How do you delegate and empower across different cultures?

- Encourage team members to develop cultural intelligence, which involves being curious about and sensitive to other cultures. This will help team members understand the nuances of different cultural norms, values, and communication styles, fostering empathy and mutual respect. Workshops or training sessions focussing on these cultural norms, customs, traditions, and potential sources of prejudice can be of great value. Increased awareness will lead to greater appreciation and understanding of cultural differences. - Address and challenge stereotypes that may exist within the team. Encourage team members to share their individual experiences and identities as well as helping others see beyond preconceived notions and biases.

I’ve found the “Stewardship Delegation” framework, created by Steven Covey, is a great framework to follow and transcends cultural differences. First, clearly communicate the target results being sought. The target results should be clear enough to photograph them or quantify them with data. Next, provide guidelines for the team or individual to follow in pursuit of those results. What tools do they have at their disposal? What should they NOT do?…etc. Third, clearly communicate how accountability will be handled. When will the review period be? When are the checkpoints? Lastly, outline the consequences, both good and bad. What happens when the job is done well? What’s at stake if it fails? Those 4 steps have never let me down.

A great method for encouraging authentic and empathic communication is embedding Ikigai-related questions directly into the review and one-on-one processes. Ikigai questions include: 1) What makes you happy? 2) What do you feel you are good at? 3) What do you feel the world needs? 4) If you could make money doing anything in the world, what would it be? Great leaders know how to be genuinely curious and interested in their team member’s lives and these questions can help facilitate genuine relationships and bridge gaps in trust.

A great place to start would be to learn how the words “trust,” “love,” and “support” are said in the cultures you’re working in and/or with. Then consult with various individuals and ask how those concepts play out and are built in their culture. Then, make a sincere effort to start developing those relationships on an individual basis to learn from and contribute to each member on the team. It’s always about the people and the individual - contribute to their well-being and they will contribute to the company’s success. “Returning the favor” and “paying it forward” are universal concepts that every culture understands.

To empower your cross-cultural team, create a team charter, establish cross-cultural buddy pairs, and provide cross-cultural training. Encourage rotational leadership roles, utilize technology for virtual collaboration, and organize team-building activities that celebrate diversity. Implement feedback mechanisms, support language learning, and recognize individual achievements and cultural milestones. Lead by example, showing respect, curiosity, and open-mindedness. These actions will foster a strong and inclusive team environment where diverse perspectives are valued, resulting in enhanced collaboration and success.

What I have learned leading the teams of today is that leaders must challenge themselves every day to learn from their people to lead a diverse team effectively. Leaders need to have an open mind and be willing to adjust their leadership style to make everyone on their team feel heard, seen, and empowered. By fostering an inclusive and supportive culture, leaders can create a work environment where everyone is respected and valued. With such an environment in place, the team will be more productive and help drive the organization’s success. Leaders can cultivate an effective and powerful team to achieve great things by understanding cultural diversity and adapting their approach to each individual.

It is my experience in delegating and sharing responsibilities one must know what is required of every task that is being delegated. You must know something about the issues and history of each problem and seek and search the best solutions as well as your best qualifying candidate. Time can be a major factor. Skills ability to perform each task is major. It would nice to enjoy what you are doing but having all necessary equipment to perform these delegated duties is major. Know your candidates and not only that but why they understand as well. Have training in place, as well as a wellness program that deal with burned out and stress issues.

The best piece of advice I received on communicating across cultures was to connect with a cultural insider who is willing to share insights with you, provide feedback, and help you better understand the culture you are operating in. This proved invaluable when working with international military personnel. Having a member of the culture I was working with who could help explain what the unwritten expectations were and let me know when I did something offensive was invaluable for building relationships and trust.