CI Leaders: Moving from Single to Multiple Perspectives

As human beings who are accustomed to behaving (consciously and unconsciously) in specific ways, we often do not recognize another perspective until it is presented to us. Ellen Langer, a social psychologist, says that it is in the perspective of another that we learn to see ourselves—to see who we really are.

As an educator and facilitator, I meet people in positions of leadership every day who believe that their perspective about culture and how they should work with differences is the right way and that there is no other possibility for a different way of working or thinking. For example, a participant in my training session, Jacob, felt very strongly about the “invasion” (his word, not mine) of immigrants in his neighborhood. This was because the city he worked for was increasingly diverse and would need to set up services and programs to meet the needs of the new immigrants.

As a native of the city, Jacob felt strongly that his neighbors needed to assimilate more quickly. As a city employee and manager, he felt excluded that the city would create new services for the immigrants. His issue of conflict here was that he had developed proposals for expanding current services in his department, but they were never approved, mostly because of budgetary reasons. He did not understand why creating “special services for a small population” mattered more than the services for current residents of the city, and he was angry that the funds set aside for the new programming would be large, much larger than his proposed changes.

Jacob, in this example, is bound to his single perspective or viewpoint. He cannot see beyond the situation. And, in fact, when discussing this situation with Jacob and other managers present, other pieces of the story began to unravel. Yes, Jacob had a perspective about immigrants based on his experiences with one immigrant–his neighbor. He used his knowledge and interactions with this person to stereotype an entire population. Additionally, what really mattered to him in his place of work was that he did not feel his ideas mattered. Because every time he proposed changes and they were not approved, he took that as a deliberate attack on him. This was not the case at all and he was told this by his peers in the training.

When Jacob was presented with another perspective, he let his guard down. Over time, he was able to focus on the real issue, which was that no matter what your status, creed, ethnicity, or reason for moving to the United States, as a public sector employee it was his role to provide the appropriate services that would meet the residents’ needs.

As culturally intelligent leaders, we must make strong efforts to see a different perspective than what we believe and hold to be true. We must challenge ourselves, as Byron Katie says, by asking whether we know what we see to be true is really, in fact, true. And if it is, how do we know that? What stories have ground us in a single perspective?

This is excerpted from the book Culturally Intelligent Leadership: Leading through Intercultural Interactions. For more information about the book, visit www.cileadership.com

A Tree as a Metaphor for Cultural Systems

Imagine a tree as a metaphor for a cultural system—all the things that make up who you are. The roots of a tree are essential for the survival of the tree. They carry the nutrients needed for the growth of the tree and store nutrients for later feeding. Roots of trees are generally located in the top 6 to 24 inches of the ground, not too deep from the surface. The roots are impacted by their surroundings, and environmental factors contribute to their health and vitality.

Just like the roots on a tree, cultural systems have roots that are impacted by their surroundings. A culture’s rituals, traditions, ceremonies, myths, and symbols provide it with the nutrients it needs to survive. Environmental factors can change a tree by uprooting it or letting it die off, making space for new life in its place. Similarly, environmental changes impact cultural systems, forcing it to adapt and change to its surroundings or transition into death, creating new cultural stories that carry new life.

But unlike trees and their roots, we get stuck in our cultural systems and do not budge even when our surroundings have changed. Trees, like anything in an ecosystem, have natural cycles of renewal and rebirth. Sometimes this renewal and rebirth is gradual and gentle, while other times it is fast, disruptive, and violent. Trees, because they share their environments with others, will learn to adapt and allow change to occur, no matter what the direction of change may be. Change in their cultural environments is inevitable and a part of the life cycle.

In similar ways, we can think about our cultural systems as part of a larger system. Some cultural anthropologists would describe the cultural systems as “big C” (macroculture) and “little C” (microculture). The macroculture refers to a larger cultural system, for example, Catholicism is a culture that is not bounded by geography. Within the macroculture of Catholicism are smaller units of culture called subcultures. Change is constant in each cultural system, and transitions, renewal, and rebirth are endless cycles. As cultural shifts occur in the macro- and microcultures, small and large, gradual and disruptive, the entire system learns to adapt in different ways.

The Handshake: The Case of First Lady Michelle Obama and Indonesian Minister Tifatul Sembiring

On a November trip to Indonesia, the media reported that First Lady, Michelle Obama, shook the hands of Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring. Sembiring was described as a devout Muslim who followed strict Islamic laws and responded to the press that he shook Michelle Obama’s hands “not by choice.” The gesture itself in the United States would not pose a problem as it is customary in introductions, but within Islamic conservative faith the gesture is severely frowned upon. This is because shaking the hands of women is not allowed, except if the female is a close relative. A strict cultural code within the Muslim culture was violated when Michelle Obama reached out her hand in a gesture to shake Sembiring’s hand. The Indonesian leader has received criticism from conservative Muslims in the country for doing this; they said that he should have known better to not accept the First Lady’s handshake.

