WHY YOU NEED CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE (AND HOW TO
DEVELOP IT)
27.03.2015
IQ, EQ now CQ? As globalization has rendered the business environment more complex, dynamic, and
competitive, the ability to function effectively in different cultural contexts, called Cultural Intelligence
(CQ), has never been more important for organizations.
Employees who possess a high level of cultural intelligence play an important role in bridging
divides and knowledge gaps in an organization: educating their peers about different cultures;
transferring knowledge between otherwise disparate groups; helping to build interpersonal
connections and smooth the interpersonal processes in a multicultural workforce. Culturally
intelligent employees also posses the potential to drive up innovation and creativity, due to their
ability to integrate diverse resources and help the business make best use of the multiple
perspectives that a multicultural workforce brings to the workplace.
Such abilities go beyond simply being intelligent, emotionally mature, and/or having good
general social skills. CQ is a system consisting of three interactive components – cultural
knowledge, cross-cultural skills and cultural metacognition. While these three components of CQ
can be developed in different ways (see below), it´s important to note that they do not operate in
isolation from each other.
Cultural Knowledge is composed of content (what) and process (how) knowledge of other
cultures, such as how and when people express disagreements with each other, and how to give
feedback to subordinates.
How To Develop It: You can gain cultural knowledge through multiple channels, such as
newspapers, movies, books, traveling to another country, or working with or being friends with
people from a different culture. This learning experience will be optimized if you are mindful
during the process, such as through carefully identifying what is unique about one culture,
analyzing why it is unique, and forecasting when and how you could utilize this knowledge in
the future.
Cross-Cultural Skills consist of a broad set of skills instrumental for intercultural effectiveness,
specifically:
1. relational skills; whether you enjoy talking and interacting with people from other
cultures
2. tolerance of uncertainty; whether you are able to tolerate uncertainties, ambiguities and
unexpected changes in an intercultural interaction
3. adaptability; whether you can change your behavior according to the cultural demands
4. empathy; whether you can put yourself in a culturally different person´s shoes and
imagine the situation from his or her perspective
5. perceptual acuity; whether you understand other people´s feelings and subtle meanings
during intercultural interactions
How To Develop it: Cross-cultural skills are best developed through experiential learning, e.g.
through studying or working in a foreign culture where you can practice these skills through
trail-and-error.
The development of these skills is accelerated when one is equipped with the appropriate cultural
knowledge that was developed earlier. For example, if you know that in cultures such as Spain
meeting someone 10 minutes after your arranged time is not considered late, you will feel more
at ease when a Spanish colleague does not turn up exactly on time for a meeting. Similarly, being
adaptive in a new cultural context requires the knowledge of how to behave appropriately in that
culture. Again, this learning experience will be optimized if you are mindful during intercultural
interactions and analyze your own behavior as well as your counterpart´s reactions.
Cultural Metacognition (sometimes called Cultural Mindfulness) is the knowledge of and
control over one´s thinking and learning activities in the specific domain of cultural experiences
and strategies. Being culturally mindful means one is aware of the cultural context, consciously
analyzes the interactive situation, and plans courses of actions for different cultural contexts.
How To Develop It: In order to improve cultural metacognition, you need to practice mental
exercises where you are observing others´ behaviors, analyzing situations and reflecting on your
own behavior.
o Pay attention to how the other party acts and reacts to you in a number of situations – this
serves as the foundation for evaluating whether your behavior has achieved your desired
goal. Based on this analysis, you can then decide what action you wish to take next.
o Reflect on successful as well as unsuccessful intercultural interactions and write down
what knowledge and skills you have used during those interactions. Are there any clues
you missed or misread? Was there any word or behavior you did not know how to
interpret? What would you do differently in a similar context?
o Again, this learning experience will be optimized if you already have some cultural
knowledge and cross-cultural skills. For example, if you can relate to your counterpart
and are able to put yourself in his or her shoes, it will be easier for you to interpret his or
her behavior and plan for your next move.
Developing your CQ in these ways will go a long way to ensure that you and your organization
are able to nimbly navigate across cultural boundaries.
HOW SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE SPEND THEIR WEEKENDS
27.03.2015
As co-founder of [Link] and CEO of Zillow for the last seven years, 39-year-old
Spencer Rascoff fits most people’s definition of success. As a father of three young children,
Spencer is a busy guy at home and at work.
What’s the one thing that Spencer refuses to do on the weekend? Work—at least, in the
traditional sense.
