Ep 075: Leadership & Race Part 1, David Livermore PhD and Dr. David Anderson

TOPICS IN THIS PODCAST

Diversity Leading Others

Our nation is stirred by ongoing racial injustice. At the Global Leadership Network, we know the challenges of discrimination and racial injustice are universal issues requiring leaders to step up and engage. Research shows that increasing diversity on teams in every sector improves productivity, moral and adds value within organizations and to those they serve.

This episode is a re-release of a candid conversation between Dr. David Anderson and David Livermore Ph.D. on racial and cultural intelligence. In this conversation, Anderson and Livermore model the challenges inherent in a multicultural dialogue, encouraging teams to ask uncomfortable questions, listen well and wrestle with the implications of difference.

On This Podcast

Dr. David Anderson

BridgeLeader Network

Dr. David Anderson, founder and President of the BridgeLeader Network (BLN), is one of the world’s leading authorities on building bridges across the deep divides of race, faith, culture and wealth. Known as the bridge-building voice in the Nation's Capital, Anderson hosts the daily radio talk show "Real Talk with Dr. David Anderson" on WAVA (105.1 FM) – the most listened to Christian Talk Station on the East Coast and the 2nd most listened to Christian Talk station in the nation.

David Livermore, PhD

Cultural Intelligence Center

David Livermore is a social scientist in global leadership and cultural intelligence—the capability to relate effectively across culturally diverse situations which transcend ethnic, organizational, generational, gender and other contexts. As president and partner at the Cultural Intelligence Center, he has provided training and consulting in 100 countries. Livermore has authored several books, including Leading with Cultural Intelligence and Driven by Difference: How Global Companies Fuel Innovation through Diversity.

Show Notes

SUMMARY:

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Cultural intelligence (CQ) is the ability to relate and work effectively with people who come from other backgrounds.
When CQ levels are high, diverse teams outperformed homogenous teams 3:1 across the board—in productivity, employee engagement, cost savings and innovation.
A culturally-intelligent team needs a culturally-intelligent leader.
Cultural differences become intensified in moments of stress.
Leaders need to create a safe environment where authentic conversations can happen.
Culturally-diverse teams must practice reciprocal grace and not immediately rush to judgment.
What builds trust for one culture might not build trust for another.
When building diverse teams, instead of following the Golden Rule (i.e. Treat others as you want to be treated), leaders should practice the Platinum Rule (i.e. Treat others as they want to be treated).
People from the dominant culture have more responsibility to move toward diversity than those from non-dominant cultures.
Code-switching is when a person changes the way they speak or act in order to gain respect from those from a different culture.
In order to engage in meaningful and authentic relationships, leaders must find the zone of “productive disequilibrium.”
If people are never made to feel uncomfortable, it is unlikely their organizations will ever tap the benefits of diversity that can lead to innovation.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

In the podcast, Livermore and Anderson engaged in an authentic conversation around their cultural differences. How did you feel when that conversation began? How does your reaction illuminate the challenges of conversations about difference?
Livermore says that leaders must create a safe environment to facilitate candid cultural dialogue. What specific things did Livermore and Anderson do in this podcast to create a safe environment that allowed for an authentic dialogue?
Based on what you heard, what is one cultural intelligence practice you can try this week?