Coach Me! Your Personal Board of Directors

10 The Culturally Fluent Leader When Leading Across Differences, Your Style May Need to Change

Jane Hyun

Jane Hyun is the leading authority in helping global organizations leverage culture and diversity to drive performance and innovation. She draws upon 25+ years of experience navigating change in high-stakes business environments. Jane is the author of Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling and co-author of Flex: The New Playbook for Managing Across Differences .

Managing a diverse workforce is one of the greatest challenges and biggest opportunities for the 21st century. Yet, we observe time and again that a diverse workforce without culturally adaptive leaders will struggle to create the work environment that nurtures innovation. Increased skills in navigating cultural differences can drive higher sales, forge stronger partnerships with clients and suppliers, stoke greater engagement with employees, and, most importantly, spark innovation.

We know that with language fluency, we have the ability to express ourselves readily and effortlessly. Like someone who is fluent in multiple languages, a truly fluent leader is able to work and communicate effortlessly with people who are different from him or herself.

John, a US-based leader for a technology consulting firm, was appointed to a global role overseeing five regional offices scattered across the Middle East and Asia. After 19 years working and living in three different countries outside the United States, he thought he was adept ...