You Can Communicate Across Cultures If You Are Willing To Do The Work
The two things you need to do if you want to make a positive global impact in today's world are:
- Seek to understand what you don't understand and
- Get comfortable being uncomfortable
The root of virtually every problem in today comes from a lack of understanding of the other person's point of view. Because of this misunderstanding, many people react out of fear and miss a chance to collaborate. We see this in racism, sexism, tribalism and various other prejudices around. We have to get to a point where we realize that we are better coming together to solve the world's problems. This will include being open minded and introspective enough to ask ourselves tough questions like "why do I feel this way?" and "how can I overcome it?"
That's where being comfortable with being uncomfortable comes. The best way for one to build empathy and to truly understand the other side is to embed one's self in the environment of the group of people you feel prejudiced against. Ask questions, spend time with them and observe how they interact with each other and their history.
Only then can you become a better leader who understands the world. You can communicate across cultures if you are willing to do the work.