Ever wonder why your brilliant international team members go completely silent in meetings? That silence might be costing your company millions.
Hey everyone! Coach Maya here, and today I’m pulling back the curtain on a leadership secret that transformed how I work with global teams. We’re talking about “FACE” – and I’m not talking about your latest profile pic!
Face is your social currency – it’s about dignity, respect, and your perceived value in the community. In Western culture, we might think it’s just about avoiding embarrassment, but it goes so much deeper!
Let me share a real story. I was consulting with a tech company where American managers were frustrated because their Chinese engineers never spoke up at a technical training program. When I chatted with these engineers privately in Mandarin and asked how much they actually understood about the training materials, they said, “Maybe 20%.” TWENTY PERCENT!!
These brilliant professionals weren’t being difficult – they just didn’t want to risk looking bad by admitting confusion or challenging leadership. This happens in cross-cultural teams everywhere! solution? Build psychological safety by honoring face.
Think about honoring face, like making deposits into someone’s Venmo account: You make a deposit when you say, “Everyone, Wei’s experience with semiconductor design was crucial to solving our bottleneck issue.” Boom! Face deposit!
You make another deposit when you say, “Zhang, I’d really value your thoughts before we finalize this decision.” You’re signaling their opinion matters!
When you need to make a withdrawal, like giving feedback, be super careful. Have those conversations privately, acknowledge their strengths, and frame everything as helping them succeed.
If you accidentally cause someone to lose face? The relationship can recover if you’ve made enough deposits. I call this your “overdraft protection”!
Find one genuine way to honor someone’s face on your team. Give them a public shout-out or highlight something amazing they did that others missed.
Remember, how you make your team members feel is the foundation of everything you build together. Honor face, build trust, and watch your leadership impact TRANSFORM!
You got this! My friend. See you next time.
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