How stress can lower your cultural intelligence
Even those of us who are energised by cross-cultural work have to work harder when our colleagues have different ways of thinking or behaving. Maybe you have found you’re sometimes more irritated than usual by seemingly minor differences. The good news is that this is normal: when you’re under stress, it can be a real challenge because even those small differences can quickly become very irritating, according to the management-issues.com website.
Don’t become culturally frustrated
Even the most culturally intelligent professionals may experience that their CQ falls to zero when they are stressed. Your cultural intelligence is the level of your interest and motivation for working with and relating to people from diverse backgrounds.
First, you must be aware of the behaviours that are most likely to trigger your frustration. Consider which cultures you most often associate with the following behaviours.
- Someone is speaking too slowly or too fast
- Jumping the queue
- Multi-tasking during a meeting
- Profanity and obscene language
- Remaining permanently silent during a global call
- Introducing oneself with a formal title – or without it
If you are well rested and in a good mood, these behaviours may not annoy you. If, however, you are tired or under pressure, they may drive you crazy. So be more aware of your triggers.
-jk-