A Discussion On Cultural Prisms In The US
Photo by CoWomen on Unsplash
In keeping with the theme of Cultural Prisms, this month we take a deeper dive to explore how this theme applies to US leadership culture and work environments. As someone who has lived and worked in the US for more than 15 years, this is an area that is personally very intriguing.
Let’s start by looking at a few different scenarios in how various cultural prisms can play out in the US. For the sake of keeping things brief, we’ll only touch upon a few, though there are quite a few different cultural prisms that we could explore. Also, a caveat to add, this theme is far more complex than what I am touching upon in this newsletter.With companies and my individual clients, I go below the surface and take time to dive deeper into the complexities of this work.
The first cultural prism is that of being born and raised in the US and working with international colleagues. Then there is the cultural prism of someone who has lived for a lengthy amount of time in the US but was born/raised in other countries. And the third is someone newly working in the US, having transferred from another country.
In the first case, the person must open the aperture to expand her perspective and adapt to a multicultural working environment. Even the most open-minded people in this scenario will find different challenges and brush up against cultural ignorance and bias. By remaining open and curious, one begins to understand her own internal strengths and weaknesses and the elements that influence the way in which one works.
For those who have moved to the US, whether some time ago or recently, they may not feel the US is their “home” but merely a place they are visiting. This is important as it can deeply affect how we see ourselves as part of a culture. It must be noted that generally, people who move from one country to another are more open-minded and eager to learn more about themselves and others from a cultural standpoint. This will be in their favor as they begin to uncover the cultural prisms within their lives. At the same time, they may face challenges in trying to adapt to new cultural “norms” and interaction in the work environment.
Let’s look at how these cultural prisms apply to leadership culture in the US. Much of the US work culture requires action-based efforts. It’s transactional, you get what you give. In the US, it’s not important necessarily how liked you are, but can you get the job done. There is greater focus on your accolades and your ability to produce and achieve. While being nice helps, it is not the focus. For those who were raised outside the US, this can be a challenge. Relationship building is key in Europe, Middle East, South America and other parts of the world, as is being in a community. And being liked can take you further. In the US, business relationships are more IQ driven whereas outside the US, work relationships involve more EQ. In the US, there is a distinct divide between personal and professional, while in other countries, there is a flow between personal and professional relationships, a desire to create community organically and spontaneously, not just for the sake of achieving something.
To adapt to the work culture in the US, international business people need to learn how to do a bit of flexing. For those raised in the US and working with international colleagues, they must cultivate greater awareness and go past their own judgements to uncover cultural bias. As noted earlier, these are simple statements, but they are clearly much more complex and require a deeper dive.
I had a chance to chat with some of my colleagues and clients to learn more about their perspectives on leadership culture and professional relationships in the US.
Danica Starks, Senior U.S. Commercial Liaison and Advisor at the World Bank notes, “In the US, they are going to judge you by race then by culture, i.e., binary white / nonwhite. They will judge you for your blackness. If you're French (and white), you’re going to come across as white. There is a certain amount of cultural ignorance you must deal with in America.”
She continues, “Building relationships is secondary to delivering work. Get over being liked. Having things done precedes building a relationship.”
She also shares that in “working internationally, learn to respect individual cultures and people and take that time. See the layers. People want to be treated as individuals. Developing relationships is important. My work overseas helped me become a better leader in the US. I pay attention to relationships, it’s not just transactional.”
Veronica Millan Caceres, Global CIO at MullenLowe Group and a third culture kid who is Colombian-Peruvian shares that “in the US, I am told I am Mexican.” Something that she clearly does not identify with. She also notes that, “Americans are direct and demanding. Internationally, people are not as direct, for them it’s about relationship building. Things will not happen until there is a relationship.”
Valerie Batrice, VP Marketing at Travelpro and a Palestinian-Spanish-French woman with family all over the globe, comments, “I’ve always felt I am never enough of one culture. In the US, there are a lot of things to overcome - your culture, your perception, corporate perception, perceptions of others. It’s important to find your happy medium, to be yourself and feel respected.” When I spoke with her about the US work culture, she noted, “Interview the company as much as they interview you. The best leaders for me are the leaders who had international assignments. They had experience being a foreigner in another country and they were able to see the opportunities in me and my strengths.”
Do the above experiences resonate with you? Do you have a differing perspective? I’d love to hear your feedback and learn more about what cultural prisms you have identified because of living and working in the US. Drop me a note to let me know.
To Your Success,
Coaching Practices
Take Action and put it Into Practice
This month, get curious and notice your default mechanisms:
Do you look for approval?
Do you strive to be liked?
Do you aim for impact?
Practice disengaging from your default and jot down some notes about how this feels. Do this reflection a few times a week and in different scenarios (with family, friends and in a work environment) and see if the answers shift.
Playing for being liked can create a false sense of belonging. Brené Brown captures this by noting “Belonging is the innate human desire to be part of something larger than us. Fitting in is about assessing a situation and becoming who you need to be to be accepted. Belonging, on the other hand, doesn’t require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are.”