Jacquelyn Smith shared some interesting insights from Spencer in her article on how successful
people spend their weekends:
“I never go into the office on weekends,” Spencer says, “but I do check e-mail at night. My
weekends are an important time to unplug from the day-to-day and get a chance to think more
deeply about my company and my industry. Weekends are a great chance to reflect and be more
introspective about bigger issues.”
A new study from Stanford shows that Rascoff is on to something.
The study found that productivity per hour declines sharply when the workweek exceeds 50
hours, and it drops off so much after 55 hours that there’s no point in working any more. That’s
right, people who work as much as 70 hours (or more) per week actually get the same amount
done as people who work 55 hours. Those extra hours are wasted.
Successful people know the importance of shifting gears on the weekend to relaxing and
rejuvenating activities. Like Spencer, they use their weekends to create a better week ahead.
This is easier said than done, so here’s some help. The following list contains 10 things that
successful people do to find balance on the weekend and to come into work at 110% on Monday
morning.
1. They Wake Up at the Same Time
It’s tempting to sleep in on the weekend to catch up on your sleep. Though it feels good
temporarily, having an inconsistent wake-up time disturbs your circadian rhythm. Your body
cycles through an elaborate series of sleep phases in order for you to wake up rested and
refreshed. One of these phases involves preparing your mind to be awake and alert, which is why
people often wake up just before their alarm clock goes off (the brain is trained and ready).
When you sleep past your regular wake-up time on the weekend, you end up feeling groggy and
tired. This isn’t just disruptive to your day off, it also makes you less productive on Monday
because your brain isn’t ready to wake up at your regular time. If you need to catch up on sleep,
just go to bed earlier.
2. They Designate Mornings as Me Time
It can be difficult to get time to yourself on the weekends, especially if you have family. Finding
a way to engage in an activity you’re passionate about first thing in the morning can pay massive
dividends in happiness and cleanliness of mind. It’s also a great way to perfect your circadian
rhythm by forcing yourself to wake up at the same time you do on weekdays. Your mind
achieves peak performance two-to-four hours after you wake up, so get up early to do something
physical, and then sit down and engage in something mental while your mind is at its peak.
3. They Schedule Micro-Adventures
Buy tickets to a concert or play, or get reservations for that cool new hotel that just opened
downtown. Instead of running on a treadmill, plan a hike. Try something you haven’t done
before or perhaps something you haven’t done in a long time. Studies show that anticipating
something good to come is a significant part of what makes the activity pleasurable. Knowing
that you have something interesting planned for Saturday will not only be fun come Saturday,
but it will significantly improve your mood throughout the week.
4. They Pursue a Passion
You might be surprised what happens when you pursue something you’re passionate about on
weekends. Indulging your passions is a great way to escape stress and to open your mind to new
ways of thinking. Things like playing music, reading, writing, painting, or even playing catch
with your kids can help stimulate different modes of thought that can reap huge dividends over
the coming week.
5. They Disconnect
Disconnecting is the most important weekend strategy on this list, because if you can’t find a
way to remove yourself electronically from your work Friday evening through Monday morning,
then you’ve never really left work.
Making yourself available to your work 24/7 exposes you to a constant barrage of stressors that
prevent you from refocusing and recharging. If taking the entire weekend off handling work e-
mails and calls isn’t realistic, try designating specific times on Saturday and Sunday for checking
e-mails and responding to voicemails. For example, check your messages on Saturday afternoon
while your kids are getting a haircut and on Sunday evenings after dinner. Scheduling short
blocks of time will alleviate stress without sacrificing availability.
6. They Minimize Chores
Chores have a funny habit of completely taking over your weekends. When this happens, you
lose the opportunity to relax and reflect. What’s worse is that a lot of chores feel like work, and
if you spend all weekend doing them, you just put in a seven-day workweek. To keep this from
happening, you need to schedule your chores like you would anything else during the week, and
if you don’t complete them during the allotted time, you move on and finish them the following
weekend.
7. They Exercise
No time to exercise during the week? You have 48 hours every weekend to make it happen.
Getting your body moving for as little as 10 minutes releases GABA, a soothing neurotransmitter
that reduces stress. Exercise is also a great way to come up with new ideas. Innovators and other
successful people know that being outdoors often sparks creativity.
I know that a lot of my best ideas come to me while I’m surfing. While you’re out in the ocean,
the combination of invigorating activity and beautiful scenery creates the perfect environment for
an influx of creativity. Whether you’re running, cycling, or gardening, exercise leads to
endorphin-fueled introspection. The key is to find a physical activity that does this for you and
then to make it an important part of your weekend routine.
