Tanya Finnie, Author at Redhead Communications

Why ‘White Lives Matter’ is Wrong

August 5, 2020 By Tanya Finnie

Imagine being at the funeral of your child and someone else speaks up and say: ‘All children matter’. I recently read on social media someone compared this to being the equivalent of saying ‘All lives matter.’

Talking about race may not be an easy conversation, but it is certainly a long overdue conversation and no doubt a crucial conversation.

In Australia we can compare this to the terrible bush fires we had earlier this year. When your house is on fire, your house matters more than your neighbour’s and vice versa. ‘All lives matter’ is a deeply problematic phrase and frankly very offensive. It is a hurtful phrase that makes it sounds like you are indeed a racist. Or further, someone who does not get the struggle our coloured and black brothers and sisters have been fighting their whole lives.

No one is denying that human rights are important for all races, but if you think it has been equal race for all, you are wrong.

There may be another analogy to start with, especially if you are white and come from a space of white fragility or white privilege. There used to be a time not too long ago, where women could not vote. Women did not get the vote by making perfect martinis for their husbands and sitting back, waiting for it to eventually happen. When it did happen, not everyone was equally excited about the change. But over time more and more people came on board.

We still have a glass ceiling and due to certain historical decisions gender equality is not as equal as you may imagine. Can you relate to how a feminist may feel, when she hears ‘what about the men?’ Now imagine being a black woman and potentially gay! There is a difference between not being a racist and being anti- racist.

It is simply not enough not being racist; you need to step up and speak out.

Not speaking up for racism is the same than seeing someone being bullied or harassed and quietly leaving the room.

Moving forward starts with a mindset, followed by action. It starts with the language we use. It is not as much about being politically correct than it is about being culturally smart. Inappropriate images/cartoons as above from 1887 can’t be erased. They should act as a reminder to politicians, reporters and the general media, who should actively seek to erase this from our future.

And for the non-believers/doubters – Thank you for reading this far. Maybe I can convince you to adjust your thinking as equal race treatment it is also good for business. One thing we do know about cultural intelligence (CQ) is that you need motivation to grow your CQ. Thus, also note there is no point arguing with someone who simply does not care enough to listen with an open mind. Though if you say “I’m not racist”, good for you, stop saying it and start showing it.

Footnote

For those who are concerned by my use of the black, white and coloured people – depending on your viewpoint you may have a better way to phrase this, but allow me to quote my hero Madiba (Nelson Mandela), who said “I call them white, black and coloured as that is what I can see.”

Yes, it can be argued that we are all a colour, which is why I was so delighted when Crayola released crayons in every possible shade of skins. Just don’t argue that you don’t see colour, because we all do. My challenge is for you to ensure you interpret that data of what you see to be fair and equal and speak out. Be anti-racist.

Do #BLACKLIVES (really) matter in Australia?

July 15, 2020 By Tanya Finnie

Written by Tamara Cook

When I opened my Instagram on Tuesday June 2, I thought it was broken. Posts didn’t seem to load. I soon recognised the hashtags and the sentiment behind the flood of black squares on my feed. It felt good to know so many cared about the fate of George Floyd and they wanted to stand together, but what was meant as an act of solidarity and support, quickly became an empty message for me, as many people carbon copied and co-opted the post, seemingly without much in the way of intended follow-up actions or commitment to change.

Do many Australians know what they’re standing for when they hurriedly post the hashtags #blacklivesmatter or #blackouttuesday on social media? Perhaps they’ve shed a tear, affected by the injustice of black deaths in custody, or perhaps they’re solving a dilemma of what to post on Instagram. A black box and a message of hope for black people – could content get any easier? And…posted! Did I hit a sore spot? Sorry. But this issue of blacks, and especially Indigenous Australians, dying in police custody is a sore spot.

