I have a lot of investors and almost all of them are out of state. Many of them are from California and a good portion of them are in the tech industry. Recently I have had a slew of Facebook IT people and I spoke to quite a few of them in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago. Just in the last few weeks I have had visits and sales with people from Russia, India, Vietnam, China, and Israel and all challenge me not only in language to make sure that we communicate and connect, but also in cultural differences that are very important not merely to observe but also pay respect to. The worst thing I can do is expect everyone to think like I do, to believe like I do or even act like I do. To expect that for me would be the height of arrogance.
Not only would it be arrogant to shoehorn them into my world view it would also be counter productive. Traveling outside the US and integrating into other cultures is something that gives one new meaning and an understanding that Americans are not the best at everything. Just eating with Italians makes that abundantly clear. To open ones mind to what others can bring to you is a mind altering experience and for that you don't need drugs. As a native Oklahoman who grew up in a homogeneous society the joy of working with people from other cultures is a treat and it has made my world better. Tomorrow I have an investor in from San Jose who is originally from Israel and it will be my pleasure to listen and observe. The common language we will have is return on investment numbers and of course that will be the basis for our interaction, but the opportunity to learn will be my agenda also.
Many Rainier's here come from cities of diverse cultures but many do not like myself in Oklahoma. In the last ten years Oklahoma City has thrived and is not the 9th fastest growing metro over one million in population. The influx from the outside is changing our city but of course this isn't California or New York City. My job and purpose is to build long term wealth for others by investing in real estate but as a REALTOR® it is wonderful that their is a world of wealth in learning from diversity. We are a privileged group.
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