Why Global Dexterity is Essential for Succeeding Across Cultures (and how you can add it to your professional repertoire)

Consider the following:

• You are an American-born executive in Tokyo learning to give “indirect” feedback to your Japanese employees.? You know that your more direct style doesn’t work in this context, but you also feel disingenuous being so indirect and evasive.? You just want to “tell it like it is.”
• You are a German-born manager in New York learning how to praise your employees for seemingly minor accomplishments at the office.? In Germany, you are simply expected to do your work and such praise is unnecessary.? In the US, however, you know such praise is important to maintain motivation; however, it also feels inauthentic to you and you’re frustrated to have to deliver it

In each of these situations, you don’t just struggle with understanding cultural differences.? Rather, you struggle with the far more challenging task of actually changing your culturally ingrained behavior - aka Global Dexterity.

After studying and training people to succeed with Global Dexterity for over 20 years, I have seen 5 key benefits of the approach.

1. In other cultural models, the goal is to learn about cultural differences. In Global Dexterity, the goal is for the culture-crosser to discern how to adapt in light of those differences.
2. Many models focus on mastering the other culture. Global Dexterity considers the emotional burden of adaptation and helps the culture-crosser master their own internal obstacles.
3. Other models focus on national cultures - typically at a broad, general level. Global Dexterity looks at situations across cultures (like the ones above) and how people can successfully navigate them.
4. Other cultural models encourage all-or-nothing thinking. Global Dexterity shows how small adjustments and adaptations can make a big difference in success and well-being.
5. Other models play on culture-crossers’ fears of faux pas. Global Dexterity presents cultural adaptation as an ongoing learning process of trial, error, mentoring, and personal growth.

If you are a coach, trainer, teacher, consultant, or HR professional interested in adding this powerful Global Dexterity to your toolkit, considering joining our Global Dexterity certification program. Just simply complete this short form to learn more.

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