In Culturally Intelligent Leadership, I describe that leaders working in today’s global economy must be strategic thinkers, mindful of their behaviors, and adaptable and agile in intercultural interactions. I call this a leader’s ability to be culturally intelligent. The ability to successfully adapt to unfamiliar and new cultural environments and settings is not a one-way street. Everyone has the capacity to develop and learn from their cultural environments to be more culturally intelligent, no matter your national and ethnic affiliation or the cultural identity you identify with.

In this situation, we can use the cultural intelligence model to reflect upon the cultural norms and behaviors, and to learn how we could approach the situation from a different lens.

1. Acquire. A fundamental aspect in cultural intelligence is the ability of a person to think differently about the intercultural situation. The ability to “think about thinking” represents a person’s capacity to identify what is known and unknown in a situation. The process includes bringing to the surface experiences, particularly emotions and feelings that are similar to what one is facing, and strategizing what could be done based on what knowledge is known. In this important piece of CI, asking questions of oneself to gauge the situation is critical. Ideally, when you know you will be entering a culture unlike your own, it is important to think about and plan for your cultural interactions. Of course, even in planning, not everything will go as planned.

In this incident, both leaders could use the Acquire component of CI in this way:

Both leaders could benefit from understanding how gender and power are conceived in different cultural contexts.

Micelle Obama: What are the gender roles in Islamic culture? How might the leaders I meet treat me as a female, not of the Islamic faith? What are the appropriate languages or words I could use to address these male leaders? How do I feel when I meet someone who doesn’t share the same idea of gender equality or equity?

Indonesian Leader: What is the power afforded to me because of my gender within the Islamic faith? What are the gender roles outside of Islamic culture? How might female leaders I meet treat me? What are the appropriate languages or words I could use to address these female leaders? How do I feel when a female, who is not a relative, shakes my hands? Why do I feel this way?

2. Build. In CI work, it’s important to be able to identify the key things you know about a culture and the things that you need or want to learn. It’s preferable to do this before entering the culture, but you can do it during and afterwards as well.

A simple tool that can help you to build your CI in this area is to take a piece of paper and draw a line in the middle to create two columns. On the left column, write down the things you already know about the culture you are entering. On the right side column, write down the things you feel you need to learn. Generating a list is helpful as it forces you to think about the things you need to acquire and build throughout your relationship with a new and unfamiliar culture. In this situation, both leaders would identify the things they know and what they want to learn (e.g. gender roles in different cultural contexts).

3. Contemplate. Essential to CI is one’s ability to be resilient, confident, and be forgiving. Cross cultural studies demonstrate that individuals who are more adaptable in cultural settings are those who are able to “bounce back” from mistakes, defeat, failures, and/or misunderstandings. A person’s ability to be motivated and confident in situations like this is crucial. If the First Lady or the Information Minister walked away thinking “It’s frustrating and useless to engage in conversation/interaction with someone of another culture” then this begins a pattern of thought that can move one away from adaptability. However, if each decided that they made a mistake or even recognized the fluidity of their own cultural values and norms, then this creates a different pattern of thought and behaviors. They turn a “situation” into a learning experience for themselves. As leaders of large, global societies, they model the way for others.

4. Do. This fourth component of CI speaks to one’s ability to be adaptive and be willing to change. In this situation, the First Lady and the Indonesian Information Minister would need to contemplate the following: What would I lose if I decided to shake the hand of another person that I am not allowed to shake? What about me will change? What will be different that I didn’t notice or see before? What will I gain in this experience?

These are questions that help one to transition from one state of being to another. By identifying the thought patterns and behaviors that will be lost, leaders like First Lady Michelle Obama and Minister Tifatul Sembiring identify what values and beliefs underline their thinking, as well as the assumptions they have about each other or themselves. Adaptive behavior is difficult but it is not impossible to achieve. This is why the other elements of cultural intelligence e.g. acquire, build, and contemplate, are so important and they all work together to create a more culturally intelligent person, someone who can successfully adapt to unfamiliar cultural settings.

To practice cultural intelligence, I would recommend using this case study and working through the Acquire, Build, Contemplate, and Do elements of the CI Model. Take the perspective of the other and see where your CI journey leads you!

For more information about this topic and to purchase Culturally Intelligent Leadership: Leading through Intercultural Interactions, please visit www.cileadership.com

Mentors as Leaders: National Mentoring Month

This is excerpted from a speech I gave to a group of mentors and mentees at Metropolitan State University in January 2010 during National Mentoring Month. I’ve had requests for the speech and placing it here on the blog for those who are interested in the connections between Joseph Campbell’s work and mentoring.

