GROW: Cultural Intelligence Unlocks Career Success

Issue #82 - April 29, 2025

Welcome to G.R.O.W. (Guidance Redefines Our Way)!

Hello everyone,,

Last week, we talked about how caring for our environment helps shape stronger leaders. This week, we’re switching gears a little — but still staying true to the heart of what makes outstanding leadership and mentorship.

With May bringing in Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, it’s the perfect time to talk about how our cultural roots aren’t just personal — they’re leadership gold. The traditions we carry, the values we grew up with, the ways we see the world — they sharpen the way we lead, mentor, and build community.

This week, we’re leaning into how embracing our culture isn’t just about honoring the past — it’s about pulling forward wisdom, adaptability, and perspective into how we lead today. Skills that matter now more than ever.

Let’s dive in!

Growth Spotlight

Roots and Wings: How Culture Shapes Mentoring and Leadership

When we think about building leaders, we typically think about the future, planning ahead, adapting quickly, and staying emotionally sharp. But sometimes, the strongest tools aren’t found by looking forward. They’re found by looking back.

The Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) project found that leaders who pull their cultural background into their leadership style show stronger adaptability, better perspective-taking, and more inclusive decision-making — all things our world needs right now.

Here are three ways our cultural roots can enhance our leadership and mentoring:

1. The Wisdom Bridge: Passing Down Generational Gold

We’re often told the newest leadership trends are the best. But the truth is, time-tested wisdom often holds answers modern strategies miss. Dr. Peter Senge of MIT showed that leaders who incorporate traditional knowledge make better, wiser decisions in all types of situations.

And it’s not just theory — a 2024 Harvard Business School study found that mentors who share cultural wisdom give mentees 43% more useful advice when they hit challenging moments.

Mentoring Tip:
Next time your mentee faces a tough spot, share both a modern solution and a cultural principle you grew up with. Watch how it deepens your conversation — and their thinking.

2. Code-Switching Strength: How Bicultural Leaders Win

If you grew up navigating between two (or more) cultures, you know the drill: switching gears depending on where you are and who you’re with. What used to feel exhausting? It turns out to be a serious leadership superpower.

Dr. Xiao-Ping Chen from the University of Washington found that bicultural leaders solve problems more quickly and creatively than most. Mentors from multicultural backgrounds help mentees reframe issues 52% better and find outside-the-box solutions 64% more often.

Mentoring Tip:
During your next session, help your mentee view a problem from two cultural perspectives. It’ll stretch their thinking — and build leadership muscle.

3. Story as Strategy: Leading Through Our Narratives

Data’s important. But storytelling? It’s unforgettable. Across cultures, stories have always been a way to pass on wisdom.

Stanford’s Dr. Jennifer Aaker showed that leaders who use storytelling have teams that are 47% more engaged and 39% better at communicating across differences.

Mentoring Tip:
Share a story from your culture that taught you something important about leadership. Then invite your mentee to share one of theirs. You'll be amazed at the bond — and the lessons — it builds.

The Cultural Mentoring Path

Leadership guru Marshall Goldsmith put it best: "Cultural intelligence isn't extra—it is leadership development."

As mentors, when we bring our full cultural wisdom into the conversation, we don’t just make mentoring richer — we prepare young leaders to lead better across a diverse, ever-changing world.

What cultural lesson will you bring to your mentoring this month?

Professional Growth Gateway

Three Cultural Intelligence Skills Every Leader Needs

Cultural smarts aren't "nice-to-have" anymore — they’re core leadership skills. Here are three must-haves for tomorrow’s leaders:

1. Cultural Frame-Switching
Being able to step into another cultural mindset — and lead from there — is powerful. Leaders who can do this are 58% more effective at cross-cultural negotiations and 47% more effective at managing diverse teams.

Skill Tip:
Pick a culture different from yours. Dive into their books, movies, and stories. Don't just look at traditions — try to understand the heart behind them.

2. Heritage-Informed Innovation
Some of the boldest innovations come from blending old wisdom with new challenges. Harvard research found that companies using diverse cultural knowledge spark 41% more breakthrough ideas.

Skill Tip:
Find one practice from your heritage and think about how it could solve a modern-day problem you’re facing. There's power in blending past and present.

3. Inclusive Narrative Leadership
Great leaders don’t just manage differences — they weave them into a shared story. Teams that feel included in this way show a 34% better retention rate and a 29% higher engagement rate.

Skill Tip:
Practice telling your organization's story in a way that honors multiple cultural perspectives. Authentic leadership happens when everyone feels seen in the vision.

Which skill will you grow this quarter?

