Well my friends, today begins a new journey for my family and me as we have arrived in New Zealand for a six-month stint of pastoring, leadership training and, hopefully, launching a Celebrate Recovery ministry. In those months, you will be hearing from us as we experience what it means to lead in a culture different from our own.

As we were making preparations to come to New Zealand, I had a thought: We are not going to New Zealand looking for America; rather we are going to New Zealand to be in New Zealand. This means that we will resist comparing how New Zealanders do things to Americans, but rather try to understand why they do things the way they do.

Here is an example. As we were waiting to be picked up from Auckland Airport, my daughter and I decided to get coffee. But before we could get the coffee we had to convert some United States dollars to New Zealand dollars. Ahead of us in the currency exchange line was an American gentleman. I could tell by his body language that he was frustrated. As he finished the transaction and turned to leave, he looked at my daughter and me and said, “They want your whole life story to convert your money.” I looked and my daughter and said, “That is what I mean when I say, we are not coming to New Zealand to look for America.” The woman behind the glass pane was only doing her job. She knows that if she does not get all the required information, she is not doing her job properly. The American gentleman on the other hand is used to getting this done quickly, or at least differently.

I know there will be more times like these for us in the coming months. We want to ensure that we are not questioning everything that is unfamiliar to us, but asking good clarifying questions so we can better understand the peoples and the cultures of New Zealand.

How do you respond to people of other cultures whether you are in their context or they are in yours? Do you judge them and try to show them how you would do or say something? Or do you seek to understand why they do what they do? Do you respect others for who they are and the cultural diversity they bring?

Leading cross-culturally is never easy. For one thing, it is very easy to fall into our own way of doing things without realizing that we are not allowing others to be themselves.

Cross-cultural leadership calls for you to be a good listener. Learn to ask questions about why things are done in a certain way and of the significance of patterns of being and behaving. Then listen closely and with an open mind to what is being said.

Resist passing judgment. Rather, be receptive to learning about other people and their cultures. You may be amazed at how much you come to appreciate both.

If you would like to explore how to move from wounded victim to wounded healer give me a call at 208-880-0307 or email me at  errol@errolcarrim.com to schedule a complimentary coaching session on how to move from wounded victim to wounded healer.

Photo of Auckland, New Zealand