95: Navigating Cultural Diversity with Jonah Fisher

Companies often talk about culture, but rarely talk about cultural differences. When team members from different countries come together, they must navigate their cultural differences and create a shared team culture that enables the team to do great work.  Jonah Fisher is the Director of Seeds of Peace’s international innovation arm, GATHER. His passion for social innovation has led him to the building of a microfinance organization during the global recession, an interfaith service-learning program during times of unprecedented bigotry in the US, an international social-entrepreneurship accelerator, and most recently, a co-working space for social entrepreneurs in Tel Aviv.  We talk about culture and what it is, how to read cultural cues, how to connect and build relationships across cultures, how to work with team members around the world at a distance, and how to balance having a consistent culture that is comfortable for everyone and having diversity in culture that enhances the team.   Read the related blog article: How To Form A Cohesive Team Across Cultural Divides.   Join the Modern Manager community (www.mamieks.com/join) to access a community of supportive managers in our private Slack team. Also, get 1 of 2 coaching sessions with Jonah on social innovation - email [email protected] to request one.   You can also win 1 of 5 copies of Surrounded by Insanity: How to execute bad decisions. You must be a member by April 21, 2020 to be eligible.  And, win 1 of 5 copies of Start At The End: How to build products that create change. You must be a member by April 14, 2020 to be eligible.  If you work for a nonprofit or government agency, email me at [email protected] for 20% off any membership level.   Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.    KEY TAKEAWAYS A person’s culture is influenced by their family and country or society they grew up in. It impacts everything from how they dress to what they eat to how they speak. Often we don’t recognize our own culture until we confront someone with a different culture. Creating a cohesive team culture is challenging when you’re working with people from many different countries. It's important to pay attention to cultural differences as they can be a great strength. Interviewing for cultural fit is important. Cultural fit doesn’t mean everyone has the same culture but rather there is alignment in vision and values so that when there is conflict, it is handled productively.