We agree the heart-breaking death of Floyd was a crime, yet there’ve been 432 aboriginal deaths in custody here in Australia since 1991 and no one’s been charged. No one. We didn’t burn the streets or achieve a viral hashtag for any of those deaths. We observed, we read, we moved on. Another Indigenous life went to waste and we went on with our lives.

It’s our shameful norm.

So why are we acting for Floyd? Because it’s trending? Because it’s cool to be anti-racism for a hot minute? Or is it because the US actually makes some progress in the court of law following protests?

I’ve lived on the sandy white shores of Australia all my life. My blue-eyed grandfather impressed the Queen’s English upon me from birth, taught me to tip the soup bowl away not towards me when it got low. I’m educated. I’m compassionate. My mother and African father’s love produced my tanned skin, rather than mirroring mum’s milky white tones.

Since childhood I’ve felt the weight of sideways glances on a bus, seen the shuffle of feet away from where I’m standing in a queue, observed handbags clutched a little tighter on my approach, been questioned as to where I really come from.

I’ve been told I look dirty, had my suitcase filled with rancid wet rubbish on school camp, not been picked for anyone’s sports team – heard the groans when I’m assigned. I’ve been interrogated at the international airport as to why I want to re-enter Australia, my home. Racism in my country is rife. Now, married to a Yamatji man*, mother to First Nations children, my life is thoroughly more complex when it comes to race.

I applaud you when you post #blacklivesmatter here in Australia, but please ask yourself, what are you doing, personally, to ensure that is actually true for Indigenous Australians?

Black people aren’t asking for special privilege by saying their lives matter, they’re asking for equality, understanding, recognition and respect.

The movement asks all of us to see people of colour as equal human beings, not as ‘other’. It’s not so much a police problem, it’s a societal problem stemming from murders, brutality, shackling and dispossession – the premeditated suffocation of a black Australian culture a few short generations ago. Indigenous Australian lives matter and we as a society should be advocating for equality in our neighbourhoods every single day. It may not be glossy in Australia, but it’s right.

Post #blacklivesmatter, with the intention of making a change, no matter how big or small, in your corner of the world. Sign a petition, peacefully march, write, smile, show compassion, but most importantly educate yourself on our old country’s history.

Understand skin colour is not a station in life, it’s a window into someone’s story.

Let’s call out racism and respect human life.

*Aboriginal people have the oldest living culture in the world, dating back 50,000 to 65,000 years. In Australia each region has their own Aboriginal language and people. The Yamatji or Yamaji people are from the mid west region in WA, just north of Perth. The Yamaji region contains many aboriginal groupings.

Tamara is an experienced Events Director and founder of Known Associates – a bespoke, creative events company, built on a strong foundation of relationships. Listen to her Podcast – Behind the Clipboard. She is also a proud wife and mother of two.

How to Manage your Unconscious Bias

July 8, 2020 By Tanya Finnie

We all bring unconscious bias into the workplace. These learned stereotypes are automatic and unintentional. They are part of your belief system and will affect your behaviour on a daily basis. Just because they are triggered without your knowledge does not make it right or even an excuse for bad decisions. For example, if you did not appoint someone because of their surname, gender, sexual orientation etc. it certainly is not favourable for the organisation or the individuals concerned. Your brain is predetermined to certain predispositions in order to survive. Unconscious thinking is effortless and swift. It is activated in your brain long before your explicit system can kick in and override it. However this is no excuse.

There are many types of unconscious bias, and you are most likely guilty of at least some of them. Here are a few:

Affinity Bias

When you like people that are like yourself. This, for example, might include having an affinity for someone who went to the same university as you, grew up in the same town, is of the same background etc.

Conformity Bias

When you tend to listen more to information that already conforms to our preconceived notions. You often see this in discussions around big issues like climate change; you see this daily when two people walk away from the same discussion with different interpretations of the same concept.

Halo Effect

You see one great thing about someone and let that influence every other judgement about that person. For example, this could take place in the recruitment process – looking at a particular university and seeing everything else about that candidate glow as a result of this “great” university.

