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Leadership Development in Intercultural Competence for High Performance Organizations

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Emphasizing sameness – the “elephant in the room” of cultural bias.

If we are members of a dominant majority in a diverse and heterogeneous society, do we extend the olive branch of inclusion to others based on how much and what kinds of similarity we can recognize in them? Do we interpret inclusion as a form of conditional love? The more alike others are to us, the more we like or love them; the less similar they are to us, the less inclined we are to accept them?

In addition, do we publicize statements like, “There is more that unites us than divides us.” Yet, the values, beliefs, and practices we claim can unite us are the ones that we subscribe to and that we have selected for everyone – dominant and non-dominant alike – to uphold. [Read more…] about Emphasizing sameness – the “elephant in the room” of cultural bias.

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The intercultural development coach-approach to inclusive and effective leadership.

Sights on Success Consulting uses a coach-approach to foster leadership development in intercultural competence. This means helping leaders to shift from mono-cultural mindsets to intercultural mindsets of understanding, acceptance, and adaptation to both cultural differences and similarities. Intercultural development coaching helps leaders to increase both cultural self-awareness and cultural awareness about others across diversity dimensions such as age and generation, gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, religion, etc. so that they can become more inclusive and effective.

The following topics and questions are meant to provoke thinking and self-reflection that will help leaders to shift their mindsets in the intercultural and culturally adaptive direction.

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The Intercultural Development Continuum™: an organizational development tool for changing and improving how diversity is managed.

In the aftermath of the deeply disturbing racist, brutal, and fatal act against George Floyd, and the revelation of similar acts against other black people, Indigenous people, and people of colour, one wonders if organizations are thinking about and reviewing how they manage diversity. The die has been cast, and it seems to me that organizations cannot languish any longer, if they have been doing so, in a state of complacence. To continue as such is tantamount to concurring with the status quo, and that has both serious moral and business implications. [Read more…] about The Intercultural Development Continuum™: an organizational development tool for changing and improving how diversity is managed.

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Dispelling 10 Myths about Cultural Competence Training.

I have been working for several years to help professionals build intercultural competence. During that time, I have also met people who shared their reservations about intercultural competence training with me and, due to those reservations, they were reluctant to get involved. After having heard those reservations or misconceptions or myths repeatedly, I realize it is important to provide more clarity on the subject and to set the record straight.

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5 Listening Strategies for Creating More Meaningful Intercultural Interactions

Do you reflect on the strategies you use at your work place to communicate with individuals who have a different cultural background from you? Do you use the same strategies you use with the co-worker or customer who is culturally different from you as you use with the co-worker or customer who shares the same culture as you? What about active listening? How would active listening be used in an intercultural interaction? 

[Read more…] about 5 Listening Strategies for Creating More Meaningful Intercultural Interactions

intercultural leadership development