Culture and Leadership Connections Podcast
Culture and Leadership Connections Podcast: where culture, communication, and context meet at work. Discover what cultural influences have formed the careers of noteworthy leaders in a variety of professions, by exploring the groups that shaped who they are today. Learn about the collective context and experiences that affect their worldview, leadership style, workplace communication and behaviour.
Culture and Leadership Connections Podcast
Ada Tai – Don’t Give Up: The Journey From High Power Hierarchy to Personal Power
Bio for Ada
Ada Tai, a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) and a Chartered Manager (C. Mgr.), has been working as an HR professional in a variety of industries and organizations since 10 years. She instructs at MacEwan University and Metro Continuing Education and mentors MBA Program students at the University of Alberta.
Episode highlight
Ada Tai’s self-confidence and courage have served her well from mainland China to Canada. In this podcast, she speaks about how her culture and upbringing shaped her approach to life and work.
Links
Email: adatai2015@gmail.com
Website: www.badab101.com
LinkedIn: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/adatai
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/badabconsulting
Quotes
“Don’t give up – go above, go around, go under – you will go through all the barriers.”
“I love working in HR – there isn’t one day that isn’t challenging. Each day offers variety and the opportunity to realize my passion to work with people.”
Takeaways
Childhood incidents:
Ada’s parents encouraged her to speak to people at hotels, restaurants, and tourist destinations, where she learned how to interact confidently with strangers. Ada came to Canada as an undergraduate student at the University of Alberta.
Groups you were born into:
Ada grew up learning how to be humble, respectful, and a good listener, which is part of the Chinese culture. Her entire family believed in hard work and that anyone can reap the benefits of putting effort into work.
Groups you chose to belong to:
As a millennial, Ada likes to be ‘lean and mean’- to do the most in the least time possible, allowing her to be efficient.
Temperament and personality influences
Ada has always been an enterprising and self-expressed person. She has learned that people have different motivations, and those may be different from her expectations of them. She now comes up with different solutions to the problems she faces when working with colleagues and clients.
A time I became aware that my way of doing things was cultural and specific to my cultural experience
From her Chinese culture, Ada learned to be respectful and defer to those who are older or who have more authority. Even now, when dining with colleagues of varying seniority, she raises her glass slightly lower than theirs, as a sign of respect from her culture.
On the flip side, Ada learned the hard way that underplaying her role as prescribed by her culture, sabotaged chances for advancement in Canada.
Advice to an employer to work with me
When people make suggestions, looking for the greater reason behind it would help them understand better how to work across difference.
It may also be helpful for employers to learn a few phrases in languages their team members speak, to develop better relationships.
More great insights from our guest!
Ada provides HR consulting to organizations and corporate training, and helps individuals with career planning and job search coaching. Reach out to her for any help!