Keynote Address: The GEMS in our Lives
Presented at: Metropolitan State University, Saint Paul, MN
National Mentoring Month
January 2010

By: Dr. Mai Moua, Leadership Paradigms
www.leadershipparadigms.com

Thank you very much for the invitation to speak here tonight about the GEMS in our lives: our mentors who serve as leaders in our lives.

One of my favorite authors, Marsha Sinetar, calls mentors “artists of encouragement.” To me, this is a beautiful phrase to describe the emotionally rewarding relationship that exists between mentors and mentees. True mentors provide you with deep wisdom that asks you to re-claim your authentic self. Meaning, that in your journey with your mentor, you will find a piece of your personal journey that guides you back to your true self

Mentors come in many forms – children, nature, in ideas and in work. Their role as leaders is to help you to reach your highest potential; to plant the seeds to your life victories. Mentors as leaders not only provide you with guidance and wisdom, they help to challenge your frame of reference by pushing you to explore, test, and put into action your goals and dreams; to conquer your fears and doubts. They can help you to come to an understanding of your perception of your world, thereby enabling you to see possibilities and a broader vision for your own potential.

Tonight, I’d like to share with you how I’ve thought about mentoring and leadership through my own experiences and work. I would like to illustrate these ideas using the work of one my favorite educators – Joseph Campbell. His thinking about how we relate to each other including the relationship we have to ourselves is a valuable gem in society. I’d like to share with you tonight his words of wisdom and insights about personal journeys and the connections to the importance of leadership and mentoring in your personal journey.

Finding the A-HA Moments. First, Joseph Campbell said that there are “A-HA” moments in our lives that allow us to see more of who we are; to become more of who we were meant to be. Tonight we can think of these A-HA moments as “Gems” – they can be people, things, ideas, events (such as marriage, death, graduation, starting your mentor-mentee journey). And, why are these “A-Ha” moments, these gems so important in our journey? Because they are an integral part of our journey and we need them to help us craft our own stories as we venture out in our journey.

When mentors lead they help us with valuable exploration and discovery such as:

• Who are you?
• What is your purpose?
• What is your passion?
• If you didn’t exist, where would the world be?
• What kind of world would we have without you in it?

Our mentor leaders or our “Gems” help to show us the challenges we might face while simultaneously helping to challenge us. They leverage our strengths so we can see what we’re really good at and to remind us that we are not small, not insignificant. No, indeed, that the world may be too small for us! Our mentor leaders ask us to take risks, listen to us when we’re hesitant to taking that risk, and then gently they prod us to “just do it”.

Your Personal Mythology. Second, Campbell said everyone has a personal story, a mythology, and I think that mentors help us to develop our personal story to tell the world. It is through this personal story that we come to share with the world our “private dreams and our public passions.” Your stories matter, the story about your experience with your mentor matters. Your story about your experience being a mentor matters. The stories you will tell about your mentoring relationship is going to be a part of an epic tale. An epic journey filled with lots and lots of adventure.

At the start of every mentoring journey, the creation of your personal mythology – you as the mentee/mentor – you have to say that you want this journey. You have to be able to say “a hearty YES to your adventure.” Many of you have already said “Yes” and have mentors or are mentoring. After saying “yes” some of you may not be entirely sure about what will happen on this journey. Like the Forrest Gump character in the movie Forrest Gump, you might say that in your journey, “you never know what you’re going to get.” And that’s ok, because if you already knew what you were going to get, it takes all the fun out.

Finding the HERO in You. Third, Campbell said that you are the HERO in your journey and all eyes are on you. How many of you have seen the movie the Lord of the Rings or have heard about the story? I think we are all like Frodo Baggins. We are the hero in our stories, our journey, and we say a “Yes” to our adventure (in this case our mentoring relationship), not knowing where we will end up, but somehow in the end, we have come to find out that the journey we took is one we never really anticipated or expected to turn out the way it did. We come to realize that in the journey there is something bigger than yourself that you get back.

Let’s use Frodo and his friends in the Lord of the Rings as a metaphor for your mentoring journey and to illustrate this piece about heroism from Joseph Campbell. In this situation, YOU are Frodo Baggins in your mentoring relationship – whether as the mentor or the mentee. You start answering the call to be mentored or to mentor and you give your hearty “yes” to the journey.

