How do you view Culture? Have you taken stock of your personal biases and your outlook on issues relating to cultural diversity recently? I’m excited to share this episode as Genein Letford breaks down, “How to Connect, Create and Innovate Across Cultural Lines.”
Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:
- Explore the definition of culture.
- Learn how the culture of your everyday life can affect the culture of a work environment and the way people carry out their tasks.
- Discover how to create an inclusive work environment and change unconscious biases.
Episode Highlights
The Relationship between Culture and Creativity
- Genein says culture by definition is a group of people with a shared set of values, beliefs and systems. She says creative thinking is affected by culture and culture is lived through people. Therefore, the people in a business or organization guide its culture.
- She explains that culture is not one set thing as there are different cultures; i.e. Ethnic culture, National culture, and that these are affected by things such as gender and other demographics. She also gives examples of how different cultural upbringings can affect reasoning ability and the way we conduct research and other work.
- Genein explains the importance of having diversity in the workplace as it gives a broader spectrum of views and understanding. She explains that the way people interact with data and people, has a lot to do with their cultural influences and how it can differ based on cultural upbringing.
What Is Cultural Creativity?
- Genein explains that Intercultural Creativity is her life’s work and dispels the myths that creative thinking is only the ability to choreograph a dance or be artistic in the practical sense of the word.
- She explains that creativity is the process of finding a problem and solving it with relevance, value, and novelty.
- She says that creativity is in all spheres of life, fields, and cultural groups.
- Genein explains that Intercultural Creativity has to deal with cultural competence and the ability for people to interact with people from different lived backgrounds and lived experiences and detect the similarities, differences, and complexities, adapting as they shift varying through cultural groups.
How to Create an Inclusive Environment
- Genein explains that three-hour workshops every once in a while to encourage inclusive environments is not an effective method for corporations as creating an inclusive environment is a lifelong journey.
- She explains that creating an inclusive environment is a matter that deals with the mindset and psychological beliefs of a person, and it takes dismantling current beliefs and rebuilding new ones.
- Genein explains that in order to see changes towards inclusivity in a work environment, leadership must demonstrate openness and support of inclusivity.
Practical Ways To Build A Culture Of Cultural Diversity
- Genein says reinforcement of proper core values demonstrates self-awareness which causes persons to practice introspection and assess what they value and look for in other people.
- She explains that when she meets a new person despite their cultural or ethnic background, her first move is to find out about their ‘diamond.’ She refers to this as the gifts, skill, talent, or contribution of a person.
- She explains that looking for people’s diamonds stops her brain from making negative perceptions based on things she might have heard or seen in the media.
- She says another tip for building cultural diversity is alleviating our unconscious biases. She explains that our mindset can affect the way we see others so we have to make an effort to change that by becoming more self-aware of the biases that we might have.
- She explains that everybody has unconscious biases but we have to make an effort to manage them. She says our brain makes these biases to protect us, nevertheless, we have to make an intentional effort to push past these biases and give people a chance.
- She says that we help our brain push past unconscious biases by looking at counter-stereotypical images. She explains that using images that give positive narratives of the specific demographic you have a challenge with will help with the overall mission of cultural diversity.
- She says making connections will also assist in building cultural diversity. She explains that people have to learn how to make the connection between creative thinking and cultural competence.
- Genein also explains that people have to learn to manage biases by stepping out of their comfort zones and interacting with people with different beliefs and experiences.
- She expresses that research indicates how important it is for children to have cultural experiences that help them learn how to navigate cultural exchanges in adulthood.
Genein’s Work
- Genein shares how her life experiences and career path prepared and equipped her with the tools needed to train persons in the corporate world to unlock their creativity in ways they never have before. She explains that this also changes their intercultural competence and facilitates perspective shifting.
- She explains how she can help corporate entities resolve issues by working through situations from different doors and angles.
- As the recipient of the 2019 L. A Lakers Business Woman of the Year award Genein explains that though she is grateful for the recognition, this is her life’s work and is not concerned with awards or the extras. She says she is passionate about her work and focused on helping people connect with their creative sources to change the world for the better.
4 Powerful Quotes from This Episode
“Attitude is a reflection of Leadership.”
“The #1 indicator of a highly creative person is a person open to experience.”
“The awards come, the accolades come, not because you’re going after them but because you’re so focused and passionate about your work.”
“Be open to new connections.”
About Genein Letford
Genein Letford is an award-winning speaker, best-selling author and corporate trainer on creative thinking and Intercultural Creativity™. She is the founder of CAFFE Strategies, and has inspired and led many to reconnect to their creative abilities in order to produce innovative ideas for an inclusive workspace. Her unique training intersects creative thinking development with building a culture of inclusion and belonging. She believes creative literacy is a critical skill and she is often called ‘America’s Creativity Coach’ for her work in reigniting creativity in our workforce.
Curious about Genein Letford work? Check out her website.
Have specific questions? You can reach out and follow Genein on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram
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Stay inspired,
Heneka
