51: Being Culturally Aware

A growing list of cultural differences -- from generational to
technological skills, from social and political, to religious and
lifestyle differences -- are realities in today’s workplace. In
this episode of the Serious Soft Skills Podcast, we will discuss
what being culturally aware means and how to avoid being
culturally unaware.


Among the topics Dr. Tobin Porterfield and Bob Graham discuss in
this episode:


Dealing with diversity in the workplace and how it affects
performance, innovation and meeting customers’ needs

The example in computers and how they look differently for a
60 year old vs. a 20 year old

Why we need to try to see the world more broadly than only
through our own eyes

How opportunities are lost when we go blindly or avoid
situations

Awareness of where diversity issues arises is the first step

When we put people in a place of being an outsider and how it
hurts us

Something as simple as food can raise issues or diffuse them

How Goleman’s work on emotional intelligence set the stage,
but does not full cover cultural awareness

Individual and organizational responsibility for recognizing
and leveraging people’s differences

How mentoring and one-on-one interactions, and even our
peers, can help us become more adept

Finding similarities can overcome great challenges






Hints for Being More Culturally Aware



Avoid doing anything that could marginalizing one or more
individuals.Ensure your organization is setting a tone for
inclusionEngage in self-reflection to become better (see Episode
14)




Next week


Serious Soft Skills will celebrate its first anniversary with a
look at the last year, what’s coming up for us in the new
year and a celebration. 


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