We know that in the beginning, Frodo wasn’t sure if this was the right thing for him to do. Similarly, you may not be sure if this mentoring journey would work out. Some of you may not have wanted to be mentored or be a mentor. Perhaps someone told you that this was best for you and you reluctantly became a part of it; but in this journey, you don’t have a choice. As Frodo’s fate is tied to the ring and where the ring will take him, so too is your fate tied to being a mentor/mentee – whether it is temporary or permanent, your fate has been sealed.

You have to recognize and claim the hero in you; that no one else can make this journey, the journey it needs to be, without you in it – because you’re the hero. The interesting thing about this, the answering of the call to mentor or be a mentee moves you beyond what is safe and conventional about yourself. It challenges you to move outside your comfort zone.

The second piece to your mentoring journey is that you have guides to accompany you. Frodo had this fellowship – each person on that fellowship challenged and supported him in various ways. For those who are mentees in this room today, your mentor serves as this guide, this leader; someone who can offer you guidance and support. They are there for you to point you in the right direction, move you away from harm. But the important thing about this guide, according to Joseph Campbell, is that your mentor is not there to carry your journey for you. What I mean by this is that your mentor and you both show up to the mentoring meeting and your mentor does all the talking and facilitating and asking questions. This is not your mentor’s journey; you have to take a strong role in your journey – because it’s your journey.

Although your mentor cannot take on your journey, and there may be pieces where you’re frustrated with your mentor, disappointed, not sure if you want the relationship to continue, during these moments, your mentor may not be able to take on your journey for you, but he/she can help carry you. I don’t mean this in the physical sense of carrying you. Remember the scene in Lord of the Rings at the side of the volcano, the third movie, Frodo and Sam were on the side of the volcano and Frodo said he just couldn’t do it anymore; that he was going to give up. Sam said this “Mr. Frodo, I can’t carry your burden for you, but I can carry you.” And mentors are like Sam in your journey; they are great guides, right alongside you, helping to lighten the load for you; giving you the short-cuts you need; helping you to see your own resilience and brilliance.

Another piece to your journey is a talisman. Joseph Campbell said that every hero has a talisman on his/her journey. The talisman brings you strength and can protect you from harm. The talisman may also challenge you to think about your journey in different ways. I am going to suggest to you that on this mentoring journey your talisman is something that you already have, but may not have explored in depth. The strongest talisman you can carry with you is your personal value systems. Knowing what values guide your decisions, your interactions with others, or what values ground you is the most powerful tool you own. Many of us go through life not knowing what values drive us to do what we do and because of that we don’t use them in a way that helps us – to strengthen us. Your mentor leader on this journey should and will challenge you to think about values and whether your actions and behaviors match up with what you say you will do.

Your values system is so important because your journey takes you into places that can be unfamiliar to you. You must to have strong values and principles in place and these will be tested. As an example, when I first was mentored, I was excited but I didn’t know what to expect beside the goals that I established with my mentor. I wasn’t really sure how I was going to accomplish the goals and the things I discussed with my mentor. For me, I am a planner; I like to be able to tell what I’m doing from day to day. I had to learn to let go. I showed up to our mentoring meetings with things we said we would discuss, but most of the time we ended up talking about other things that weren’t on the agenda.

For some of you – you may be on the other side of the continuum, meaning you don’t want an agenda; you want to play it by ear or be more relaxed about the relationship. Maybe you have a mentor who challenges you to put some plans in place. When this happens, you, like me, cross a threshold – this can be physical or it can be psychological. Basically, you leave a world that is familiar to you. This means you might leave values and beliefs behind because they may not serve you anymore on your journey.

I know for myself that I had to just let go and be okay with ambiguity. That was really hard for me as a mentee. Psychologically it was hard because I had always done it a certain way, but I learned to be more flexible and allow for spontaneity to occur. And, Joseph Campbell says that these thresholds we go through are there to teach us a life lesson; that these thresholds are there to prepare us, make us stronger. I would suggest that in the mentoring relationship, when you are challenged and don’t feel comfortable, that you question yourself. You should ask, What is this threshold here for? How will it prepare me to be a better mentor/mentee?

Finally, Campbell says that we can expect on our journeys people and/or things that may prevent us from moving forward. Sometimes, it’s ourselves that prevent us from moving forward in our journey. If you think about Frodo Baggins, he certainly had many people in his way. But what is interesting to me is that when Frodo was in his own way, he was the most tormented. We can get in the way of our journey (or mentoring relationship, being a better mentor or mentee) and this can stop us from exploring new ideas and possibilities. How we get in our own way is our own need to be in safe harbors, our fears about ourselves. For example, I remember holding back information about myself to my mentor. This information was about my own weaknesses and where I could improve, and I did that because I didn’t want my mentor to think badly of me. I wanted to paint a beautiful picture-perfect image of who I am and how great I was. But in the end it wasn’t helpful because my mentor couldn’t give me honest feedback and our relationship was never an authentic relationship.

