LIVING AND WORKING IN DIVERSE CULTURES AND COMMUNITIES.

Peggy Noonan, a WSJ columnist, asked a 2016 focus group of citizens about their vision for a better nation. Their answers included:

“a solid education system,” “no more war,” “people with joy in their work.” She noted the comments, unexpectedly, emphasized not individual desires, but rather “hopes [that] were communal, societal.”

Folks are trying to find—or rebuild—communal values, to restore some collective optimism to their lives. Throughout society: in neighborhoods, schools, towns, businesses, civic organizations, churches – people are searching for a new kind of leadership. And most people yearn for a diverse community that is authentic and intentional. 

When organizations successfully engage their customers, clients, staff, volunteers, students, employees—in other words—the folks in and out of the organization—they experience a 240% boost in performance-related outcomes (Gallup 2013). Unfortunately, 87% of organizational leadership struggles to achieve this because of a lack of understanding on what motivates, drives and satisfies persons from 4 generations and 100s of cultures. 

We believe that authentic community which positively empowers and impacts us is created through the development of one’s emotional, cultural and spiritual intelligences. Further, we understand the foundation for that development to be through our values, vision, and vitality.

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY CQ?

Cultural Intelligence (CQ) is “The ability to relate and work effectively with people from different nationalities, ethnicities, age groups, and more.” (Central Intelligence Center)

CQ measures your capability to relate and work effectively in culturally diverse situations. It’s a form of intelligence that has been tested by academic researchers in over 98 countries for nearly two decades. 

Diversity is an integral part of life. Our relationships are increasingly global and local. One of the most significant benefits of cultural intelligence is that it provides you with a “strategy and skill set for how to relate and work across cultural differences at both home and abroad.”

Global CQ is working and relating effectively across international cultures. Domestic CQ might be described as working and connecting effectively with people from different cultural backgrounds within your own country. 

Going beyond the notions of cultural sensitivity and awareness, CQ captures the capabilities of individuals and organizations that successfully and respectfully accomplish their objectives, whatever the cultural context. 

 WHAT IS EQ?

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is about understanding your own self. It starts with you and how you handle challenging situations. Stress in the workplace may lead to low morale, decreased performance, and ultimately may lead to conflict. 

The five core competencies of emotional intelligence include self-awareness/regulation, motivation, empathy and interpersonal skills. 

Self-awareness: Know your strengths and limitations, with a well-grounded sense of confidence, optimism, and a “growth mindset.”

Self-management: Effectively manage stress, control impulses, and motivate yourself to set and achieve goals.

Social awareness: Understand the perspectives of others and empathize with them, including those from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

Relationship skills: Communicate clearly, listen well, cooperate with others, resist inappropriate social pressure, negotiate conflict constructively, and seek and offer help when needed.

Responsible decision-making: Make constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions based on ethical standards, safety, and social norms.

 WHERE DOES SPIRITUAL INTELLIGENCE (SQ) FIT IN?

Spiritual Intelligence (SQ) is the capacity for discovering sacred meaning and purpose, vision and value, in everyday life. Experiencing the Holy within is often described as developing a feeling of inner peace, having a greater sense of awareness when in the natural world, and/or gaining balance and understanding in one’s connectedness with creation. We appreciate the expression and experience of the Holy within all faith traditions and respect the longing to connect with the sacred that is within each of us.

Through our own experience and research, Synago Consulting recognizes appealing to our higher self, connecting to something more profound than our own humanity, desiring to lead a more vibrant and fuller life, is integral to developing cultural intelligence. 

 WHO WE ARE

We help organizations and individuals relate to the challenges of working in new cultural settings. We provide assessment tools, workshops, and executive coaching for developing confidence in relating cross-culturally in the faith setting, the educational field, non-profit community development work, and with businesses working globally.  

Synago (sin-AH-go) is a greek word meaning “coming together.” Synago Consulting brings together principles and practices from Cultural Intelligence (CQ) research, Unconscious Bias, Diversity and Inclusion, Emotional Intelligence 2.0, and Strengthfinders 2.0.

 WHAT WE DO

We create and deliver tailor-made seminars and consulting programs for faith-based and non-profit organizations, schools, churches and businesses dealing with intercultural and diversity issues. We provide pre-assignment assessments and post-assignment evaluations as well as on-going consultation. Gary is available for speaking engagements, keynotes, lunch and learn events, and one hour introductory workshops (these introduce you to our areas of expertise and how they relate to your organization).

 HOW WE WORK

We tailor all our seminars to our clients. We assess your needs through initial conversations and make a detailed proposal based upon your specific requirements. Every participant then receives a pre-seminar assessment questionnaire in order to fine tune the seminar modules to individual issues.

ASSESSMENTS

Synago Consulting partners with the Cultural Intelligence Center in providing assessment tools and training specifically designed for each of three communities: business and corporate, educational field, churches and faith-based organizations. By measuring one’s capabilities in four distinct areas: 

• CQ Drive,

• CQ Knowledge,

• CQ Strategy,

• and CQ Action,

The research-based assessments are designed to measure effectiveness in diverse situations and to promote a deeper understanding of our approaches to life and work and how those compare to others.  Assessment results can be used to establish individual and team action plans.

 WHERE WE WORK

Stone Soup Seminars (™)  and Front Porch Conversations (™) are held in our clients’ chosen location or at selected facilities. We will work with our clients anywhere they choose across the globe. Past clients have included site locations in Thailand, mid-west and west coast USA; as well as virtual consultations in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Brazil, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Denmark, Switzerland, and France.

WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO

We are here to provide you with the most comprehensive, useful, cross-cultural training available. From international managers and their families to multicultural teams, short term mission teams to changing cultural neighborhoods, we enable our clients to hit the ground running by taking away the anxiety factor in dealing with a new international culture or multicultural environment.