Effective Leaders Are Not Always Born

- But They Can Be Trained

A great leader knows not only how to motivate the team, but to mentor individuals as well. In today's multicultural society, chances are leaders must manage a team of individuals not only of varying sexual and religious orientations, but also of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Leadership and management effectiveness is at least 75% communication. It is difficult enough when all employees come from similar cultures, backgrounds, or career tracks...and use the same language. Add to this environment a culturally diverse workforce and the complexity of communication increases exponentially.

So...how can one lead effectively without cross-cultural communication and inclusion and diversity education in today's global business environment?

Feedback from participants in Leadership Development Programs points to the difficulty faced when attempting to influence or motivate others in a multicultural workplace without cross-cultural communication, diversity and inclusion education. Consider this...cross-cultural communication occurs frequently in your everyday life - in the workplace, during a sales transaction, with your neighbors, and even at your child's school.

As a leader, your power and influence actually increase when you understand a culture's unique values and how those specific values impact an individual's beliefs and behaviors. With a cross-cultural edge, you are able to read the subtleties of communication and choose an approach that speaks directly to the other person's core values.

Does your company provide specific leadership development to emerging leaders and people of color?

Multicultural employees often bring with them diverse communication styles, cultural values, cultural flexibility and leadership skills. To be visible and influential in a given corporate culture, diverse employees must discern the organization's unwritten rules and corporate values. And...they must understand their own cultural values and learn to flex culturally to be visible and successful. 

Dr. Jo's invaluable work with leaders and affinity groups facilitates the development of a cross-cultural edge including the following:

• Effective cross-cultural communication styles

• Insight into the feedback of their 360° feedback instrument

• Knowledge of organizational inclusion practices

• Self motivational strategies

• Specific leadership skills for successful cross-cultural interaction

• Useful leadership development plan

• Valuable influence and persuasion techniques

What explicit leadership and influencing skills does your company provide affinity groups?

Affinity and Networking group members often express frustration by their inability to be heard and to influence their colleagues or team members. It isn't unusual to hear affinity group members communicate that they are invisible and their leadership potential ignored. Are you invisible?

Whether you are a corporate or government affinity group member you share one thing in common: a lack of specialized leadership development customized for your group's skill gaps. Companies with distinctive programs to develop minority leaders have a high success rate keeping their leadership pipeline filled with diverse leaders. Perhaps you are overlooked for leadership positions because your company doesn't provide specialized skill training in communication for leaders, cross-cultural communication, public speaking, influence and persuasion.

Get visible! Call Dr. Jo to work with your leaders, emerging leaders and affinity groups to bridge the gap between your company's cultural and ethnic groups...and to develop and prepare future multicultural leaders for your leadership pipeline. Your future success may depend on it.

Reach Dr. Jo Ann Piña today. 
Email: DrJo@DrJoAnnPina.com 
Telephone: 1-310-578-7841 (International)
Toll free: 866-DrJoAnn (375-6266)
www.DrJoAnnPina.com