Three Lessons from Intercultural Parenting Your Parents

It was the big, burly,  African American football player gushing on and on about caring for his Yorkie post surgery for a hurt paw that really opened my mom’s eyes.  “I figured he wouldn’t be interested,” said my mom, about signing her petition to end puppy mills in Missouri, “but I needed the signatures.”  Not…

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What To Do When Your Child Mortifies You with a Racial Remark

Your 7 year old child who is white hesitates to shake someone’s hand who is African-American.   Your first grader tells another student she’s “a lesbian with her sister.”  You were there.  You weren’t there.  You are the most open, anti-racist, multicultural person you know.  Where did your child get this from? I’ve seen stories about…

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Can you be a Chicken and still be a good intercultural communicator?

Can you be a chicken and still be a good intercultural communicator?* The short answer is “no.” I was having an amazing conversation today (or as I said, let’s talk about something really interesting, let’s talk about me!”) with Marti Barletta of Trendsight today. Marti is the premier provider of ‘marketing to women’ insights and ideas,…

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Intercultural Competence, Socrates and Charlie Chan

US business culture norms today are all about action and the bottom line.  “Show me the money!” Think about it.   If Socrates were working at a corporation in the US today, with all of his thinking and pontificating, his boss might say “he’s full of baloney…what has he actually DONE?” (or more likely, “Socrates, stop…

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