S27 Ep2: Jane Hyun - The Art of Cultural Fluency in the Workplace

ISF Podcast

Today is the second in a two-part conversation centered on cultural fluency with global leadership strategist and corporate coach Jane Hyun. Jane is the author of Leadership Toolkit for Asians: The Definitive Resource Guide for Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling and Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Career Strategies for Asians, and co-author of Flex: The New Playbook for Managing Across Differences. In this episode, Steve and Jane define cultural fluency and give more tips on fostering cohesion and innovation in global teams.
Key Takeaways:
1. To be effective in a global team with diverse languages and continents, leaders must recognize and attend to cultural differences.
2. Mergers and acquisitions can fail due to cultural differences.
3. In the security industry, retention is a significant issue, and creating a fun and thriving work environment can help address it.
Tune in to hear more about:
1. Cultural fluency and its importance in leadership, particularly when working with people from different backgrounds and cultures (0:00)
2. Cultural fluency in the workplace (6:17)
Standout Quotes:
1. “It's actually about building leadership capacity to work across difference. And it's not just for one cultural group or another; it’s actually for everyone. To build that cultural self awareness and to create an environment where we can ask questions, thoughtfully, that we give some room to each other.” - Jane Hyun
2. “If the leader can be attuned to those little things and show that kind of empathy that engages someone who feels, perhaps, kind of in the margins, or their voice is not always heard, I think that can make a tremendous difference in how they connect to your company, how loyal they are to you, and how much output you will get from their productivity as well.” - Jane Hyun
Mentioned in this episode:

• Flex: The New Playbook for Managing Across Differences
• Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Career Strategies for Asians
• Leadership Toolkit for Asians: The Definitive Resource Guide for Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling
• ISF Analyst Insight Podcast

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