Horns Effect

The opposite of the halo effect. Your judgment is clouded because someone, for example, might have been late once to a meeting or said something that you didn’t agree with.

Perception Bias

Believing one thing about a group of people based on stereotypes or assumptions. For example “all Asians drive badly.” There is evidence that shows, although people believe they make impartial judgement, they are often influenced by perception bias.

There are many more types of biases, but these few hopefully reminded you of decisions you made in the last week based on these biases.

Simply knowing you are bias will not automatically alert you to take any different action.

For exactly all of these reasons you need a strategy. The more you practice coming up with alternatives the easier it becomes. Not keeping your biases in check, will end up in you solving the wrong problems and creating homogeneous teams. How can you minimise the impact of these cognitive biases and minimise their negative effect on innovation?

Ask yourself.

Where is there unconscious bias in my company or what biases do I hold as an individual — and what is the impact of it?

Pay particular attention when you are tired. When we are tired we revert back to our automatic thinking patterns and unless you have a practiced strategy prior to this time, you easily revert back to your ‘comfortable, habitual’ way of thinking.

To avoid bias, the above question may need answering by a 360 review. Here are five tips to manage bias:

Get out of Denial!
- If you want to manage your biases, you first need to admit to them. It’s harder than you may think, but ask yourself: What are my biases? How do they impact my decisions? What actions can I put in place to manage them?
Start at the top
1. There is no doubt that it is easier to drive change from the top. This is not only a verbal agreement, but needs to be followed by measurable actions, policies, and norms. Let everyone reveal their perceptions of your company’s diversity and inclusion strategies in a safe environment. You may be surprised by the outcome!
Get to the top
1. I often see middle managers stuck to influence and disillusioned to what they may influence. Come up with a strategy, make a suggestion to your superior and run with it (Else you’ll one day inherit a culture much harder to change so start addressing it now).
Focus on Individuals & Evidence
1. Rather than generalising the team, build individual relations. Yes – this takes time, but you’ll see the returns it yields in terms of productivity and motivated staff.
Create Accountability
1. Unless you can measure it and continuously check in, you’ll easily fall back into old patterns and behaviour. Awareness alone is simply not enough to create change.

A Disturbing Trend in the Media

July 1, 2020 By Tanya Finnie

The way in which the media report on news has a huge impact on the view of culture of people or a nation and is often shaped (or manipulated) by the politicians who control them and the language they use. You can observe this daily, simply by reading the headlines. News should be impartial, factual and unbiased.

In research released in 2017, the ‘Who Watches the Media’ report found that of 124 race-related opinion pieces published between January and July 2017 in Australia, 62 were potentially in breach of one or more industry codes of conduct, because of racist content. Research echoes the findings of the UN expert panel on racial discrimination, which reported last week that racist media debate was on the rise in Australia. The UN recommended the Australian media “put an end to racist hate speech” in print and online and adopt a “code of good conduct” with provisions to ban racism.

It is not only racism that is an issue

Patriarchy, supremacy, homophobia and simply biases are also an issue which are unfortunately often emphasised and supported by world leaders through the language they use. As the news of the New Zealand shooting unfolded last year, we saw various publications around the world whitewashing the crime and hesitating to use the word terrorist. The Australian Courier Mail called the shooter a “working class madman.” (In spite of the PM of New Zealand immediately labelling his acts as a terrorist attack).

An article by the Australian Associated Press labels the ‘shocking’ invisible barrier faced by Indigenous people as three out of four Australian hold a racial bias against Indigenous people. Holding a bias does not mean you are racist, but it is crucial to be aware of your biases and manage them accordingly.

Asians were also not spared during Corona virus reporting. The Melbourne Herald with their front page headline: “Chinese Virus Pandemonium” and the Daily Telegraph with headline: “China Kids Stay Home” not only reeks of racism, but ricochets world leaders who set an example by referring to the Virus as a ‘Chinese Virus’ or Australia’s PM openly denying slavery ever taking place in Australia, with history and photographs clearly contradicting this. The Wall street Journal featured an opinion piece titled: “China is the Real Sick Man of Asia”, unsurprising leading to Beijing (and many others) taking offence. Some of this misinformation triggered xenophobic attacks and abuse.

Media Watch in Australia showed a heavy anti-labour bias by News Corporation papers.

With the News Corporation split in 2013, most of the companies were acquired by Walt Disney. With Rupert Murdoch still remaining chairman on both companies, one must wonder how this culture will continue to filter down throughout the organisations, including to our children. Fairfax (now Nine), The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age were roughly equivalent. Fox News and various channels reporting on sports also slant to a particular angle of presenting that is no doubt bias.

Women in the media are also not spared with an industry shaped by men and masculine angles. Virginia Haussegger, Chief Editor of BroadAgenda reports an experience where she got offered a media job with an instruction to not do stories about “blacks, poofs and spastics.” This reminds me of how we often see rape portrayed in the media. Fox News reported on “Tennessee mom who gave birth while in coma dies three years after waking”. It did not read rape victim who fell pregnant by rapist dies three years after baby is delivered by caesarean.

There are countless bias, racist, sexist, and homophobic pieces of news around the world.

They are filled with prejudice and impartial viewpoints influencing their readers and our impressionable children. Yes, there are some great reporters, but unfortunately there is also a disturbing trend in the media.

Global cultural strategist, Tanya Finnie, is the founding principal of RedHead Communications. Working with middle managers, executives, teams and individuals; she drives growth of situational awareness, innovation and in-house culture to create more collaborative teams thriving on their diversity. Tanya has the ability to fuel organisations towards successful, positive outcomes through the implementation of tailor-made programs and workshops.

Invisible Disabilities

June 24, 2020 By Tanya Finnie

Content Warning for Sensitive Readers. Includes graphic injury description.

“Invisible disabilities” or “hidden disabilities” are disabilities that are not immediately apparent. Some people with vision lost, may wear contacts. To mediate chronic pain, some may choose medication, rather than a visible mobility device.

Humans have a habit of recognising that which we can see. It can be easier to identify disability by a guide dog, white cane, or wheelchair. Consequently, people living with invisible disabilities sometimes have their disability dismissed as illegitimate and may even be accused of faking it.

Last year my 10-year-old son had a freak accident.

Standing on the bed, he reached for something and fell off. Unfortunately, he braced his fall with the window next to the bed and the glass shattered forming sharp triangles. On his way down he practically dragged his arm through the glass and almost cut his arm off. He severed nerves, tendons, muscles and most of the arteries.

We were quick to act and the emergency personnel flocked around him like seagulls to a slice of bread. Organised seagulls.

For more than five hours of accomplished precision, microsurgeons worked to put my boy back together. I was blown away by the support of friends and family in the weeks after the incident. Grateful for their presence and the fact that my boy recovered well above expectations at a speedy rate.

However! For the time being, he is left with an invisible disability and the response from some left me disappointed and surprised. Whilst he was in a cast, I often had random well-meaning mothers and teachers profess on how it is a right of passage for boys to break an arm and it is only a few weeks to recover. Once it came off during the day (he still sleeps with it at night to stretch his arm, else it is too stiff to use in the mornings), everyone assumed his arm was back to normal function.

Due to some nerve damage and his ongoing recovery he still has limited feeling and movement in his thumb and forefinger leaving him frustrated to perform certain everyday tasks.

How does this apply to the workplace?

There is a long list of invisible diseases employers do not consider or adapt for and employees do not declare – from depression to chronic pain and everything in-between.

My challenge is for you to realise that sometimes good intentions are not enough and keep invisible disabilities in mind. You need to make a constant effort to put yourself in others’ shoes. I often hear people complain that the world has become too politically correct. This has nothing to do with being politically correct but simply having respecting others. And one last thing…do reconsider how it makes people feel if you refer to their special needs. That label alone can lead to all kinds of psychological trauma.

