What do you do if you're struggling to navigate diverse teams and environments as a mid-career professional?

Firstly deal with your own inherent bias, stereotypes and prejudices on diversity, equity and inclusion( DEI) matters before you implement your DEI Program.This will assist you to assess your own current level of knowledge, skills, attitudes towards DEI. Then engage broadly to deal with all the barriers and challenges that inhibit you and your organization to embrace DEI. You cannot lead others if you cannot lead yourself. Doing a personal swot analysis will assist you to look at yourself more critically and identify your blindspots and existing gaps. Stand back , and ask you yourself which animal in the animal kingdom best represents you and why ? as that will expose your own weaknesses, and strengths, which you can develop in time.

Educate Yourself: Take the initiative to educate yourself about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles and practices. Invest time in learning about different cultures, backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences to develop a deeper understanding of diversity issues. Seek Feedback: Actively seek feedback from colleagues, supervisors, or mentors about your interactions and communication style within diverse teams. Solicit constructive feedback on areas where you can improve and adapt your approach to better navigate diverse environments. Cultivate Cultural Competence: Develop cultural competence by being open-minded, empathetic, and respectful of different viewpoints and experiences.

When facing challenges in diverse teams as a mid-career professional, start by evaluating your strengths and areas for improvement. Embrace your unique skills and seek opportunities to enhance your cultural competence. Engage in open communication, very active listening, and continuous learning to thrive in diverse environments.

Staying open and appreciating differences as advantages instead of disadvantages. Diversity rules and always leads to better results and outperformance. Try to abscond bias as far as possible and always remember that you have your filters and others have theirs. But we learn through being different and committing to best solutions for all.

A manner in which people can improve their cultural competency is to: a) Identify and describe any bias or exclusion they already have. This requires honesty and maturity. b) Illustrate how the bias and exclusion they have identified may harm others. This requires being realistic and sensitive. c) Enumerate and implement the concrete steps they will take, in order to nullify all manifestations of bias and exclusion they identified. This requires being responsible, accountable, and caring about other people.

To excel in navigating diverse teams and environments as a mid-career professional, proactively seek out learning opportunities. Engage in training programs, workshops, and discussions that focus on cultural competence and diversity. Embrace continuous learning to broaden your perspective, enhance your communication skills, and build stronger relationships within diverse teams. By investing in your growth and development, you can effectively navigate and thrive in diverse work environments.

Step out of your comfort zone and actively seek opportunities to broaden your exposure to diverse perspectives and experiences. Volunteer for cross-functional projects, join employee resource groups, or participate in diversity-related initiatives within your organisation.

As a mid-career professional, it's also important reflect that there's a layer that is at the top that aligns differently i.e. the managers of the manager. And a layer at the bottom, your team, that not only comes with different perspectives, but also different skills. Truly, it could feel like a double edged sword, but in effect it could rather be the bridging gap. Reflecting from both perspectives, and shouldering the responsibility to represent both would be important, which requires - active reflection. A useful tool I often use is D.I.V.E - Describe, Interpret, Verify and Evaluate from both sides and use the most useful solution for that context and situation forward and continue the exercise of active reflection.

To navigate diverse teams effectively, engage in meaningful dialogue and reflection. Actively listen to different perspectives, ask questions, and seek to understand the experiences of others. Reflect on your own biases and assumptions, and be open to challenging your preconceptions. By fostering open communication and introspection, you can build trust, foster inclusivity, and promote a culture of respect within diverse teams.

In my consulting practice, I encounter companies that achieve better results with what I call inspirational situational leadership: leaders who operate within a management spectrum of approximately 80% democratic and 20% autocratic. In the latter case, management determines actions based on the best alternatives drawn from the democratic style or even through monocratic decisions for problems that require extreme agility and urgency. Effective and inspiring leadership analyzes scenarios and can produce highly effective results by combining autocratic and democratic styles, depending on the situation. This approach inspires, develops, and prepares diverse individuals who may become potential new leaders.

Put your learnings and skills into action by applying them in real-world scenarios within diverse teams. Practice cultural awareness, effective communication, and collaboration to leverage your newfound knowledge. Embrace opportunities to contribute positively, share insights, and support your colleagues in achieving common goals. By actively applying your learnings, you can make a tangible impact and foster a more inclusive and harmonious work environment. Share your knowledge, inspire others, and empower others.

Strive for continuous improvement by seeking feedback, reflecting on your experiences, and setting goals for personal and professional growth. Embrace a growth mindset that values learning from challenges and actively seeks opportunities to enhance your skills and understanding. Engage in self-assessment, seek mentorship, and stay open to new perspectives to continually evolve and adapt in diverse teams and environments.

When this occurs, the challenges and gaps are not due to a lack of cultural competency, it is an inability to see beyond your own point of view and perspective. You will benefit from unpacking the assumptions you hold, identify what their roots and origins are, and listen to other perspectives to expand your own understanding and perspective.

Harness the power of cultural competency to excel in diverse teams and environments. Embrace diversity as a strength and leverage your understanding of different cultures to foster collaboration and innovation. By valuing and respecting cultural differences, you can build trust, enhance communication, and create a more inclusive work environment. Benefit from cultural competency by developing empathy, adapting to new perspectives, and cultivating relationships based on mutual respect and understanding.

How about first have a deeper understanding of your own culture and your own values so that you can leverage the strengths of your culture anf values during team collaboration? Be authentic and proud of your own culture and values. Find common ground so that you can move towards the same direction collectively. If your workplace or your colleague does not respect your culture or value, take proactive actions to address tue problem, e.g. Have candid conversations to resolve differences or find a workplace or colleagues respecting your values and culture.

Here is what I would recommend: The Common Thread: The Human Experience. Once accurately diagnosed the disease is non-negotiable and it applies to all human beings irrespective of race , gender, socioeconomic status, language, religion.So maybe health care can be more empathetic and less judgmental whether you are homeless or a millionaire. Millionaire can’t say:I will give you a million dollars to take the diagnosis back; oh that’s not enough, I will give you five million Make sure you accurately identify the individual’s culture as to what I refer to as the look alike syndrome. Culturally we may look alike but knowing the unique characteristics is important Ex. Being Japanese vs. Chinese Being Indian vs. Pakistani