Coaching Tip for the Week: Coaching Across Cultures

When learning how to deal with other cultures, it is important to not fall into ethnocentrism. This is the belief that your own culture is central to all reality. Sadly coaching and leadership tends to fall within the realm of ethnocentrism. The most common case of this is minimizing cultural differences. This is dangerous in itself because the cultural differences are acknowledged but held with little importance. In an attempt to resolve differences, people are working by focusing on their similarities. Ignoring differences can hinder progress on a project because it is through these differences that new ideas and creative outlets can be developed.

To help stop this process of minimization it is necessary for coaches to see cultural differences positively; to recognize and accept them. The coach needs to learn how to appreciate these cultural differences in order to best work with their client. Appreciating and accepting another person’s culture does not mean you have renounced your own, but proves that you can respect another culture while retaining your own customs and beliefs.

This and other coaching tips can be found in Coaching Across Cultures by Philippe Rosinski.

Click here to learn more about Philippe Rosinski and his other titles.

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