My platinum rule is: Treat others as they like to be treated, NOT like you want to be treated.

Growing Your Cultural Intelligence (CQ)

June 17, 2020 By Tanya Finnie

‘Do I really need to learn about culture to be better at my job?’ ‘Don’t you just automatically know this stuff and adapt accordingly?’ ‘Surely it is just common sense. I can just follow my intuition.’ Questions and statements, I often hear in the corporate world. The answer to this is simply, that you probably do have some sense, but can someone just define common sense one more time… What is common behaviour for one, may be exactly the opposite for another.

For example, how would you respond if you are new at a workplace and your colleagues work until late and then want to go and socialise together until midnight? Some of you may be mortified at the thought of socialising with your colleagues. Others may see it as their duty or simply the way they do things. The reality is there are some things that we deeply believe in and often think is the only way to do it, until we come across someone who does it differently.

Culture is a bit like gravity – we do not know that it is there until we take a leap.

Once you’ve leapt you have two options:

Dismiss them as obviously wrong and continue in your own way or;
Be open to another way of doing things and consider that your way may not be the only way.

Depending on what this is, you may be more or less inclined to consider the options. However, when you practice different perspectives and expose yourself to different perspectives, you’ll stretch your brain to become more and more comfortable with those.

When we are stressed, we tend to fall back on our comfortable default behaviour as in the moment of stress we do not have the energy or capacity to rationally find the best solution. That is why it is so important to practice the correct behaviour, so it does become second nature.

Who has not had a driver do something silly like cut you off? What did you do? In that moment of rage, you may have chased past the person to glare through the window to confirm your stereotype of what you already decided. Then you continued with a sigh, thinking that was typical (insert your stereotype here). Was it fair? Can you really say all (insert stereotype here) are (insert your belief system)?

I’d like to challenge you to be curious to others and their behaviour and question your own stereotypes.

Let me be clear that no one can constantly operate in that space of exposure – it is exhausting. However, like all things in life, the more you practice it, the more comfortable you’ll get with it.

Cultural self-awareness is the key to start growing your cultural intelligence (CQ). We can only adapt to others if we are aware of our own comfortable operating system (OS). So, what is your OS?

Do you tend to be more direct or less direct when you express yourself? Are you willing to take changes or are you more measured in your OS? Would you cross the street where there is not a traffic light or rather walk an extra 100 meters to the nearest traffic light? Are you happy to just do it, or would you rather spend more time planning , researching and weighing up all your options? Are you comfortable with being on a first name basis with your colleagues and superiors or do you prefer a more formal approach? Combine all these different scenarios into one workplace, one meeting and you could be facing a melting pot of potential conflict.

Most confusing is when we don’t even recognise when a misunderstanding has occurred.

Self-awareness and situational awareness are key to managing this potential conflict and building stronger relationships.

Slow is neither good nor bad, it is simply slow. Direct is neither good nor bad it is simply direct. What are your belief systems (BS)? I want to point out that when I refer to culture – it could be ethnic culture as in where someone is from, but there is so much more to culture. There are generational differences, gender differences, organisational differences, socio economic background differences and many more.

These are all part of us. You are not even like all the others that are ‘like you’. You just have to look at your family – people from the same background (possibly) with similar value systems (possibly) and already you are all so different.

Once you are aware where you sit on the cultural scale, you can start comparing where are others are coming from. You don’t need years of experience and having travelled to several countries. Rather, commit to being culturally intelligent and plan how you can get there. You can start by self-awareness and step up to the next level by observing others.

I dare you to do a few things out of your comfort zone.

Be patient and have fun.

