Navigating cultural differences is a critical skill of a leader.
Here’s an example:
Some cultures never say “yes” the first time they’re offered help. If you don’t know this, you may take their first answer as their true intention. Whereas actually, they expect to be asked again once or twice before they’re “allowed” to say yes.
There can be a give and take:
The person asking can ask more than once
The person getting asked can say their true intentions the first time they’re asked
Two books I recommend for learning more about navigating cultural differences:
The Culture Map by Erin Meyer
Foreign to Familiar by Sarah Lanier
What resources do you like on this topic?
How have you seen issues come up because of cultural misunderstandings?