Fotos: XXINTERVIEW“That is a core belief in New York: adapt to
individuals rather than to culture”B
orn in 1969, Jeff Aristy is a New Yorker from the borough of Queens.
He moved to Germany in 2003, working in Berlin and Hamburg, be-
fore settling with his German wife in Munich. He is the owner of Big
Apple Business, which offers in-company business English, leader-
ship and team coaching (www.bigapplebusiness.de).What is it like for a New Yorker to live and work in Germany?
There are some things about New York City that gave me valuable life
lessons. One of them is the energy that comes from living
and working in a place like that. There’s something about
commuting with millions of other people. There is a sense
of belonging there, and it creates a shared sense of pur-
pose, and I think this is something that I always try to bring
to the people I work with.
Then there is this notion of New York City being this
great laboratory. It’s always changing, always reinventing
itself. I think that instilled some core values in me. I always
try to adapt to the people I am working with, and I think
this has allowed me to do well in Germany. That is a core
belief: adapt to individuals rather than to culture. New York
City is so diverse, and you cannot live and work in a place like that with
preconceived notions about what a project is or how a team should work
or what good leadership is.
You need to be able to explore the realities of the people you’re work-
ing with as individuals. And that helps you to begin to adapt to a very
complex business environment. And if you can do that, the rewards are
great because you can collaborate effectively with many different cultures
and many different people.Germany is often seen as hierarchical and inflexible, certainly com-
pared to somewhere like New York. How do people get past such
characterizations?
Ask questions. Is it really inflexibility? Is there really a pecking order?
Living and growing up in a place like New York and then coming here has
taught me the core value of asking good questions. And then being very
mindful of the person speaking to me and beginning to understand where
they’re coming from. Asking questions, being mindful, and listening very
carefully all help me to understand others, and not to judge them or just
see the negatives.
If we arrive at that inflexibility you’re talking about, you reach the point
of intolerance in my mind. And that requires us to go back and do the very
difficult work of asking those questions. And then getting some sort of
positive emotion. What I find most of the time is that it’s not inflexibility.
That person might have a boss who requires him to cut costs. There
might be other complexities that I am not aware of that might be driving
what we see as inflexibility. I find that there is always something else
behind it.Are there differences between doing business with New Yorkers and
doing business with Germans?
There are lessons to be learned on both sides. What I admire in Germany
is the corporate responsibility. It is very well documented that there is a
responsibility to the environment, sustainability, and so on. But what’s in-
teresting here is the responsibility to people. There are generous benefits
for someone who wants to start a family or take sick leave or do training.
Germany has a highly skilled workforce and that is largely because it
invests a lot in people and their development. That’s something that New
York could learn a lot from.
And business culture in New York is very dynamic and competitive,
with people always hustling. There’s a sense that everything is in a rush.
It’s more about getting things done than perfection, which is differentto Germany. New York can be very stimulating, with a sense of anything
being possible. People have a “why not?” attitude — throw spaghetti at
the wall and see what sticks. Adapt or simply move on if a project doesn’t
take off. Misfires are considered part of the process.Does the characterization of New Yorkers as brash and very confident
carry some truth?
I think you’re trying to get me down to labels. People will probably say
New Yorkers have a great deal of confidence on the exte-
rior. But we might see that as more of a survival instinct
for New York City. There is a kind of DNA that one has to
have in order to make one’s way through a city like that.
We could characterize it as confidence — there might be
some of that. There has to be some of that in order for
you to make your way there. Additionally, New Yorkers are
not formal. Rather, they cut to the chase: “Why are you
calling me?” Things are more “black and white”, and they’ll
tell you “yes” or “no.” They focus on practicalities, what’s
realistic, what the next steps are — and then actually do
them with a quick turnaround to show they’re serious.
Being cool and confident, with a sense of humor, is good. Being middle of
the road and too nice doesn’t get anyone’s attention.How has coming to Germany from New York changed you?
Let me start by telling you about the things that I miss about living in
New York. That energy, I really miss that. I miss going to work with lots of
other people, that sense of belonging. And that sense of purpose. I miss
the diversity — that is something Munich could have more of. Living here,
however, has taught me that there are other things to focus on besides
work. Living in a city like New York, it’s all about work. And that can lead
to unwelcome effects on family life. I like the fact that I’m now able to
have time off more easily than I did in New York City. The quality of life
is something that I have been able to enjoy more here than in New York.
Interview: PAUL WHEATLEYborough [(b§:roU*] US
, (New Yorker) Stadtbezirk
brash [brÄS] , dreist
chase: cut to the ~ [(tSeIs]
US ifml. , auf den Punkt
kommen
commute [kE(mju:t]
, pendeln
competitive
[kEm(petEtIv]
, wettbewerbsorientiert
core [kO:r*]
, Kern; hier auch: zentral
corporate [(kO:rpErEt*]
, Unternehmens-
get sb. down to sth.
[)get (daUn tu] ifml.
, hier: jmdn. auf etw.
festnageln
hierarchical
[haI&(rA:rkIk&l*]
, [wg. Aussprache]
hustle [(hVs&l]
, hasteninstill sth. in sb. [In(stIl )In]
, jmdn. mit etw. erfüllen;
hier: jmdm. etw. mitgeben
label [(leIb&l]
, hier: Charakterisierung
middle of the road
[)mId&l Ev DE (roUd*]
, hier: ganz normal
mindful: be ~ of sb.
[(maIndf&l] , jmdm.
gegenüber achtsam sein
misfire [)mIs(faI&r*]
, Fehlschlag
notion [(noUS&n*]
, Vorstellung
pecking order
[(pekIN )O:rd&r*]
, Hackordnung;
hier: Rangordnung
practicalities
[)prÄktI(kÄlEtiz]
, praktische Einzelheiten
preconceived
[)pri:kEn(si:vd]
, vorgefasstsense of purpose
[)sens Ev (p§:pEs]
, Zielstrebigkeit
spaghetti: throw ~ at the
wall and see what sticks
[spE(geti] ifml.
, ausprobieren, ob etw.
funktioniert
sustainability
[sE)steInE(bIlEti]
, Nachhaltigkeit
take off [)teIk (O:f*]
, erfolgreich sein
take sick leave
[)teIk (sIk li:v]
, sich krankmelden
time off: have ~
[)taIm (O:f*]
, freie Zeit haben
turnaround [(t§:nE)raUnd]
, hier: Bearbeitung(szeit)
workforce [(w§:kfO:rs*]
, ErwerbsbevölkerungA New Yorker in
Munich: Jeff Aristy18 Business Spotlight 2/2020 NEW YORK SPECIAL
* This symbol marks standard
US pronunciation.
Fotos: Christine Müller; Spencer Platt/Getty Images