I was born and raised into the American military sub-culture. When I was young, it was the 80’s, the golden era of the United States military, and I remember that the culture itself was vastly different than the one I served in for over a decade so many years later. Back then, it was a family. You didn’t just go to a job, you went to see friends everyday. The individuals within your command were like close friends, and a real sense of overwhelming camaraderie filled the atmosphere. Now I am sure that each command harbored its own unique internal cultures as well. Some may have been better than others, but for the very small Naval P3[1] and NSW[2] communities I grew up around, tight knit groups in the military are all generally the same, and remain so for the most part today. But these small details are not so important as the fact that the military culture itself thrived, despite the fact that it was so varied.
I was raised by a single parent – my father – who served a full career in the United States Navy as a PH[3] in both Combat Camera and the ASW[4] community. He had a flight schedule, a deployment cycle, and often worked longer hours than I could imagine at such a young age… so one can understand that I often spent many a day at work with him. From a young age I was surrounded by extraordinary individuals from all walks of life, yet who all came together – awkwardly so at times – in the accomplishment of a common goal. Additionally, because of my father’s career, I was fortunate enough to have traveled to many places and experienced a large number of different cultures before the age of 10. Of course, the consequences of moving and traveling were constantly changing schools and never developing life-long friendships… and I am also sure I exhibit a certain amount of social ineptitude to this day as well. However, the benefits and rewards of such early-life experiences blossomed later on, and I have slowly grown to be thankful for them.
There came a time thereafter where I too joined the military. And after a time, I would eventually reach a leadership position of my own. I was fortunate enough to work myself into a military career that involved consistently working at a multinational level. At one point, while stationed in Europe, the small detachment I was assigned to worked with NATO[5] forces on a regular and routine basis, and throughout my time there, I discovered that my prior experiences with varied cultures from different places helped me to develop strong, effective relationships with my foreign counterparts. This became the hallmark of a leadership style I would use throughout my career, and even to this day.
SSG AJ Powell (USA) conducts diving operations with Romanian Naval Special Warfare EOD Divers in the Black Sea, September, 2009. US Army, Released
Now, at this point in time, I had never heard of theories that dealt with Power distance, Uncertainty avoidance, Individualism, or Masculinity/Femininity aspects of cultural analysis. (Hofstede, 1984, 1991) However, I already had an innate understanding of cultural sensitivity. I appreciated people for who they were, and even maintained a certain level of sensitivity to the processes of norms they shared. As a leader, it was my responsibility, my obligation, to assure the working relationship was not compromised by mere differences, and this required that I focused on continual education and interaction to make the mission a success. (Moran, 2011) After all, as a military leader, my two basic responsibilities have always been the welfare of my men, and the accomplishment of my mission. No better way to make sure that both happen than to maintain a certain level of cultural awareness.
SSG AJ Powell (USA), instructs Chech Special Forces Soldiers in combat aviation operations, Feb., 2010. US Army, Released
While the military example I have chosen to use may identify a sub-culture within a culture, it yet still finds use as an example in applied global leadership cases due to the differences in culture alone. The military itself is a smorgasbord of cultural clashes aligned through a prevailing set of standards and values, all neatly, collectively, and motivationally driven under a common cause or goal. Now combine that with the leadership responsibilities of working with other allied military personnel to accomplish a task and it makes perfect sense to see how the military example can be so good and so bad all at the same time, very simply due to complexity. Surely we can say this is a case of simple complications.
SSG AJ Powell (USA) talks to members of the Swedish Contingent during the 98th VierDaagse, July, 2014. Ruck Headquarters, Released
For me, however, I counted myself lucky enough to know how much I didn’t know. I had the benefit of drawing on previous experiences, whereas many others weren’t so lucky. For those unlucky enough to have never experienced foreign culture before, I can assure you the learning curve was quite steep. Even here was an opportunistic leadership example, for even here I was able to help coach, mentor, and guide others within my own culture towards a better end result. Such too are the responsibilities of global leaders; the stewardship of global leadership itself.
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AJ Powell
SSG (USA, Ret.)
www.ruckhq.com
www.militarymedia.net
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References:
Moran, R. T., Harris, P. R., & Moran, S. V. (2011). Managing cultural differences: Global leadership strategies for cross-cultural business success (8th ed.). Oxford: Routledge.
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Footnotes
[1] P3 – Lockheed P-3 Orion. A 4 engine, turboprop, anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy, and used throughout the Cold War Era.
[2] NSW – Naval Special Warfare.
[3] PH – Photographers Mate. Naval designator for an individual Rate (Field/Occupational Specialty). Discontinued. PH was merged with MC (Mass Communication Specialist) by 2005.
[4] ASW – AntiSubmarine Warfare. An encompassing term used to describe a community of many specialists who collectively hunted submarines using advanced technology, such as SOSUS Warning Networks and MAD systems, deployed across various platforms.
[5] NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization. (http://www.nato.int/)
Lucy,
Thank you for the comment. Please allow me to reply by addressing your questions one at a time.
