How to Navigate Cultural Differences with a Mentor

Anglos and Latins in a negotiation? It can be like salsa dancing with a drill sergeant.🤣 Here’s some cross-cultural intelligence in 3 dance moves. My first negotiation with an Anglo-Saxon client was eye-opening. I arrived five minutes late, carrying the warmth of a Latin American morning. Their look said, “What’s wrong with your watch?” In Latin America, we juggle tasks, get a little distracted, and value relationships. Deals are personal – you invite them over for dinner and introduce them to your abuela. Anglo-Saxons? They live by punctuality. They focus on one task at a time, and a missed deadline is a cardinal sin. You can imagine the culture shock when I suggested we discuss the contract over a three-hour lunch. As the meeting progressed, my counterpart pulled out a detailed agenda. Every minute was accounted for. While I was winging it with charm and a few notes on a napkin. For us, Latins, plans are flexible, like a good salsa dance. You adjust, improvise, and go with the flow. But in their world? Deviating from the plan was a disaster. 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗵: 1️⃣ Direct vs. Indirect Communication: Anglos love bluntness; Latins prefer subtlety. 📌 Adaptation: ↳ Anglos, read between the lines. ↳ Latins, be clearer. ↳ Both, check in regularly to avoid misinterpretations. 2️⃣ Building Relationships: Anglos: "Let's get this done." Latins: "Let's get to know each other first." 📌 Adaptation: ↳ Anglos, invest in small talk. ↳ Latins, be ready for quick chats. ↳ Both, balance business with bonding. 3️⃣ Time Management: Anglos run on schedules; Latins run on vibes. 📌 Adaptation: ↳ Anglos, be patient. ↳ Latins, respect the clock. ↳ Both, agree on time expectations upfront. In the end, we found a middle ground. I respected their punctuality; they valued relationships. It was a cultural dance, sometimes awkward but always moving forward. Cultural intelligence in negotiations isn’t just a tactic – it’s transformative. How do you navigate these cultural quirks? Share your funniest or most frustrating experiences below! #NegotiationByDesign #Negotiation #Culture

When I was 20 years old, I took 100+ Australian students to Shenyang — a city that borders North Korea & Russia, and also the capital of industrial China. Even though I am ethnically Chinese and fluent in Mandarin, I had my first real culture shock. It was my first time working with the local Chinese. I couldn’t understand when people danced with their words in a roundabout way, their deference to hierarchy, the layers of nuance in what 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣’𝙩 said. And over the years, as I worked with varying cultures across APAC and the US, I have come to see the differences of working in high vs low context environments. When we don’t appreciate the cultural differences in how others convey and interpret information, we are more likely to misunderstand them. In Erin Meyer’s book, The Culture Map, she describes high and low context as depending on whether there is an assumption of shared context and understanding. High context cultures communicate in implicit, subtle, layered and nuanced ways, whilst low context cultures are more explicit, straightforward and concise. Interestingly, this is often clustered by language type along a spectrum. Low context languages are predominantly anglo-saxon, with romance languages being in the middle and high context being the asian language cluster. Then within each language cluster, it depends on homogeneity of the culture and length of history. It’s easy to then understand why companies with global teams often have varying challenges communicating in these different styles. If I could go back and give advice to my 20 year old self, here’s some things I would have done differently: 👀 when working with a high context culture like China, use effective listening, observe body language, and ask open-ended questions to try to interpret the meaning behind the words ✍🏻 when working with a low context culture like the US, be clear and to the point. Communicate explicitly, and pay attention to the literal meanings of words, with strong emphasis on written communication 🤝 when working together with different styles across cultures, mutually design and agree on a communication framework, and be held accountable to it What has your experience been with working with different cultures?

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀. But only if you know how to decode them. I recently had a coaching session that highlighted this perfectly. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱: A client was struggling with her boss. The issue? Cultural miscommunication. The boss was Dutch. My client was from Asia. Two different cultural backgrounds colliding. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱: 1. 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 • The boss's communication style was typically Dutch • Direct, which can seem harsh to other cultures 2. 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 • My client saw it as personal criticism • In reality, it was cultural norm difference 3. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 • Understanding the cultural context • Adapting communication styles 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁? • Clarity in communication • Improved working relationship • Enhanced job satisfaction Once we put the cultural puzzle pieces in place, everything changed. My client learned to "speak Dutch" professionally. The takeaway? Cultural intelligence isn't just nice to have. It's a critical tool for career success. 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀? Watch my LinkedIn Live: "Build Your Global Leadership Edge: Cultural Intelligence for Team Success" 👉 https://lnkd.in/e3udvtik Learn how to turn cultural challenges into career opportunities. Now, I'm curious: Have you ever had an "aha" moment about cultural differences at work? Share your story in the comments. Let's build our collective cultural intelligence together. 𝗣.𝗦. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲'𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁?