Cultural Awareness Tips

I’ve noticed something 👀 When it comes to cultural moments, not all brand participation is received equally. Let’s talk about Amaya from Love Island USA. She was just crowned America’s Favorite Islander—and brands have been quick to jump into the chat. But the reaction to those brands? Two very different stories. Poppi launched a mock-up of an “Amaya Papaya” drink. The design? Cute. The intention? Timely. But the comments? Telling. Fans flooded the post urging Poppi to pay her, partner with her, and not just capitalize on her name without a clear partnership. Even brands chimed in, but the sentiment leaned overwhelmingly critical. Meanwhile, JetBlue dropped a cheeky “on our way to pull Amaya for a chat” post. No branded product. No overly polished asset. Just a smart, relevant moment. The response? Positive. Playful. Collaborative. Other brands joined in the comments. And fans praised the approach. What’s the difference? ✅ JetBlue didn’t force it—they found a unique, authentic way in. ✅ Poppi may have moved too fast without building the bridge. ✅ One felt natural. The other felt performative. This is a case study in real time: Cultural relevance ≠ cultural resonance. If your brand is jumping into a viral moment, ask yourself: Does this feel like something we’d naturally say? Are we showing up with value—or just showing up? Is there intention behind this moment—or just attention? Be timely, but be thoughtful.

The last couple of days, I’ve shared some thoughts around culture in M&A. Today, I’d like to talk about the power of employee listening for understanding the target company’s culture and powering cultural integration. Before the announcement, we can only get the perceptions of people who are under the tent, outside parties, and what’s been shared in the media. That means we’re only getting part of the story during the cultural due diligence phase. To learn the rest of the story, we want to hear what employees have to say. We usually do this with surveys, interviews, and focus groups. They provide invaluable insights to help us understand potential areas of both cultural synergy and culture clash. I’ve found there are frequently disparities between how leaders perceive their organization’s culture and how employees experience it. Employee listening helps to bridge this gap, offering a more nuanced view of the culture. A few years ago, I worked on a deal where the value drivers were rooted in warehouse efficiency. None of the target’s leaders have ever worked in the warehouse – in fact, they really didn’t think about the warehouse much during the sale, and they saw the warehouse workers as fungible. Everything was focused on the office where they worked. So, of course, all of the cultural questions were answered from the perspective of an office worker who was not a key value driver. After the deal was announced, the integration leader and I spent time in the warehouse, listening to the employees there. They had great ideas about how we could make the acquisition more successful, including inexpensive ideas that would drive efficiency, which was the entire goal of the deal. We worked with their leadership to implement several of the ideas. We drove amazing synergies in this deal – synergies that never would have happened if we didn’t spend time listening to employees who were overlooked during the formal diligence phase. This experience underscored the importance of comprehensive employee listening. It's not just about the boardroom - it's about every room. In your experience, how have you used employee listening in cultural due diligence? I'd love to hear your thoughts. #MergersAndAcquisitions #CulturalDueDiligence #EmployeeListening

Recently, I had the opportunity to share my learnings and insights from "Launching Products Globally" with an amazing audience at Plug and Play Tech Center with the presence of global audience including entrepreneurs from HKSTP - Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation. Here are a few learnings and insights from the evening: 1) You need to "localize" your product & go-to-market strategy: This doesn't only mean just translating or localizing your product. It's a lot more than that. You need to localize your "go-to-market" motion as well. You may have product-market-fit (PMF) locally, in the first country/region you launched, but that doesn't mean you can take the same product and go-to-market strategy to launch in a new country/region. As an example at Fitbit, we learned how the French think about fitness (they count walking to a restaurant to get a glass of wine as their "fitness") is very different than how Americans define workout and fitness. So all our marketing and go-to-market strategies had to align with the way locals will see benefits in our products. 2) Having boots on the ground is essential for successful global expansion: You need to have boots on the ground who truly understand the nuances of how to go-to-market, how to sell, and how to deliver your value proposition to customers in different regions. There are a lot of nuances of how to do business locally that will take outsiders to any market a long time to learn. At Cleo, where we had global customers like Salesforce, Redbull, Pepsi, and Uber, we had to have local health Guides to deliver our services with an intimate understanding of customers needs and approaches in that region. 3) Understanding local, cultural, and social aspects is critical to a global expansion success: Even though at the surface things may seem similar in each region, there are a lot of nuances that make your go-to-market strategy and the way you deliver your services resonate with the local customers or not. At Teladoc, we've learned that people in different countries think about their mental health and how to get support for that "very differently" than each other. Huge thank you to my hosts Rahim Amidi, Dr. Yahya Tabesh, Amir Amidi, Ahmadreza Masrour, and Akvile Gustaite, and HKSTP leaders, Albert Wong & Pheona Kan, who are interested in continuing these conversations. It was awesome to meet great entrepreneurs and see old friends: Reza Moghtaderi Esfahani, Daniel Lo, Houman Homayoun, Wayne Chang, Golnaz (Naz) Moeini. #product #gotomarket #globallaunch #globalbusiness

🌍 The Real Reason Your Team Isn’t Connecting Might Surprise You 🛑 You’ve built a diverse team. Communication seems clear. Everyone speaks the same language. So why do projects stall? Why does feedback get misread? Why do brilliant employees feel misunderstood? Because what you’re facing isn’t a language barrier—it’s a cultural one. 🤔 Here’s what that looks like in real life: ✳ A team member from a collectivist culture avoids challenging a group decision, even when they disagree. ✳ A manager from a direct feedback culture gets labeled “harsh.” ✳ An employee doesn’t speak up in meetings—not because they don’t have ideas, but because interrupting feels disrespectful in their culture. These aren't missteps—they’re misalignments. And they can quietly erode trust, engagement, and performance. 💡 So how do we fix it? Here are 5 ways to reduce misalignments and build stronger, more inclusive teams: 🧭 1. Train for Cultural Competence—Not Just Diversity Don’t stop at DEI 101. Offer immersive training that helps employees navigate different communication styles, values, and worldviews. 🗣 2. Clarify Team Norms Make the invisible visible. Talk about what “respectful communication” means across cultures. Set expectations before conflicts arise. 🛎 3. Slow Down Decision-Making Fast-paced environments often leave diverse perspectives unheard. Build in time to reflect, revisit, and invite global input. 🌍 4. Encourage Curiosity Over Judgment When something feels off, ask: Could this be cultural? This small shift creates room for empathy and deeper connection. 📊 5. Audit Systems for Cultural Bias Review how you evaluate performance, give feedback, and promote leadership. Are your systems inclusive, or unintentionally favoring one style? 🎯 Cultural differences shouldn’t divide your team—they should drive your innovation. If you’re ready to create a workplace where every team member can thrive, I’d love to help. 📅 Book a complimentary call and let’s talk about what cultural competence could look like in your organization. The link is on my profile. Because when we understand each other, we work better together. 💬 #CulturalCompetence #GlobalTeams #InclusiveLeadership #CrossCulturalCommunication #DEIStrategy

Your brand exists within a larger cultural context. You can succeed by aligning with it. Or pushing against it. But you have to do something. You can’t ignore it. If you try to ignore it and pretend like you operate in a vacuum, you’re choosing irrelevance as your destiny. Understanding your customers’ world helps you: - Understand what’s relevant to them - See how you can fit in - Know why they’ll care When you understand the culture your customers live in, you can either reinforce it or disrupt it in ways that make your brand relevant. Ignoring this context makes your brand feel out of touch. And customers will walk away. Nike wins by celebrating American ideals of perseverance and achievement. Dove stands out by rallying against beauty standards. Both brands win by understanding the cultural context and deciding whether to play within it (Nike) or break its rules (Dove). So, Look at trends shaping your customers’ world. Think inside your category. And in the larger world. Then ask yourself, “Does our messaging reflect those trends? Or does it pretend they don’t exist?” If your messaging acknowledges them, great. But if it doesn’t, figure out how to incorporate at least one to show you understand your customers. Or risk irrelevance.

Struggling to Connect in Cross-Cultural Situations? Here’s How to Avoid Common Pitfalls—In Just 3 Minutes Ever been in a conversation where you thought everything was going smoothly, only to realize you completely misread the other person’s reaction? This happens a lot when dealing with different cultures—and it’s not because you’re doing something wrong. It’s because cultural awareness requires flexibility and active learning. In today’s global economy, business deals, partnerships, and even friendships are built across cultures. But here’s the thing: what works in one culture can backfire in another. Something as simple as how you greet someone or respond to a question can make or break a relationship. For example, in the U.S., being direct is seen as efficient. But in many Asian cultures, directness might be viewed as rude or aggressive. Imagine how that difference could derail an important negotiation. By developing cultural flexibility—the ability to adapt your behavior based on cultural context—you’ll not only avoid misunderstandings but also build stronger, more trusting relationships. 3 Steps to Get Started 1. Observe First, Act Second – Instead of assuming, take a moment to watch how others interact. This small pause can save you from unintentional conflict. 2. Ask Better Questions – Rather than imposing your perspective, ask open-ended questions to learn how they view the situation. 3. Learn the Basics – Even knowing a few key cultural norms can set the right tone and show respect. Years ago, I led a project with an international team. I assumed that setting aggressive deadlines would motivate everyone—after all, it worked back home! But instead of engagement, I got silence. It wasn’t until I asked a colleague why they weren’t speaking up that I learned something valuable: they viewed my approach as overbearing. Once I adjusted, communication improved, and the project was a success. The challenge in cross-cultural communication is ego—we want others to understand us without having to change. But if you let that ego go and embrace flexibility, you unlock the potential for greater connection. Want to become a more effective communicator in any culture? Start by practicing cultural awareness today. Comment below if you’ve ever had a cross-cultural experience where things didn’t go as planned—I’d love to hear how you handled it! In a world that’s increasingly connected, those who learn to navigate cultural differences are the ones who succeed. Make that choice today—your future self will thank you. #LeadershipMatters #CulturalIntelligence #GlobalLeadership #CrossCulturalSuccess #AdaptiveLeadership #LeadershipCoaching #CulturalAwareness #EffectiveCommunication #LeadWithEmpathy #FlexibilityInLeadership #BuildStrongerConnections #CollaborationWithoutBorders #DiversityInLeadership #PersonalGrowth #AskBetterQuestions #GlobalMindset #PeopleDevelopment #MentorshipMatters #EmbraceChange #TrustAndRespect

As a Black physician, there’s a unique and indescribable power when a patient recognizes that I truly understand their culture. This recognition goes beyond shared experiences—it fosters a profound trust that transforms the provider-patient relationship. Research consistently shows that cultural competence in healthcare is linked to improved patient outcomes. For instance, a study in the American Journal of Public Health found that patients who perceive their doctors as culturally competent are more likely to follow medical advice and have better health outcomes. I’ve witnessed this impact firsthand. When my patients see that I understand their cultural background, they open up more, sharing vital details about their health and lifestyle. This transparency allows for more personalized and effective treatment plans, leading to better adherence and improved health outcomes. This connection is crucial, especially in communities of color, where historical mistrust of the healthcare system remains a significant barrier. Building rapport through cultural understanding isn’t just beneficial—it’s essential for delivering the best possible care. When healthcare providers respect and integrate patients’ cultural contexts, we break down barriers, foster trust, and improve care quality. Cultural competence isn’t just a theoretical concept—it’s backed by data and real-world experience. As we strive for health equity, it’s vital that we prioritize understanding and respecting the diverse backgrounds of our patients. This approach is a critical step towards bridging health disparities and ensuring that every patient receives the quality care they deserve. #CulturalCompetence #HealthEquity #BlackMenInMedicine #PatientCare #HealthcareOutcomes