Finding the Abyss. Joseph Campbell says “It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure.” For many people, and I am including myself in this, it can be very hard to disclose your weaknesses, your fears, basically your vulnerability. The abyss isn’t really a comfortable place to be. I think that this quote from Campbell about going down to the abyss is an opportunity to look at yourself (the great parts and the shadow sides of you); and this opportunity then helps you to build your own capacity to become a better mentor and/or mentee. It is only through this abyss that you will come to clarify what are your hot buttons, what are your strengths, and what are your values. Using the example of Frodo Baggins and relating it to the abyss, we learn that if Frodo did not go down to the abyss, he would not have recognized or seen his ability to do more, to be more, to serve more.

In the end, if and when you reach your destination, you will be changed. In our journeys, we all return to our core, our home, our center. We come back not as the same person because the world we left that was familiar to us is now unfamiliar. When we return to true selves – our authentic selves, “we must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” Frodo returned home, but he could never go back. His life was too different; he wasn’t the same person anymore. My analogy here is that at the end of the mentoring relationship, you will not be the same person anymore. You cannot go back to who you were and pick up the pieces as how you left them. Your story is different; that journey you took, whether it is three months, six months, one year, or your entire life here at Metro State, that the journey has led you to a new journey. You can look back and reminisce, but you can’t ever be the same. But in looking back, you will see all that you’ve left behind; the story that others will share and tell one another about you; the exciting journey that you took them on; how they helped you in battle; how they helped you to prepare for future journeys. Remember that the story you take with you is the learning you gained to be a better human being; a better mentor and/or mentee.

I encourage you as the next generation of leaders, as the next generation of mentors, to really know yourself, why you’re on this journey, and what type of legacy you want to leave behind for the generations after you.

One of my favorite texts is the Tao te Ching, an ancient Chinese text of how to live your life, written by Lao Tzu about 2500 years ago. It says, “There is a time for everything and everything in its time.” I believe that now is the time for you to take your mentoring journey. When the time is right, the gems in your life will appear to guide you, provide you with wisdom, and help carry you to your authentic self. As they shine their brilliance towards you, so to shall you shine your brilliance towards others. And may this journey of a thousand miles, begin with your first step towards knowing yourself.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight.

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Cultural Intelligence

Today, as Americans, we celebrate the accomplishments and honor the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. the great civil rights activist and social change maker. This was a man who understood the importance of cultural intelligence as a way to discovering our humanity and shared one-ness. He was a man who recognized the power of the present moment in shaping the future.

MLK once said, “Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Working in a global community means that leaders must have faith in bridging cultural differences, one step at a time. Too often in intercultural interactions we want to see the entire staircase before we make our move. Or, we rush to the end without paying attention to what each step reveals to us. What we don’t understand is that intercultural work and understanding does not operate this way. To be culturally intelligent is to have faith that each step represents a door of opportunity, that when opened, leads you towards your own cultural awareness and understanding. The end you seek is within. If we can stay present, stay focused and on course, and have faith that each step will reveal itself in time, we can learn to be better culturally intelligent leaders.

To help you take your first steps, here are some lessons I’ve learned from my work with culturally intelligent leaders:

1. Understand cultural differences and their manifestations. Throughout the course of my work in diversity and leadership, I meet leaders who encounter challenges, big and small, related to cultural differences. The ones I found to effectively lead through the differences were those who took the initiative to understand differences and how they played out among individuals, team members, and organizations. For example, John, the chief of police for a city in Alabama, told me that one thing he helps his employees to understand is the pervasiveness of culture. He constantly reminds them that a person’s individual culture can impact the entire culture of a team and organization.

2. Be able to transfer cultural knowledge from one culture to another. I find that culturally intelligent leaders are those that take the time to know about a culture. They look for opportunities to learn about the cultural facts, the music, the history, the language, and the behaviors of people within the culture.

3. Recognize their biases, assumptions, and cultural frameworks. When leaders are able to identify and recognize their cultural biases and assumptions, it helps them to let go of preconceived ideas. The ability to do this helps leaders to identify the elements of their thinking that get in the way of culturally intelligent behaviors. I learned that culturally intelligent leaders take the time to reflect on their biases and assumptions; they use mistakes and failures as opportunities to improve.

4. Be motivated and committed to working through cultural conflicts. Intercultural conflicts are extremely challenging but not impossible to work through. The times I found success in conflict resolution among team members or a manager and employee were when both parties were willing and motivated to discuss the conflict, even when it seemed that the process was at a standstill.