Success Spotlight

Indra Nooyi: Heritage-Centered Leadership in Action

When Indra Nooyi became CEO of PepsiCo in 2006, she didn't view her Indian heritage as separate from her business leadership; she saw them as deeply interconnected. Her journey demonstrates how cultural heritage can strengthen leadership capability while creating organizational advantage.

Born in Chennai, India, Nooyi's leadership approach was profoundly shaped by her upbringing. "I'm a product of my upbringing," she explained in her memoir My Life in Full. "The values I grew up with in India have helped determine how I think about business, philanthropy, and personal and professional integrity."

Among these cultural influences was the concept of "balancing the short-term and long-term," a perspective Nooyi attributes partly to her Indian heritage, which she contrasted with the quarterly-focused mindset often dominant in Western business. This cultural framework would later become central to her transformative "Performance with Purpose" strategy at PepsiCo.

Under Nooyi's guidance, PepsiCo pioneered an approach that balanced short-term business performance with long-term sustainability, fundamentally changing how the company operated. Rather than viewing financial and environmental goals as opposing forces, her approach integrated them into a cohesive strategy that reflected the cultural values she had carried from childhood.

The business results validated this approach. During Nooyi's tenure:

• Revenue grew 80% to $63.5 billion

• The company's market value increased by $57 billion

• PepsiCo significantly outperformed market averages during a challenging economic period

What made Nooyi's leadership particularly noteworthy was how she positioned cultural heritage as a leadership strength rather than something to downplay. "I never hid my Indian heritage. I leaned into it," she noted in a Stanford Business School lecture. "I found that my cultural background gave me perspectives that others didn't have—particularly around thinking long-term, building community connections, and finding meaning beyond financial metrics."

Her approach to mentoring future leaders was equally impressive. Nooyi created development programs that encouraged emerging leaders to draw strength from their cultural backgrounds. "We build stronger leaders when we invite them to bring their full cultural identities to their work," she explained at the World Economic Forum. "Asking people to compartmentalize their cultural heritage means losing access to wisdom that could benefit everyone."

This cultural approach to mentorship created direct benefits for both employees and the organization. PepsiCo's diversity initiatives under Nooyi saw a 9.5% increase in women in management roles and a 6.8% increase in executives of color. Perhaps more significantly, employee surveys showed a 28% increase in feelings of "bringing one's whole self to work" under her leadership.

Nooyi believed that honoring cultural heritage makes organizations stronger by providing diverse perspectives on universal challenges. "When we create environments where people's cultural backgrounds are respected as sources of wisdom rather than differences to overcome, we unlock innovation that wouldn't otherwise be possible," she explained at a Leadership Summit.

Nooyi's cultural leadership made the company more appealing to global talent and markets. By demonstrating authentic appreciation for diverse cultural perspectives, PepsiCo strengthened its brand in emerging markets and attracted talent that might have otherwise looked elsewhere.

As Nooyi herself said, "I never saw my cultural heritage as something separate from my leadership identity. It was always an integrated part of how I approached problems, built relationships, and created vision. And that integration made me a better leader."

Community Corner

iBuddy Program: Cultural Mentorship That Actually Works

I came across this amazing mentorship initiative at the University of Delaware that I just had to share with our community. It's called the iBuddy Mentoring Program, and honestly, it's got me thinking about how we could create something similar.

The program pairs international students with mentors, both domestic and international students who have maturity and experience, to help newcomers navigate campus life, American culture, and everything in between. What caught my attention was how natural these relationships become, going way beyond the typical "here's where the dining hall is" type of orientation.

Take Kerry-Kearns Bobga, for example. When he arrived from Cameroon as a freshman engineering student, he was anxious about the whole college transition. But his iBuddy mentor, Lynette Nsongka (also from Cameroon), completely transformed his experience. They connected even before he arrived on campus, and by the time orientation week rolled around, they were friends. Kerry says the transition was "seamless" with Lynette's support, and they even ended up as "study buddies" in the same chemistry class!

What's cool is how the mentorship works on multiple levels. Lynette didn't just help Kerry with academic stuff—she introduced him to student organizations and campus events that helped him break out of his shell. Kerry remembers one particular event that marked a turning point: "I was initially hesitant to go... but she reassured me. We ended up meeting a lot of interesting people and had an amazing time."

The program isn't just about pairing people from the same country, either. Graduate student Thabu Mugala from Zambia mentors students from all over the world and loves the cultural exchange. "The best part is learning about each other's cultures," she says. One of her mentees is from China, and they've started exchanging gifts from their home countries.

Here's why I think this model is brilliant:

1. It starts early—mentors connect with international students in the summer before they even arrive

2. It's peer-based, so the advice feels relevant and real

3. It creates a natural cultural exchange that benefits both sides

4. It develops leadership skills for the mentors

5. It's structured enough to work, but flexible enough to form genuine friendships

The program has grown from just 9 mentors in 2018 to around 75 mentors each year. And get this—since launching the program, Delaware has seen a significant boost in international student satisfaction with orientation and arrival processes.

I'm thinking this could be a perfect model for us to adopt as we approach Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. What if we launched our own version, initially focusing on connecting mentors and mentees with AAPI backgrounds or interests, and then expanding it more broadly later?

If you're interested in helping develop something like this for our community, drop me a line at [email protected]. And hey, if you've participated in a similar mentorship program before, I'd love to hear about your experience!

After all, as Kerry put it: "An iBuddy helps you feel more connected and less isolated... It's a great way to build meaningful friendships while also gaining valuable advice from someone who has been through similar experiences." And isn't that what great mentoring is all about?

Michael's Hot Take

Heritage vs. Tokenism: When “Cultural Intelligence” Becomes a Museum Exhibit

Here we are, heading into May.
In the past, some companies, colleges, and government agencies would gear up to roll out their usual "Happy AAPI Heritage Month!" emails and social media posts, but many have quietly (or not so quietly) dismantled the very diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs they claim to celebrate.

One year, they’re hiring Chief Diversity Officers and hosting panels.
Next, they’re cutting "non-essential" programs, laying off the DEI teams, and pretending cultural intelligence was just a phase.

Nothing says "we value your heritage and your skills"... right after gutting the departments that were supposed to make workplaces truly inclusive.

Let's be clear: celebrating cultural heritage isn’t about slapping up a banner or serving fortune cookies (spoiler: fortune cookies aren’t even Chinese — they’re a California invention).
Cultural intelligence isn’t a seasonal decoration you pull out for a month and put away on June 20th.

Real cultural intelligence — the kind we need now more than ever — is leadership intelligence.
It’s the daily practice of honoring the ways cultural traditions shape leadership, decision-making, relationship-building, and mentorship.
It’s not about photo ops. It’s about foundations.

That’s part of why AFGM is proudly launching the Echoes of Freedom Tour this summer.
The Echoes of Freedom Tour is a half-day journey through historic African American landmarks in Northern Virginia — from courthouses to freedom trails — celebrating the resilience, faith, and leadership that shaped America. It’s about stepping into history, not just reading about it, and pulling out the timeless leadership lessons our ancestors left for us.

Because while some folks are busy dismantling DEI offices and calling it "fiscal responsibility," we’re investing in what truly matters:

• Honoring the stories that built this country

• Raising leaders who know how to lead through diversity, not around it

• Teaching that cultural heritage isn’t extra credit — it’s core curriculum for leadership

If organizations believed in the power of culture, they wouldn't wait for a special month to show it.
They wouldn’t need a designated holiday to say, "Your background matters."
They’d bake it into how they mentor, how they hire, how they build teams, and how they measure success.

Instead, too many are treating culture like a museum exhibit:
"Look, but don’t touch. Admire, but don’t apply. Celebrate, but don’t change."

Here’s the truth:
The wisdom of our ancestors isn’t a backdrop; it truly matters.
It’s a leadership playbook for those brave enough to put it into practice.

This May, I challenge all of us — mentors, mentees, leaders, and learners — to go deeper.
Read voices you haven’t heard before.
Ask real questions.
Listen without trying to fix or sanitize the answers.
And honor the fact that cultural wisdom isn’t ornamental.
It’s operational. It’s survival. It’s a strategy. It’s a strength.

At AFGM, we won’t settle for performative diversity.
We’re walking in the footsteps of leaders who didn’t ask permission to make a difference.
We’re carrying their stories forward — not just for the month, but for the mission.

Until next Tuesday — stay grounded, stay thankful, and if you see someone complaining about diversity programs, lovingly remind them: heritage isn’t seasonal. Leadership isn’t either.

Upcoming Events

Echo of Freedom Tour

• Date: July 19, 2025

• Duration: 5 hours

• The Echoes of Freedom Tour is a guided journey through Northern Virginia, revealing the rich and often untold history of African American resilience, activism, and community building. This immersive experience takes participants to key historical sites, including early freedmen settlements, civil rights landmarks, and educational institutions that shaped Black history in the region. The tour connects the past to the present through storytelling, reflection, and engagement, ensuring that these vital narratives continue to inspire future generations.