”) in Germany. I am not a religious Catholic but the first thing I did after receiving my graduation diploma was going to his gravesite and express my gratitude. Without the naysayers in my life, I wouldn’t be where I am today. There were many and they deserve a shoutout, too.

Website: https://theculturemastery.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theculturemastery/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/interculturaltrainerconsultant/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hoeferle
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristianHoeferle/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/christianhoeferle
Other: Complimentary eBook, “A Dozen Tips for Efficient Communication Across Cultures” Free download: https://bit.ly/TCMeBook