Everyone has their differences and that is something that makes us unique. I have always found in it interesting the amount of different cultures that we have throughout the world. At any time you travel, even to another part of your own country, there are differences you can scout out right away. Something that comes up a lot now especially in the United States is diversity. I recently had the chance to get up close and personal with diversity and the barriers there can be with communication.
As something I have always loved to do, soccer, there are times you must connect with people from all over the world. Soccer is the most diverse sport that is played all over the world. Diversity is something you learn quick and can teach you effective communication skills and leadership skills in soccer. Communication is a circular interaction that involves a sender and a receiver of a message (Managing Cultural Differences, pg 38). It is a daily thing for most everyone and with technology it increases. With this learning communication can is important for people to break down barriers in diversity.
In soccer throughout the years I have met all types of people. At times communication can be a challenge and playing as a team can be more of a challenge without proper communicating. How can you be a good team without communicating properly? My coach would hold stations where we told each other about each other and things we liked, disliked, and even words that we could use on the field we would both understand. It is interesting to see the progress a diverse team can make with breaking certain barriers. Listening, understanding, and then responding are important steps in the process. Active listening is what any leader should be doing at all times. Active listening requires that the listener does comprehend what the speaker is saying and repeats back what is being said to confirm (Managing Cultural Differences, pg 40).
This goes hand in hand with global leadership, how can a leader be prosperous if they are not familiar with diversity and the barriers of communication it can cause. Just like my soccer coach, he needed to be able to learn himself and get down the barriers before he can lead a team. A global leader needs to be able to understand diversity, experience it, and then communicate based on his findings. With this he himself be successful as well as his team.
Moran, Robert, Abramson, Neil, & Moran, Sarah. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences. Oxford: Routledge.
As an old professional volleyball player, I can completely see where the diversity is a key to success. Soccer is more male-dominated and succeeded in Latin American countries. I am originally from Turkey where soccer is part of everyone’s life and on derby games, the goal positions and wrong calls by the referees are talked about for weeks.
Your post reminded me a story about my dad, when I was very young he took me to Galatasaray game in Istanbul. The stadium was very close to our house, when the teams scored the windows would shake from people chanting.
In my volleyball years, I remember I had a lot of Russian players where communication was a challenge. But for the best communication during the game we have developed specific signs indicated what we would do.