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Hi from Cécile!

Today, let me start with an insightful quote by former US President Jimmy Carter.

“We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic,” he said.

However, can cultural and generational differences bring ambiguities in a team and ruin that mosaic?

Leaders are often challenged by how to understand and navigate their team members' different backgrounds and generational traits.

The straightforward response to that challenge is this: get to know them better.

As a species, we humans have built-in mechanisms to identify threats.

And that has been the case since the early days of humanity.

Back then, anything different or unknown (like an animal or a different tribe of humans) was considered a threat. That was - and still is - a survival response.

We may not face survival threats nowadays, but we still face the unknown in other formats.

Leaders are tasked with embracing and attracting diversity in their teams while ensuring cohesion and achievement of goals.

However, cultural or cross-generational ambiguities can be subtle, and it’s challenging for team leaders to recognise them, let alone navigate them.

Discover how you can bridge the gap and create a beautiful, creative and productive "mosaic"!

Every generation is unique! Embrace it.

When looking through the generational lens, your team members are different in every aspect.

They have different needs and priorities, perspectives and experiences, values and boundaries, and even different communication styles and work preferences.

Furthermore, those differences are not static. They also change with time as every individual grows and evolves.

So, it’s a challenge that spans both the individual and team levels.

Treating your people unfairly on the grounds of their age is a fundamental leadership issue.

Whether geared toward older generations or younger members, ageism needs to become an urgent priority for you as a leader, as it

• undermines productivity,
• creates a toxic work environment and
• hinders the growth of both the team and its members

At the core of the problem lies diversity—or the lack thereof—and how much it’s embraced and leveraged.

Here are 5 effective ways to bridge the gap between generations within your team - tried and tested.

What about different cultural backgrounds?

Integrating people of different cultural backgrounds is critical for team cohesion and efficiency.

As a leader, you may wonder

“What leads them to behave this way? Why do they react like that? How could I understand them better and support them in reaching goals as ONE team?”

There are 3 success factors.

As a leader, you need to

1. try empathy and understanding for their actions and reactions
2. show respect and curiosity for their uniqueness and the value they bring to the table
3. communicate honestly and transparently

When leaders of diverse teams come to me for support, we start by discovering what makes their team members unique.

The 7 culture differences model by Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner & Geert Hofstede can provide valuable insights as it sheds light on various distinct dimensions of cultural ambiguity:

the degree of individualism, their approach to feelings towards their colleagues and boss, and how they communicate and manage time, to name a few.

However, that’s merely the starting point. What comes next is more exciting.

• Understanding is the foundation.
• Learning how to navigate cultural diversity and bring out the best in your team is what brings positive change.

In any case or type of team, your goal as a leader is to create a harmonious and productive work environment where everyone is themselves and has the same opportunities for personal and professional growth.

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