#Beingaleader means you are likely to lead cross-cultural teams at some point. I have traveled to over 20 countries. I’ve led teams in many of those countries including Singapore, Korea, Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, United States, and India. I’ve led in-person teams and remote teams. Men. Women. Numerous religious and cultural backgrounds. Paid and volunteer staff.
#Beingaleader means you need to be able to adapt to whatever situation you find yourself in. Whether on-site or remote, people will eventually show you themselves. Who they really are. How they react to stress. How they see the world. How they see themselves in that world. No matter how hard I might try, I still find myself dealing with people! Oftentimes it seems like leadership is just another name for HR Director. Dealing with pain. Dealing with conflict. Dealing with human nature. While you might think those are HR functions, they really are just leadership functions.
Culture is a very broad term. It can simply mean that we share different viewpoints based upon our experiences within the same culture or it could also include different experiences based upon different nationality, religion, political leanings, educational backgrounds etc.
#Beingaleader means you must try to find common ground. Whether you report to them or they report to you, you must make the effort to try and understand them. Not agree. Understand. That takes questions. That takes interest in the answers. That takes listening. That takes hearing. Probing. Oftentimes it takes all the leadership skills you currently have to try to remain calm. Keep the peace. Or broker misunderstandings. You could be using the same vocabulary and still not understand each other. #Beingaleader is all about the effort to do so.
#Beingaleader means you are likely to lead cross-cultural teams at some point. Time for you to get acquainted.
Being A Leader 