Cultural awareness: The key to managing global workplaces

“Something as simple as acknowledging a holiday, offering schedule flexibility, or asking someone how they celebrate an important day sends a powerful signal of respect.”

Haugh, an expert in fostering people-first cultures, underscored that global leadership “requires humility.”

“It requires leaders to replace assumptions with learning and to create an environment where cultural differences are recognised rather than ignored,” she said.

This quality in practice can be demonstrated by looking at how success is defined in workplaces.

“Success, for example, should be defined by deliverables and results, quality of work, collaboration and contribution, and impact on the organisation,” Haugh said.