When I was 20 years old, I took 100+ Australian students to Shenyang — a city that borders North Korea & Russia, and also the capital of industrial China. Even though I am ethnically Chinese and fluent in Mandarin, I had my first real culture shock. It was my first time working with the local Chinese. I couldn’t understand when people danced with their words in a roundabout way, their deference to hierarchy, the layers of nuance in what 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣’𝙩 said. And over the years, as I worked with varying cultures across APAC and the US, I have come to see the differences of working in high vs low context environments. When we don’t appreciate the cultural differences in how others convey and interpret information, we are more likely to misunderstand them. In Erin Meyer’s book, The Culture Map, she describes high and low context as depending on whether there is an assumption of shared context and understanding. High context cultures communicate in implicit, subtle, layered and nuanced ways, whilst low context cultures are more explicit, straightforward and concise. Interestingly, this is often clustered by language type along a spectrum. Low context languages are predominantly anglo-saxon, with romance languages being in the middle and high context being the asian language cluster. Then within each language cluster, it depends on homogeneity of the culture and length of history. It’s easy to then understand why companies with global teams often have varying challenges communicating in these different styles. If I could go back and give advice to my 20 year old self, here’s some things I would have done differently: 👀 when working with a high context culture like China, use effective listening, observe body language, and ask open-ended questions to try to interpret the meaning behind the words ✍🏻 when working with a low context culture like the US, be clear and to the point. Communicate explicitly, and pay attention to the literal meanings of words, with strong emphasis on written communication 🤝 when working together with different styles across cultures, mutually design and agree on a communication framework, and be held accountable to it What has your experience been with working with different cultures?

13 actionable steps we can take to keep DEl going, from individual to collective efforts: 1. Learn from the lived experiences of other identity groups and unlearn the lies and biases we are socialized to believe to be true. 2. Don't reach out to marginalized folks only for "diversity stuff" or use them as diversity mascots. Tokenism perpetuates performative representation. 3. Be specific when discussing issues confronting specific identity groups. 4. Trust and support your colleagues when they provide feedback about something they believe is identity-based or racially motivated. Yes to compassion, no to gaslighting. 5. Amplify the voices of colleagues whose opinions are frequently ignored or minimized. Actively seek feedback from individuals who might not naturally have a platform in the organization. 6. Give marginalized colleagues public and proper credit for their work. 7. Speak up against exclusionary, harmful behaviors and unfair practices. 8. Stop seeking marginalized people to shield, endorse, perpetuate, or put forward inequitable and harmful policies and practices. 9. Avoid double standards and placing unreasonable expectations on marginalized groups. 10. Keep in mind the well-being of marginalized employees every day, not just during identity months or when tragic events make headlines. 11. Improve access to information, opportunities, and resources, centering the most marginalized. 12. Review policies and practices regularly to identify and address biases as they appear (e.g., compensation, performance review, development, and promotion.) 13. Promote people with marginalized identities to management and leadership positions, and give them formal power and authority to influence change. —— [Alt text embedded in the image.]

“Great Jeans” or Just Bad Judgment? Let’s be real. If your brand still thinks ‘clever wordplay’ is worth alienating half your audience, you don’t have a marketing problem. You have a cultural fluency problem. Play on words, right? Except, when you zoom out, the “clever” pun leans on something far less harmless: the implication that great “genes” look a very specific way: white, blond, blue-eyed, and impossibly thin. I’m not trying to villainize American Eagle. I’ve sat in those rooms. I know these things (rarely) come from malice. They happen because too many teams lack cultural and social intelligence, or because the people in the room who do recognize the problem aren’t heard. They’re written off as “too sensitive” or, worse, “too woke.” (Don’t get me started on the whole ‘woke’ thing) 🙄 The bottom line is that cultural and social fluency isn’t a buzzword. It’s not political. And it’s certainly not optional, especially for direct-to-consumer and patient-facing organizations. It’s risk management, It’s brand growth, It’s the difference between connecting with your audience or alienating them. These “small” missteps don’t just spark internet outrage. They chip away at trust. They signal to whole swaths of consumers, consciously or not, that they’re not the default, not the standard, not who the brand sees or serves. The good news is that fixing it doesn’t require a massive overhaul. It requires building teams and systems that understand context, language, and impact. It’s about embedding cultural and social fluency into the core of brand messaging, not tacking it on as a checkbox or scrambling when backlash hits. This is why I do the work I do. To help brands avoid these blind spots before they cost them trust, revenue, or relevance. To make sure messaging holds up, not just when everything is smooth, but when the stakes are high. Because if your brand is speaking to the world, you need more than catchy slogans. You need cultural and social fluency. Lastly, if you’re scratching your head wondering what the ‘big deal’ is, chances are, you’re exactly who American Eagle is targeting. #BrandStrategy #CulturalFluency #MarketingFails #ConsumerTrust #AmericanEagleCampaign