8. They Reflect
Weekly reflection is a powerful tool for improvement. Use the weekend to contemplate the
larger forces that are shaping your industry, your organization, and your job. Without the
distractions of Monday to Friday busy work, you should be able to see things in a whole new
light. Use this insight to alter your approach to the coming week, improving the efficiency and
efficacy of your work.
9. They Spend Quality Time with Family
Spending quality time with your family on the weekend is essential if you want to recharge and
relax. Family time on the weekend is so important to Spencer Rascoff that he flies home for the
weekend, no matter how far away he is, even if he has to be in the same city the following week.
Weekdays are so hectic that the entire week can fly by with little quality family time. Don’t let
this bleed into your weekends. Take your kids to the park, take your spouse to his or her favorite
restaurant, and go visit your parents. You’ll be glad you did.
10. They Prepare for the Upcoming Week
The weekend is a great time to spend a few moments planning your upcoming week. As little as
30 minutes of planning can yield significant gains in productivity and reduced stress. The week
feels a lot more manageable when you go into it with a plan because all you have to do is execute
it.
Bringing It All Together
What do you do to make your weekends great? Please share your thoughts in the comments
section below as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.
HOW TO ACCEPT A JOB OFFER
09.03.2015
When you’ve been waiting for a job offer and a recruiter or your hiring manager calls you on the
phone to make the offer, it’s tempting to accept on the spot.
YOU: John Cena!
THEM: Hi John, this is Chuck Jones from Acme Explosives. We’ve finished our interviewing
process and we’d like to make you a job offer.
YOU: Sounds great! When do you want me to start?
Don’t do that! Wait until you get the offer letter. Sometimes the recruiter, someone from HR or
your hiring manager will call you on the phone to extend a job offer. Sometimes they’ll send you
the offer letter through email or by mail, but in both those cases, they should tell you the offer is
coming. If you receive your offer letter via email or in the post and you weren’t expecting it,
that’s a big red flag.
It means that the employer’s need (to fill an open position) is important, but your need to be kept
in the loop is not important. Plus, it’s presumptuous to send out an offer letter that the candidate
(you) isn’t expecting – why would you think the job-seeker would accept your offer when they
don’t know what the offer is going to contain?
A better idea from the employer’s side is to make a Supposal, by calling the person you plan to
hire on the phone. You’ll say “So John, if we go ahead and make you a job offer, and of course
that’s the reason we’re checking references right now, what will that offer need to contain in
order for you to sign it right away?”
You can talk about salary in that conversation. You can talk about bonus potential, employee
benefits, working hours and anything else that’s important to either of you.
Let’s say you have the Supposal conversation described above, and at the end of the
conversation, the company recruiter, Chuck, says “John, I think we’re in very good shape. We’re
putting an offer letter together now.” You’ll already know what the offer is going to contain.
You’ll say “That sounds terrific, Chuck. I’ll look for the offer letter in my inbox.”
Chuck says “Outstanding! Assuming the offer letter looks like you expect it to, then, John,
should we set a starting date for you?”
You’ll say “Terrific! I’d like to wait until I sign the offer before giving notice at my job – even
though it’s a six-month contract, I feel that I need to give them two weeks notice and I’m sure
you’ll agree – so let me get the offer, read it, and get back to you with any questions or with my
signed offer letter in a day or two.”
Chuck says “Great!”
People ask me all the time “Why do I need to get a written offer letter before accepting a job,
when I already know what the offer contains?” You have to read the offer letter. There can be
weird language and surprising things in a job offer. You don’t want to accept the job and then get
the offer letter and find that there’s an aspect of the job that doesn’t work for you!
The work world is changing fast. There are some wacky things going on out there. One of our
clients was offered a job as a Branch Manager, and in his offer letter it said that he had to pay his
own phone bills for business calls when he was out of the office.
In other words, he had to use his personal cell phone for business and pay his phone bill, and
apart from that the company required its Branch Managers to make sure they had an iPhone or
Android phone of a model that was not more than one year old. Talk about cheeky!
Our client would never have thought to ask the question “Will you pay my cell phone bill for the
business calls I make?”He assumed that since he’d be traveling around in his car for business all
the time, his employer would pay for his business calls. He was wrong.
It’s a good thing he waited to get the written offer before he accepted the job. Once he saw the
offer, he called his hiring manager to ask why he would be expected to cover his cell phone cost
when ninety-nine percent of his use of his phone was for business. The hiring manager told our
client that the company had recently changed its policy. Our client asked why. There was no
good reason. It was just another way to save money.
