I had the wonderful privledge of spending a week earlier this month in the fascinating country of Haiti in the Caribbean. I was travelling on business to deliver a week of Supervisory Skills training to one of the United Nations Agencies attached to the UN Mission in Haiti. It was an incredible week, bringing me back to my roots as a manager and international development practionner. It gave me the opportunity to work with an amazing group of professionals who are really playing a bigger game in the world.
During the training programs (I ran a two day program in English, and then followed it up with a two day program in French) I worked with about 56 individuals, representing probably 25 or more nationalities. As a former UN staff member myself, I have been accustomed to working across cultures for most of my professional career. What was very interesting for me was the applicablity and relevance of much of the coaching work I did with the supervisors, and aspiring supervisors, regarless of their "culture" or even the business cultures they work within. It is truly fascintating how coaching tools and techniques can cut across cultures.
I would like to hear from you, my readers, about your experience of working across cultures, and coaching across cultures. Please comment below. What has been your experience? Your celebrations? Your challenges? The greatest take-aways for your clients?
For those of you intreseted in more resouces for this area of intercultural coaching, there is an interesting book out that I read many years ago, Philippe Rosinski's Coaching Across Cultures: New Tools for Leveraging National, Corporate and Professional Differences. You may be interseted in checking it out.
Jennifer
Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, CPCC
Potentials Realized
http://www.potentialsrealized.com
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