Helping you thrive in intercultural relationships
Ways I Help You Thrive
Desire, then--and only then--Knowledge, Planning and Execution
The vast majority of intercultural coaches, mentors and trainers will start with and park a long time on increasing your knowledge. Typically they’re rich in anecdotes about “sometimes–shockingly!–it’s like this, or like that, and your best intentions are misconstrued!”
My approach with you is different. As David Livermore observes, the worst kind of person in intercultural interactions are people who are high on knowledge–which should come second–and weak on what must come first. Drive. Motivation, Desire.
As a wise sage has said, “Knowledge puffs up.”
So first I help you assess your desire. What makes you care about getting this right. How scared are you when you’re too discouraged to care (a good reason to be scared).
To see the whole big picture process–read the next two posts below!
OK, so once I get gripped by robust motivation, what's next?
Once I help you get in touch with, seized by, your proper desire to become effective across cultures, then I help you determine where you need to strengthen your knowledge, and what people and resources you will need to grow.
We’ll review various fields of knowledge that you’ll likely need. You’ll see how you’re doing in each sub-dimension.
Then we’ll help you gain clarity about who and what resources you will want to connect to in order to learn the basic knowledge you need to get equipped with.
And once my drive is robust and my knowledge is up to speed, what's next?
After that I help you assess how well you are doing at employing your CQ drive and knowledge to build an informed strategy.
You’ll intentionally prethink how you’ll handle a similar intercultural situation the next time you encounter it.
Your plan will be well thought out, simple enough to recall in the fray, yet a tentative strategy.
After all that prethought why must it be tentative. Read a bit further!
Then I help you assess how well you’re moving from you plans to effective CQ action. How much might your well laid plans stay in your head, but fail to show up when the rubber hits the road? And what will help you to keep the two coupled together so that you act out new customs that make you more effective while staying true to who you are and your life calling?
I coach you through how to grow in interconnected and robust CQ Drive, Knowledge, Strategy and Action.
But your growth does not end there. You’ll want to hold all your plans with an open hand–tentatively. This is because after an experience you’ll most benefit from an after experience reflection.
How did that go? Not as well as you’d hoped? OK, that’s pretty typical! But now comes the acid test.
How much drive do you have to revisit this cycle? How ready are you to seek insights about what went sideways, build a new strategy for that situation and imagine new actions?
That’s how I’ll encourage you along to reengage your challenges with the hope you’ll need to see ever improving results.
Everyone says, “Live and learn,” but most people only live and don’t learn much. That’s how you get people who’ve been at it for 30 years but who seem to only have a year of experience.
I’m here to help you learn from your life experiences.
I look forward to walking this journey alongside you!
