Leading with Cultural Intelligence, 2012a

or feeling. If you cannot forgive, you are going to have a hard time working with unfamiliar
cultural environments.
Keep your sense of humor. Working interculturally can be both tiring and exhilarating. There will
be times when you make mistakes and feel disappointed for not picking up the cues or for not
“knowing what to do.” Keeping a sense of humor about culture lessens the stress. You have to be
able to laugh at yourself; otherwise, the challenges of cultural differences become too much to
bear.
I once consulted with an organization that had a tool called “The Wizard.” This tool helped organizations
to be more accountable and transparent in their use of charitable donations. They wanted to expand their
tool to a diverse audience. In a session focused on thinking about how the tool could be more accessible, it
struck us that, in one of the languages, the word “wizard” translated into “Shaman.” In this community,
the shaman happens to be someone who is wise and connects with the spirit world. Can you imagine
going into the community and talking about how “the shaman” will help you to be more accountable? We
all laughed, and we also used this as an opportunity to discuss the challenges of accessibility.
[1] Bandura (1994).
[2] Kouzes & Posner (2002).
[3] Bandura (1994).
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