5. Be willing to adapt and learn to live and work with different cultures. I am always amazed at the ability of human and organizational systems to be adaptive and resilient. A leader’s positive attitude toward change and flexibility propels him or her further along the cultural intelligence continuum than a negative one.

We have an opportunity to identify and clarify our interpretation of the world, one step at a time. We can seize this chance through our faith in ourselves. All along the way, we will uncover who we are and build a monumental staircase that is uniquely our own creation.

Cultural Intelligence in an Age of Social Transformation

Peter Drucker, the famous scholar of management, said that we are in an “age of social transformation,” a period of our lives where social order is drastically transforming the human condition and what it means from what we have previously known it to be. This age requires us to reflect differently than before about our relationships, about how we resolve intercultural and social conflicts, and the consequences our actions produce when we are not mindful of our intentions. Similarly, Daniel Pink, in A Whole New Mind, speaks about a conceptual age where empathy and emotional intelligence are essential in business; where stories and storytelling are powerful tools to create unity, develop trust, and resolve unsettled business; and how using play can help us find life’s meaning and a deeper alignment to our core values.

The changes we see in societies around the globe necessitate a new and different paradigm for how we come to think about culture. All this makes it harder and more challenging to think and practice cultural competence in the same way. Howard Gardner says we need to approach the challenges that differences bring through acceptance, respect, and learning—a frame that he calls the “respectful mind.” We must engage in intercultural situations and activities fully; we need to immerse ourselves and experience the “flow” in order to harness the emotions needed to perform and learn from our cultural interactions. Leaders must be willing to explore and create new ways of thinking and interacting with the flow of culture.

In this age of social transformation, cultural intelligence is a topic of urgency for organizational leaders. I hear it from leaders and managers, and I see it in everyday organizational life. Environmental, political, and technological factors are quickly shifting the ways we work and interrelate with one another. Culture shifts are happening at a faster rate than organizations are ready for and capable of managing, thus creating mental and emotional havoc in managing and leading through cultural transitions. In many cases, the result is a tighter hold on the invisible aspects of culture and stronger emphasis for “the ‘right’ way to do the work.”

More and more, people ask for the tools and information that help carry them through intercultural and cross-cultural interactions. There are a multitude of tools and methodologies that are useful for managing and leading on a global level—the cultural intelligence framework is one of them. It is only one component in the equation for improving the management and leadership of cultural interactions.

Join me for a weekly essay taken from my newly released book, Culturally Intelligent Leadership: Leading through Intercultural Interactions. If you like what you read, you may also purchase this book from Business Expert Press, my publisher, at http://www.businessexpertpress.com/books/culturally-intelligent-leadership-leading-through-intercultural-interactions

I look forward to sharing my ideas and what I’ve learned about cultural intelligence and leadership. I hope you will join me in this very important dialogue!

Best –

Dr. Mai

The Inclusion Dissonance: The Challenge of Moving from Representation to TRUE Inclusion

Organizations by far are still stuck in the representation stages of inclusion. In fact, many organizations have a false understanding of inclusion and how it can and should be practiced. They only become aware of this when: they see their numbers reflect a different reality than what they intended, there are continued complaints and dissatisfaction among people, and there continues to be challenges in recruitment and retention. Yet, for some organizations who strive more consciously to promote and educate about inclusion, there is still a gap that exists between their beliefs and how they practice inclusion. The field of cognitive psychology, particularly its focus on cognitive dissonance, can provide one explanation for why organizations continue to fail at inclusive work.

Cognitive dissonance is a state of discomfort that humans experience when one of their beliefs/ideas/attitudes is contradicted by evidence or when two of their beliefs/ideas/attitudes come into conflict with each other. In other words, there is disconnect or dissonance between one’s beliefs about a particular issue or someone/something and one’s behaviors towards that issue or someone/something. A famous case in cognitive dissonance comes from the work of Leon Festinger who described the workings of cognitive dissonance that occurred in a group setting.

Dissonance in Action
Festinger and his associates studied a group which believed that the earth was going to be destroyed by a flood on a certain date. This belief led group members to gather in the same location and pray – by doing so, they believed they would be saved. In the end, there was no flood and no end of the world. So what happened to the members? For the group members who were really committed to the idea/belief (basically giving up their homes and jobs) — when the flood did not happen, these individuals had a large dissonance between their beliefs and the piece of evidence they saw. Because of this large gap, they were more likely to re-interpret the evidence to show that they were right all along. For example, they would say that the earth was not destroyed because they came together to pray. While these individuals justified their beliefs others recognized the foolishness of the experience and changed their beliefs and/or actions.

