Congratulations to those who completed the Management and Leadership Development Program with excellence in Fall 2021!
[more]
The most important tools for building a platform for dialogue across difference are seeking out information, cultivating an attitude of graciousness and humility, and acting to create an environment that helps people to feel heard and appreciated. Considerate focus on the other person, discerning the nature and needs of the circumstance, and responding attentively are essential elements of interacting adaptively to support difference.
[more]Session 5 of RGLP, held on October 18th, 2021, was titled, "Evaluating Your Intercultural Conflict Style" with Sadhana Hall. Sadhana shared a short summary of her illustrious, cross-cultural career, starting in hard sciences in college in India to over time transitioning into health and global public policy where she has made a global impact and been recognized internationally for her leadership. Among other things, she shared how she is in a cross-cultural marriage and it's made her very flexible.
[more]Fua Nascimento, master of capoeira, crooned at the top of his lungs while tapping a steady rhythm on a conga drum and stomping his bare feet on the sleek hardwood floor. My peers and I stood in a circle around him, captivated by the lilt of his voice as he sang traditional songs. In this experiential learning session of RGLP, through the practice of capoeira —a Brazilian form of martial arts — I learned to let go of my inhibitions, to approach a setting with openness and curiosity, and to dive into the culture of another country.
[more]Over the course of RGLP I've had much concentrated exposure to differing cultural norms, values, and shared experiences. This has not necessarily been a comfortable process; from Capoeira to eating with chopsticks (which is probably disproportionately hard for me compared to others) to considering and overcoming my own cultural biases. I've learned that one of the most important tools one can employ in conducting dialogues across difference is a toleration of ambiguity and uncertainty.
[more]