1. “I saw you mentioned that the learning curve was quite steep for those you worked with that had little to no cultural experience. What would you say is the most difficult hurdle for those entering a new culture with so little knowledge or experience?
For me to address this properly, I feel it is necessary to dive into culture a bit as well. So I will begin by quoting from Moran (2011) twice to illustrate a point here.
First:
“Americans almost alone in the world, have a serious… even simplistic belief that their country is a force for enduring good. They acknowledge it does not always get it right, that at times its antics fall far short of its highest ideals, but all but the most hardened cynics really believe in America as a force for freedom and prosperity and in the universality of these goals. This belief is born of the country’s history, religion, and culture… It is this self-faith as much as anything that defines and differentiates Americans from most of the rest of the world…” (p. 33).
Second:
“Last spring, as my work at the university slowed down, my spouse and I were able to spend a little more time together, and we were ready for a new adventure. So we rented a small house in the French countryside, thinking that we would spend our time studying French, the first language of two of our grandchildren. When my spouse told one of her friends that we were leaving for several weeks, her friend responded, ‘That’s not for me – I’m an all-American girl!'” (p. 7).
Here’s the problem from a cultural perspective. Just ask yourself, how often in the United States have I seen, heard of, or even encountered individuals and/or entire groups of Americans who believe that the United States is the national equivalent to Disney Land – the Greatest Place on Earth? Just seriously think about what that implies for a second… Then watch this:
The most honest three and a half minutes of television, EVER…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16K6m3Ua2nw
Now don’t go off thinking I’m a “diatribe” here… In truth, these examples easily apply to [insert any culture here].
The simple truth is, that Americans – more than the vast majority of other cultures on Earth – not only think they are the greatest thing on the planet, but also consistently have a severely bad habit of self-imposed cultural isolation. Laughably so, these are also the same individuals whom many would claim know more about the world they’ve never seen nor experienced than someone else, yet couldn’t point out half the world’s nations on a map instinctively when asked. In fact, only a small percentage of the United States population ever travels outside of their macro-geographic areas, let alone ever gets a passport and commits to foreign travel.
What is wrong with this cultural logic? The average European – for example, our adopted German daughter, Emmi – grows up with “foreign travel”. She’s about to graduate from high school this summer in Munchen (Munich, for all those who don’t know), speaks 5 languages fluently, and already has experienced over 20 different cultures due to foreign travel – including outside of the EU. Now we can argue the contributing factors here – such as size, location, and distance of foreign travel opportunities – or we can see the obvious… Emmi is a part of a globalized culture, a fact that we all know will grant her opportunities most Americans will never realize.
Those team-mates I shared multinational teaching and professional operational responsibilities with in the Army were all certified instructors and professionals in their field(s), and all VERY good at their jobs… but due to growing up in a culture overwhelmingly uninterested in anything other than itself, they did not benefit from a foundation of cultural understand and awareness like I had grown up with as a child. Culture is a system of mental processes that are firmly instilled after many long years of both conscious and unconscious careful practice. Honestly, the absolute hardest part for my partners to learn, was simply getting over their typically American sense of self and ideals.
2. “What advice would you give to others about experiencing other cultures?”
Two things here:
One, keep an open mind at all times. Just as illustrated in the example above, this is far easier said than done, and it can instantly cripple any new cultural experience for all involved. So wake up, look in the personal mirror, and understand that what you know is not the end-all-be-all. Get over yourself, so you can get someone else.
Two, maintain heightened senses of awareness. Too often do we allow what is happening right in front of us to restrict our thinking, our ability to understand what is happening, and our ability to think critically about all that is around us. Culture itself is so very intricate and all too often too subtle for a person with mental blinders on to even notice. The difference between having a positive experience and a negative experience can be the difference between noticing a simple gesture or not.
3. “Lastly, I’m just curious, what was the most interesting culture you experienced and why?”
I’ve been blessed with both personal and professional travel to more than 50 nations so far in my short life. I’ve circumnavigate the world, and to date, have lived in 8 nations. To say the least, my experiences weren’t always pleasant. Yet, to this day, I still find the Japanese culture fascinating to no end. Now I couldn’t claim it better or worse than any other culture I’ve had a positive (or negative) experience with, but for some reason, I find I developed a personal bias towards it that I simply cannot explain away.
Again, thank you for responding to this.
-AJ
AJ,
I found this post to be very enlightening as to the benefits of cultural exposure. I separated from the military a couple years ago and my husband is still active duty. When I was contemplating separation I considered, among many other things, what it would be like if I stayed in and we started a family. I admit I always came back to the negatives for our children, like the moving, changing schools, and no long term friendships. However, your post reminded me of the positives of being exposed to different cultures. I can see how it can be especially beneficial at a young age, given that information is more readily absorbed. I see my husband traveling a lot with his new job, and I wish I could join him and have the same cultural experiences. I saw you mentioned that the learning curve was quite steep for those you worked with that had little to no cultural experience. What would you say is the most difficult hurdle for those entering a new culture with so little knowledge or experience? What advice would you give to others about experiencing other cultures? Lastly, I’m just curious, what was the most interesting culture you experienced and why? Thank you again for sharing.
VR
Lucy