Culture, Racism, and ‘The Virus’ – How to Culturally Adapt as a Leader

June 10, 2020 By Tanya Finnie

Covid-19 drained the colour from India’s spring festivities. Australia’s older vulnerable people feared being trampled shopping for food. Chinese students are wondering if they’ll ever complete their studies around the world and has now been warned to not come to Australia, due to racism. The cruise industries’ bottom line took a dive. The virus did not choose between race, colour or religion.

In February, I returned from an interstate work trip and my Uber driver gave a relieved sigh the moment he laid eyes on me and said: “Thank goodness you are not Asian!”. I looked at him puzzled and said: “Excuse me?” He enthusiastically continued to explain how his friend just cancelled a pickup as he realised it was a Chinese passenger. Let’s just say the rest of the ride was a tad awkward for him, as I enthusiastically leapt into a conversation about racism and how ‘The Virus’ is not a Chinese virus.

Since then the virus became an excuse for many to act racist and xenophobic.

We have a world leader who still commonly refers to the ‘Chinese Virus’ and defends that statement when pressed on the matter. As the fear of the Corona virus grows, so does anti-Chinese sentiment. Countries such as South Korea, Malaysia, the UK, Italy, Australia, USA and Canada have a particular growing anti-Chinese sentiment. This is portrayed through: the number of businesses placing signs in front of their stores saying, “No Chinese”, people being evicted from rentals, a 16- year old Chinese American boy being attacked or simply people moving seats on a bus as they realise they are sitting near someone from Chinese descent. Many who were at the wrong end of these racist attacks were second or third generation Chinese, or from Asian descent other than Chinese.

As statistics clearly proof, Covid-19 may have Chinese origin, but does not choose between ethnicity, colour, socio economic background or even age.

However, fighting this Virus is not culturally equal! Symptoms may be universal, but how we react to them, is not.

To simplify this, I’ll pick five countries, across five continents. There are different cultural dimensions that influence behaviour. Each of these flex across different extremes with none being better than the other, but simply different. Each extreme always has pros and cons, depending on the situation. There are ten cultural dimensions in total, but again for the sake of this explanation we’ll look at four.

Individualism vs Collectivism

Emphasis on individual goals and individual rights vs group goals and personal relationships.
Think of how they view personal space and their rights to express themselves.

Low Power Distance vs High Power Distance

Emphasis on equality; shared decision-making vs differences in status; superiors make decisions.
Think about taking control and being in charge and how important that may be.

Low Uncertainty Avoidance vs High Uncertainty Avoidance

Emphasis on flexibility and adaptability vs. planning and predictability.
Think of being flexible vs those who plan more and prefer certainty.

Time Orientation – Short Term vs Long Term

Emphasis on immediate outcomes (success now) vs long term planning (success later).
Think about developing strategic plans and their approach to this. Sony (Japanese) is known for developing 100-year strategic plans.

Use this link to find your country if it is not on the list.

Australia has an advantage as an island and the fact that they were much later to get the virus with potential lessons learnt from other countries. Yet, were slow to respond initially with many conflicting messages (at least in the first few weeks).

Note how they score lowest on power distance (38) (with the USA not too far behind). This means a single person carries more weight and everyone
has a right to an opinion. For example, the PM announced on the week of Monday 23 March, schools will remain open. Only hours later the Queensland Premier told her state that they recommend closing schools. By now there was already about a 30% drop in attendance in schools by individual parents who made the call to take their children out of school. (High Individualism 90)

Days after lockdown, thousands of Australians were still photographed breaking the rules as for example flocking to beaches -even after barricades were put up – expressing their individual right to be there, with a “she’ll be alright” attitude.

China’s response was quite fast and drastic with complete cities and regions going into lockdown.

Though there was also the incident of the original whistle-blower (a medical doctor who alerted the world, but also sadly lost his life). Who was told by police to ‘stop the false comments’ and later investigated for breaking the news.