“I can’t accept the job on these terms,” said our client. “What’s next – should I pay rent for the
desk?”
“To be perfectly honest with you, that idea has been tossed around,” said our client’s hopeful
next boss, but it was not to be.
Our client started consulting with his own business card and got a job within a few months – a
higher-level job than the Branch Manager, as it turned out.
I want you to accept a great job offer soon, but I don’t want you to accept a job just
because you get an offer!
When you say No to the wrong job, you dodge a bullet. Learning to slam doors (politely!) in
your job search is the key to growing your career mojo.
If you get your job offer through email and want to accept the offer using an email reply, here’s
how you can respond:
"Dear _____,
Thanks very much for the job offer. I’m excited to accept it and to join your team!
I’ll sign the offer letter, scan it and send it back tonight when I get home. Please let me know if
there’s anything else I need to do.
If it works for you, I’ll plan to start at Acme Explosives on Day, Month Date. I’m excited.
Thanks again for the offer!
All the best,
Your Name
HOW TO ANSWER THE QUESTION 'WHAT'S
YOUR GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT?'
09.03.2015
I don’t hate the interview question “What’s your greatest accomplishment?” quite as much
as I loathe the Big Three Brainless interview questions “Where do you see yourself in five
years?”, “What’s your greatest weakness?” and “With all the talent candidates, why
should we hire you?” but it’s not a great question.
Most people don’t have one big accomplishment that stands above all others. Most people
haven’t climbed Mount Everest or written Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, and anyway, for people
who do have one big accomplishment, that could very well be a private matter. Maybe they
overcame terrible hardship growing up. Maybe they’re raising a child with special needs.
That stuff is none of the job interviewer’s business.
How do you pick one accomplishment from ten or twenty years of work experience? Even if
you’re a new grad, it’s hard to say “Here is the one thing I’m proudest of.” A much better
question for an interviewer to ask is “Can you tell me a story from your past — something that
happened at work or at school, or in a volunteer project you were part of — that illustrates you at
your best? Tell me a story that seems relevant to this position.”
Stories are the most important part of a job interview. When you tell the interviewer a story that
shows how you came, saw and conquered, you’ve answered about twenty questions that the
interviewer doesn’t even have to ask. You’ve told us how you roll. That’s the whole point of a
job interview.
Still, a lot of interviewers are stuck in the past. They can’t get off the script. They’re going to ask
you “What’s your greatest accomplishment?” and you’re going to have to answer. You can’t say
“Liz Ryan hates that question, so ask me something else.” That will take a few more years!
You’d be smart to think about your answer to this question in advance, before somebody asks
you to talk about your greatest accomplishment. Here are some prompts to get you thinking:
o You can tell a story about a big project that you led. Start by talking about why the project
was necessary. What wasn’t working? Then talk about the project, briefly. Finally, talk
about why the project was a roaring success. (Pick a project that was successful, of
course!)
o You can tell a story about overcoming a roadblock at work. Maybe there was a process
that was hopelessly out of date and you re-engineered it.
o You can talk about a critical customer or vendor situation that you handled brilliantly.
Here are some sample answers to the question “What’s your greatest accomplishment?”
Gennifer’s Story
“Last year my company adopted Google Docs for all internal communications, and it was a big
change. We have 240 employees. My job was to get everyone up to speed on Google Docs. I
knew that a lot of people wouldn’t come to workshops if I scheduled them — our employees are
too busy. Instead, I set up a daily drip of little action steps, one per day for 45 days. The first
day’s action step was just to create a Google account. That’s all!
Everyone who completed the action step got a candy bar. I ran the candy bars around our office.
It was fun. About twenty percent of the employees kept up with the daily action steps, and that
was enough to turn the tide. Of course there are people who are still struggling with Google
Docs, but I’m available to help them. We moved over pretty smoothly!”
Morgan’s Story
“I’m very proud of the fact that I’ve mentored my team to move up in the company and grow
their skills. My team member Craig just got promoted to Applications Engineer, and I had to
fight for him because the manager over me who promised to promote Craig when he completed
his degree program left the company before Craig graduated. Still, my integrity was at stake and
I didn’t want to lose a great employee. Craig is the top Applications Engineer now and I feel that
he could take over my job. That’s one reason that I’m job-hunting now.”
