1. How do you adapt your leadership style to accommodate the diverse cultural backgrounds within your team?
It starts with a genuine connection with the team members at an individual level that goes beyond work and responsibilities by learning and understanding more about them, their backgrounds, values, norms and lives. Only then can leaders adapt continuously to their way of communication, their expectations and what they appreciate.
2. Describe your leadership style in a sentence.
I found that leading a creative team works best with a mix of democratic, laissez-faire and consistent inspiration. With a foundation of trust, the team has the space to innovate.
3. How do you ensure effective communication within your team, considering the potential language barriers and cultural differences?
I try always to ask the right questions to learn as much as I can about the team while maintaining clear, inclusive, and unified communication with the team as a whole, and using more relatable, calculated ones for individual communications.
4. What methods do you use to motivate your team and maintain high levels of engagement and productivity?
Consistently celebrating small and big wins, modelling and practising appreciation as part of the team's natural dynamic and communication norms go far in maintaining the overall team's motivation. That goes hand in hand with spending time together as a team and with members individually and getting to know each of their intrinsic motivators.
5. How do you manage and resolve conflicts within your team, especially when they arise from cultural or professional differences?
The foundation is establishing the team's trust in me and my fairness and impartiality through their total experience with me. I encourage the team members involved to express their perspectives safely and respectfully. And I listen actively and ensure everyone feels heard. I try to identify the cause of the conflict fairly. Maybe it's a misunderstanding, a difference in expectations, or even cultural differences. I always try to do that with empathy and being mindful of the diverse backgrounds and viewpoints that might be contributing to the issue. Once the underlying issue is clear, I work with the team to find a mutually acceptable solution.