China reacted fast as it was so much easier in a centralised government with much higher power distance (80) and lower individualism (20). The same reasons they leaned towards what some may call a dictatorial management system – especially when it came to silencing the Doctor who spoke up. The latter is also supported by the relatively low score in uncertainty avoidance. China also built hospitals within days due to this same combination of cultural values combined with much higher longterm orientation (88) than any other country above.

Italy is a country with a new government on average every 10.2 months, lots of different administration changes and some may say constant change and even chaos.

This can be explained by a combination of higher individualism (77) and higher hierarchy (50), where politicians (individualists to whom power is important) each form their own silo of decision making. Think ‘mafiosa’.

Italy also score highest on uncertainty avoidance (75). Which means you cannot jump (make decisions) unless you have a clear researched, double checked plan in place (which is harder to achieve in an already confused bureaucracy).

We also see several good news stories emerging from Italy of people getting together on balconies, singing, playing games etc. Not that surprising for a country higher on uncertainty avoidance (75) who wants to bring a nation together and go back to how it was.

South Africa on the other hand is a bit more complicated if you simply use the index chart above as it is not averaged out over the whole population consisting of 11 official language groups, each with their own cultural cluster.

South Africa is also a in an unique position to all the other above listed countries. They were last to get the virus and have a much larger part of their population living in extreme poverty.

Yet, South Africa responded much quicker to a shutdown than Australia, Italy or the USA. Maybe part of this has to do with the realisation that it is one of the most unequal societies in the world in combination of looking at the rest of the world.

Part of the complexity of South Africa is the high proportion of people living in close proximity (some with no or limited access to water). A large proportion also has TB and a significant proportion of people live with chronic conditions and therefor is at a higher risk.

We see in capitalist countries how they run low on stock as everyone
rush out to buy stuff to make themselves feel better – a big cultural difference to nations less focussed on money. Different organisations responded very different too, depending on their culture.

With a large proportion of South Africans being part of a religious affiliation combined with high individualism (64) many still ignored the warning to isolate and is still gathering at religious ceremonies. One of the major threats South Africans face would be false information as we’ve seen in the past with cures for Ebola and AIDS. Ironically these listed past diseases may be the reason they are already more prepared as it has been practice prior to the Virus, to take temperatures at airports for example. It is not surprising to see Africa get hit so much later as they are still less connected to the rest of the world. Even though South African rate high on individualism (64) on this Index we know that the majority of the country rate higher on collectivism depending on their cultural background. (Hofstede’s results are based on mostly English speaking white south Africans.

There is no doubt we have a world pandemic on our hands.

Our biggest tools to fight this will be respect and compassion! It is crucial to note you are viewing the world through your own lense, your own cultural background, norms and cultural values. During stressful times, people revert back to their comfortable cultural space and adapt less. In other words, we see their values highlighted as they often learnt to adapt to the world. You can be a leader during this time by realising this and stepping back to listen to others, note their different views and practice respect and compassion.

Be a hero in the pandemic, because as all things this will also pass.

*As a loud warning it is important to note that we can use Cultural Values as a best guess, but there are always exceptions and a much wider framework of cultural Intelligence (CQ) to consider when making assumptions around cultures.

Get 50% off your next 7 CPD Points

October 10, 2018 By Tanya Finnie

DISCOUNT

Please take 1 minute to fill in these three Multiple choice questions for your chance to win 50% of the next CPD course. Even if you can’t make the next course, but is in real estate, we would love your opinion. (You can transfer the voucher to a future date)

Real Estate. Would it not be cool if you can get an insight into how other people do business, read their body language and understand how they negotiate?

The Magic Wand to Real Estate Challenges

October 10, 2018 By Tanya Finnie

I bet at some stage you faced a difficult client, testing your boundaries. You may have even had to deal with drug-affected tenants or absurd expectations from owners/tenants or even buyers. Some of you report dealing with aggressive or abusive owners and tenants.

Would it not be great if you had a magic wand to read people’s mind and see into their soul before they even opened their mouths! Would it not be great for your mental health if you could wave your magic wand and deal with your own emotions and the emotions of others to lessen the impact on everyone’s stress levels. You can! There is a magic wand!

