For over 18 years, I’ve had the rare opportunity to lead and work with diverse, international teams in business. These multicultural experiences were incredibly valuable to me for two reasons.
First, the richness of perspective, insight, and understanding that multiculturalism affords us is truly eye-opening. We can never expand our personal and professional horizons if we only exist in what feels familiar and comfortable to us. We must challenge our beliefs about the world, and grow from them.
Second, as our world grows more connected, we will all need to come together—across cultures, borders, and ethnicities—to solve the complex problems we humans face in both business and in life. But true unity only happens when we can show one another empathy and respect.
My multicultural existence has taught me how to do that. It’s shaped me into someone who always strives to understand more about human beings, our behavior, and culture on a deep and personal level.
Being continually sensitive to cultural differences, humbled to learn the “right approach” for different situations, and drawing upon my own multicultural diversity has allowed me to flourish as a MedTech leader—and as a person.
Multiculturalism is at the core of who I am
Multiculturalism is in my DNA. I’m the daughter of Chinese parents who emigrated from Hong Kong to Brazil in the 1950s. Growing up in a Chinese family in São Paulo, Brazil taught me the importance of multiculturalism from a young age. To look at it as a strength, not a weakness, and tune into how it could help me achieve my life goals.
The three influences that have had the biggest impact on me are my Chinese parents, my American husband, and my Brazilian culture as a whole.
Throughout my life, I’ve drawn upon these pillars for strength, guidance, and core values. They all offered me different, yet equally important, lessons and perspectives that I credit for my success.
From my parents, I learned the importance of a strong work ethic and to maintain a clear focus on what you can do to achieve your long-term goals.
When my parents arrived in Brazil, it was with empty pockets and zero knowledge of the language. They only had a heart full of hope and a head full of dreams.
Over the years, they were able to fulfill many of those dreams. My father’s tireless work ethic and humble personality led to much of their success, as did my mother’s perseverance in learning Portuguese.
My mom’s toughness was also part of her parenting skills. As a “Tiger Mom,” she held my siblings and me to a very high standard of academic performance and extracurricular activities. She made sure we completed our homework, got good grades, practiced sports, and learned a second language.
My siblings and I were constantly in and out of hospitals with asthma. My mother stayed up nights caring for us during our particularly bad flare-ups and would speed along our studies to compensate for the school days we missed. She knew it is impossible to do everything in life—each of us can really only achieve our goals if we narrow our focus to just a few. I carry that practical approach to life with me, and it has served me well.
Additionally, my parents taught me the importance of deferred gratification and personal discipline. This enabled me to diligently plan and pursue my personal and professional goals in life. Self-control has helped me seek larger and long-lasting results over short-term rewards that come from impulsive reactions.
From my American attorney husband, I learned the value of getting right to the point, sticking to commitments, and an intellectual curiosity.
I met my husband in São Paulo. He was planning to stay only four months there, and ended up staying 10 years. We got married, traveled, and worked hard (and continue to).
Over our years together, I’ve learned to love the intellectual curiosity that generates reading for pleasure, as well as the ability to speak up for myself and have healthy discussions on any topic. I also learned how to overcome the communication and cultural challenges in a multiracial marriage, through open-mindedness and respect.
From my Brazilian culture, I learned excellent relationship-building skills and how to always work with passion and fun.
For Brazilians, relationships are everything. In Brazil, our professional and personal lives are intertwined. Networking happens during espresso stops, over meals, and at happy hours. Your corporate colleagues almost always become trusted long-term friends. And gaining the kind of trust that goes far beyond meeting rooms is more valuable than one can imagine.
I can say that hands-down, my multicultural experience has made me a better leader and a person. Navigating a truly “borderless” world has been exhilarating, but also tough. Trust me, I have sat in my share of meetings in countries where the client would not even acknowledge my presence because I was the only woman at a table of men.
But like all things in life that are worthwhile, my multicultural journey might not have been easy, but it was thoroughly life-changing and fruitful. Most of all, it’s who I am. And I would never trade that for anything.
Are you a healthcare leader who wants to feel more confident in cultivating international relationships and managing diverse teams? Get in touch with me.