Using this example to guide our thinking about inclusion in the work place we can see that organizations who want to move from representation to true inclusion often have large gaps (dissonance) between their beliefs/attitudes/ideas and their behaviors. Basically, organizations aren’t really walking the inclusion talk they believe. Some organizations even justify their inclusion beliefs even when the evidence shows up to contradict the belief system. And, rarely do we see organizational leaders change their beliefs or actions to match up with what they should be doing around inclusion.

Dissonance and New Learning
Dissonance can also occur when new learning or ideas are presented that conflict with what is already known. For example, an employee is required to attend a cultural diversity workshop. During the session, the employee hears ideas that contradict or come in conflict with his/her belief about the topic. This employee already has certain knowledge about cultural diversity that he/she brings to the workshop, and because he/she is especially committed to their own knowledge and belief system, it’s more likely the employee resists the new learning. You can tell when the person is struggling with dissonance when you hear statements like, “why can’t people who come to this country be more like us” or “why do we have to take these classes,” or “I have to change my belief (or what I do) just to accommodate someone else?” More often than not, when the new learning is difficult, uncomfortable, or even humiliating, people are more likely to say that the learning or workshop was useless, pointless or valueless. To do so would be to admit that one has been “had” or “conned” into believing something different. And as Byron Katie would say, who would we be if not for the stories that we continue to tell ourselves?

If all this sounds familiar or resonates with what is going in your organization, you’re not alone. Our behaviors are very much still rooted in beliefs that are not completely explored within a working environment. Organizational leaders have not articulated clearly (although they think they have) what they believe to be inclusion. The result is a failure to implement and practice inclusion that matches up with the belief systems. Organizational leaders – especially those specifically working on diversity initiatives – need to identify the points of dissonance that occurs in their organization and among staff. Organizational leaders should pay attention to this dissonance and how it’s being expressed.

The Larger the Gap in Beliefs, the Higher the Dissonance
According to cognitive dissonance theory, the more important the issue and the larger the gap between the beliefs, the greater the dissonance within people. This is critical for organizational leaders to understand because inclusion is a very important issue within an organization, and inherently there are large gaps in beliefs on a personal, team, and organizational level related to this. Individual beliefs about power and privilege as it relates to gender inequity, race inequity, generations, ability/disability, sexual orientation, religion and so on need to be explored. If dissonance is not discussed, organizational leaders will continue to employ workers who: feel uncomfortable talking about culture and diversity, continue to behave in inappropriate ways, and feel that all they need are the “right tools” or the “right answers” to be culturally competent. Without careful attention to exploring the stories of dissonance, leaders allow their organizations to bury their inclusion blind spots. This can lead to underestimating or overestimating abilities and to truly understanding what needs to be done. Regardless of the talent that is recruited, the accomplishments or progress made, or even how much money is poured into diversity initiatives, these blind spots can lead leaders to miss opportunities that bring about positive, transformative change and innovation.

Given this information, what can leaders do about the inclusion dissonance within their organizations? First, leaders must have the courage to be open to the possibilities that their beliefs or the organization’s beliefs are not aligned with actions/behaviors. It takes courageous leadership to not maintain the status quo; to explore the stories that give root to organizational and individual beliefs. Second, leaders can and should explore the dissonance by asking themselves the following:

1. What are my organization’s beliefs about inclusion?
2. What dissonance is present in our beliefs and our behaviors?
3. What gaps (in recruitment, within policy, in intra-personal interactions) are created because of the dissonance?
4. How is this dissonance stopping us from truly being inclusive?

Finally, it’s important for leaders to work with their employees to explore employee dissonance. Inclusion is not the sole responsibility of leaders; it is the responsibility of everyone within an organization. And because leaders are in positional power to promote and support the work, it is the responsibility of the leader to help his/her employees to uncover their blind spots. With clear sight of these blinds spots, organizations can turn them into an advantage. By doing so, organizations can find significantly greater possibilities that expand and deepen inclusion work than previously imagined.

Authentic Leadership: The Missing Ingredient in Diversity

When it comes to diversity leadership, authenticity of leaders in managing and leading diversity efforts is absolutely necessary. The political and socio-economic landscape pushes and challenges organizations to engage in transformative work in diversity leadership. As organizations look to develop the diverse elements within their workplace, it is important for leaders to understand that transformative work in diversity must be internalized at a deeper level than at present. If leaders can apply what is known about authentic leadership to the diversity process, they will better engage and cultivate a generation of leaders more mindful of the value diversity has in life.

Authenticity, and specifically authentic leadership, is about the nature of individuals to be true to themselves. Truth of oneself can be found through a deep exploration and reflection of the self, particularly in three areas of one’s life: purpose, values, and relationships. I believe that these three elements stand out as critical ingredients for leaders to have in diversity work. When embraced and internalized, they can transform diversity thinking and practices at a personal, organizational, and community level.