Not only can we help you acquire these skills, but you can earn 7 CPD points whilst having fun! There is heaps of evidence to show us that if we increase our emotional intelligence (EQ) we will increase our self-awareness, manage emotions better, develop better relationships and ultimately have better mental health, due to increased rapport with those around you. Cultural intelligence (CQ) takes it to an even deeper level. You may know exactly how to ‘read’ those people similar to you, but what if they come from somewhere else, a different cultural background? In Perth 48% of the population is from somewhere else than Australia. We have for example seen significant increases in Chinese property investment over the last few years.

Different cultures negotiate differently and they have different ideas of what makes a house important to live in. What would knowing some of these differences mean for your relationships with clients? Come and join us for this fun workshop, including a light lunch and drinks in Perth city.

Happy Easter! How will you celebrate?

March 28, 2018 By Tanya Finnie

Good Friday in Cefalu, Sicily is the day of the very sombre Solenne Processione. (2017)

Easter is upon us! Enjoy the beautiful 4-day long weekend coming your way. Irrespective of whether you are religious or not, long weekends are a great time to catch up with family and friends and de-stress from your busy pace. I’d like to challenge you to explore one different way of doing something this weekend. Even if you just brush your teeth with a different hand or expand your knowledge by learning from someone else’s tradition.

Eggs are an ancient symbol of new life, and have been associated with pagan festivals to celebrate spring for millennia. In the northern hemisphere, the spring equinox falls in March, and symbolises the end of winter. The Persian New Year, Nowruz, is also celebrated in early spring and uses coloured and decorated eggs as a symbol of fertility. The oldest surviving decorated egg dates back to the fourth century AD!

The other common symbol for Easter is the rabbit. The Easter Bunny comes from the German tradition of the Osterhase, literally the Easter hare. While the exact origin of this tradition is unknown, it is likely that eggs and rabbits became tied together due to their abundance in spring.

Three years ago, I was in the Baci chocolate factory in Italy with my family. The tour guide mentioned that they do not have the Easter Bunny in Italy as my then five-year-old was puzzled by all the eggs in the factory as opposed to bunnies laying them. She quickly read my face, and he was reassured that they in fact have a magic chicken that lays chocolate eggs.

I spent Easter last year in the gorgeous town of Cefalu, Sicily. On Good Friday we attended the Solenne Processione, Solemn Procession, which winds through the city with sacred images of Jesus and Mary. I found this celebration to be very sombre and even scary.

In Brazil, Rio Carnival is a massive festival held in the week before Lent every year. Originally a Greek spring festival to celebrate Dionysus, the god of wine, Rio Carnival is considered the biggest party in the world, with over a million tourists attending the festival in 2015, spending US$782 million!

Speaking of Greek gods, did you know that the cross on a hot cross bun originally symbolised the horns of a bull? The bull is a symbol of Zeus and cakes were baked as an offering to him. Many myths and traditions have been associated with hot cross buns, including that if you hang one in your kitchen on Good Friday, it will stay fresh all year, and that doing so will protect your kitchen from bad spirits and kitchen fires.

There are so many different traditions associated with Easter, from flying homemade kites in Bermuda, to reading crime and mystery novels in Norway, dressing up as a witch in Finland, eating chocolate bilbies in Australia, and cooking a giant omelette in the south of France. I recall dancing around a bonfire one Easter in Germany, sharing a bottle of schnapps…

I wish you a wonderful break in whichever way you celebrate, and hope that you will take some of this time to consider that there are so many different ways to celebrate. You can apply this thinking to work situations; the way in which you approach something is likely different to that of your co-workers. Consider that what your family and culture has done for centuries may be absolutely foreign to someone else, and they may have an entirely different perspective. You don’t need to change your views, but being able to see an issue that needs solving from different angles and perspectives will enable you to be more creative in your solutions.