Asha’s Story
“I guess my greatest accomplishment is running my Finance department while raising twins. I
was excited to find out I was pregnant at all but then when the doctor told me it was twins, I was
a bit panicked. Still, God doesn’t give us what we can’t handle, and I came back to work ten
weeks after my twins were born. They are in second grade now and thriving, and I’ve earned my
CPA during that time and am ready for a new challenge!”
Your greatest accomplishment could be like Gennifer’s, Morgan’s or Asha’s or it could be
completely different. It could be something you’re proud of from your work, from home or a
combination. Practice your answer to the question “What’s your greatest accomplishment?” so
that you can tell the story in about the same amount of time that these three job-seekers did.
Leave a comment and tell us about your greatest accomplishment
13 HABITS OF HUMBLE PEOPLE
04.03.2015
Humble people can receive a bad rap. Humility is frequently associated with being too passive,
submissive or insecure, but this couldn’t be any further from the truth.
Instead, humble people are quite the opposite—confident and competent in themselves so much that,
as a result, they seek to self-actualize by helping theirs. Humble people are still self-efficacious; they just
don’t feel the impetus to boast about themselves but instead, let their actions speak for their ideals. To
be humble is not to think less of oneself, but to think of oneself less.
To help identify what humble looks like (and how you can adopt greater humility for yourself. (After all,
who doesn’t need greater humility?), here are 13 habits of humble people:
They’re Situationally Aware
Situational awareness is a function of emotional intelligence as it is being aware of oneself, the group,
the actions of each and the social dynamics therein. As such, situationally aware people aim their focus
outward as they try to absorb (i.e. learn) more about the situation
They Retain Relationships
Studies have shown that humble people are more likely to help friends than their prideful counterparts.
As a result, they maintain stronger personal and professional relationships. A study of more than 1,000
people—with roughly 200 in leadership positions—revealed that companies with humble people in
leadership positions had a more engaged workforce and less employee turnover.
They Make Difficult Decisions With Ease
Since humble people put others’ needs before their own, when faced with difficult decisions they
respect the moral and ethical boundaries that govern the decision and base their decision-making
criteria off a sense of shared purpose rather than self-interest.
They Put Others First
Humble people know their self-worth. As a result, they don’t feel the need to cast themselves before
others just to show them how much they know. Instead, humble people realize that nobody cares how
much they know until those people know how much they’re cared for.
Humility is the true key to success. Successful people lose their way at times. They often embrace and
overindulge from the fruits of success. Humility halts this arrogance and self-indulging trap. Humble
people share the credit and wealth, remaining focused and hungry to continue the journey of success.
They Listen
There’s nothing more annoying that being in a conversation with somebody who you can just tell is
dying to get his or her words in. When you see their mental gears spinning, it’s a sign they’re not
listening but rather waiting to speak. Why? Because they believe that what they have to say is more
valuable than listening to you. In other words, they’re placing their self-interest first.
Humble people, however, actively listen to others before summarizing the conversation. Moreover,
humble people don’t try to dominate a conversation or talk over people. They’re eager to understand
others because they’re curious. Speaking of which…
They’re Curious
Humble people seek knowledge because they are perpetual learners and realize that they don’t have all
the answers. They glean knowledge from the experiences of others and crave more opportunities to
learn.
They Speak Their Minds
While active listening is certainly important, humble people aren’t afraid to speak their minds because
being wrong is not a fear they have. They know that to bridge the gap between unwillingness and
willingness there must be action; they summon the courage to face difficulty as they graciously accept to
sacrifice themselves.
They Take Time To Say “Thank You”
At a business dinner, for example, no matter whether you’re engaged in a heated conversation with
others or not, humble people take the time to express thanks to the service for tending to the little
things.
They Have An Abundance Mentality
Humble people don’t believe that one person’s “win” necessarily mean another person’s “loss.” Instead,
they know there’s plenty of opportunity to go around and that finding it just necessitates collaboration
and communication.
They Start Sentences With “You” Rather Than “I”
Humble people put others at the forefront of their thoughts. Humble people brag about others,
while the prideful people brag about themselves.
They Accept Feedback
Humble people are not only receptive to constructive criticism but actively seek it because they know
that feedback is a pathway to improvement.
They Assume Responsibility
Rather than eschewing blame on “the system” or the behaviors of others, humble people assume
responsibility by speaking up and owning their part.
They Ask For Help
Part of being humble means realizing that you don’t have all the answers. No one does. Humble people
acknowledge what they do and do not know and enlist help for the latter.
Humility displays a willingness to learn and become better–two things that everybody should cultivate.
How is humility viewed in your organization?