Purpose. To begin, leaders in diversity work need to be clear about their purpose in the process. Articulating their reasons and support for diversity is critical when engaging supporters, but that is not enough. Purpose, in authentic leadership, is to understand oneself in relationship to what is being sought. In other words, understanding and exploring your motivations, your passion, and your personal journey must serve as a foundation for reaching the desired vision. You must personally explore and identify what it would mean to the organization, and most importantly to its people, if diversity (of thoughts, ideas, people, systems, etc) did not exist.

Simply asking yourself and others, “if we didn’t do this work, what would be lost,” can make a difference. I once worked with a manager who asked this question of himself, and then his staff. The result was a deep and authentic dialogue about the responsibility that each person brings to the process. They understood that diversity wasn’t something to control or “manage,” rather it was a human element that needed to be nurtured and cared for by everyone. In the end, he gained an understanding for the different notions of diversity his staff had, he learned more about his own passion and purpose for the work, and he gained more enthusiastic support for his vision.

Values. Leaders are often defined by their values, their beliefs, and their character. Authentic leadership in diversity work requires leaders to consistently review, revise, and reflect upon their personal value systems and how these systems impact the work they do. Leaders must understand and articulate what values drive their behaviors and attitudes. This means that leaders must question and challenge, that they explore the deeper stories that give life to their belief systems, and that they are courageous enough to give themselves a “reality check” for any dissonance surfacing between their beliefs and actions.

Too often, I see organizations create assessments and tools to measure the effectiveness of “the organization as a system,” and forget about the most important system, the “personal value system” that drives most of organizational processes and thinking. We need to be reminded that organizational systems come about because there are people within the organization who are driven by their personal values and beliefs.

As an example, I have worked with managers and executives who are passionate about the issue of diversity, but often cannot make a value-connection back to their personal lives. In fact, many of them begin diversity initiatives or efforts because it is part of a strategic or business plan, or it’s important because “it is the thing to do.” There is no connection back to the personal experiences – values, life histories, beliefs – of the individual, thus the purpose (or authenticity) for the work is not connected to authentic values for doing the work. It is essential then for leaders to uncover the stories that create the deep roots of personal cultural understanding (values and beliefs), and then to challenge oneself and others about these stories.

Relationships. Essential in authentic leadership is a leader’s ability to develop long-lasting and meaningful relationships. For this to happen, it’s vital for leaders and organizations to change their thinking and practices about relationships. Leaders can create a shift in doing authentic work in diversity when they pay attention to the relationships that they develop. Authentic relationships can occur when the questions asked are shifted from “how can this relationship help me to reach my organizational goals” to “what can I (we) learn from this relationship, and how can the learning move us towards our vision?”

I suggested this question to a woman who manages volunteers in a nonprofit. In our brief conversation, she realized that asking the question in this way helped her to see culture and diversity as a process rather than an outcome. She realized that it was important to build relationships for diversity work, but in doing so the relationships built can have a larger impact than the diversity efforts themselves. By asking questions such as, “what forms of relationships need to exist in this organization,” “what do relationships mean to this organization,” and “how do people in this organization work together” enables the organization to become a learning organization around diversity and culture. Asking these questions enable an organization to be more authentic and understanding of how relationships are created. This is a critical element in authentic leadership and diversity as it helps leaders to tap into the power that relationships have in building trust, unity, and support for diversity work.

By applying authentic leadership principles to diversity work, leaders can garner support and understanding for the work, discover the discord between individual and organizational values and behaviors that serve as barriers, and develop meaningful relationships for organizational growth – all intended to heighten awareness and understanding for the value diversity has on organizational life. Authentic leaders who can dig underneath the surface by exploring their purpose, their values, and how they build relationships lay a foundation for a deeper commitment to organizational growth. That because attention is paid to purpose, values, and relationships, how we think about and act upon these elements will engage people, not only with their minds but also their hearts.

Welcome to Leadership Paradigms!

Hello and Welcome to the Leadership Paradigms Inc Blog!

Leadership Paradigms works with people, organizations and communities on a local, national and global level to bring conscious awareness to challenge, renew and transform one’s ways of knowing and being. We do this primarily through leadership and organizational development, particularly in the fields of diversity and inclusion, cross cultural leadership, and women leadership.

This blog is a space for our thoughts, inquiries, and ideas around transforming leadership paradigms. We will offer on this site tools and techniques, videos and resource links, and opportunities for dialogue around shifting all of our work towards a holistic system that values, appreciates, respects and honors the differences and similarities that make us whole.

Come along with us on this leadership journey, and together we can discover, create, take action on, and transform our leadership practices and thinking!

Mai Moua
President, Leadership Paradigms