Introducing "The Shift" Podcast: Embracing Moments of Change
Let me give you a little sneak peek into what this episode is all about. We’re diving into what I call "Moments of Shift" – those incredible times when our perception changes, and we suddenly see things in a new light. These moments are super important for developing our Cultural Intelligence (CQ), which helps us navigate and appreciate the beautiful diversity of our world.
In this episode, I share a personal story about a big shift I experienced. Growing up, I always valued individualism – you know, being independent and self-reliant. But then, I found myself in a situation where my individualistic mindset seemed selfish to someone from a collective culture, where community and togetherness are prioritized.
This was a huge eye-opener for me. It made me realize how our cultural values shape our actions and how they can be perceived differently by others. It was one of those "Aha!" moments that made me rethink how I interact with the world around me.
We’ll also chat about individualism and collectivism – two different ways of seeing the world. Understanding these perspectives can really help us build better relationships, whether it’s at work, in our communities, or in our personal lives.
Why should you tune in? Well, if you’re curious about seeing things from different cultural perspectives, if you want to help others see things differently, or if you simply love a good story of personal growth, this podcast is for you! Plus, it’s always fun to learn something new, right?
I’d love for you to listen to the first episode of "The Shift." It’s a fantastic way to start this journey together, and I promise you’ll walk away with some valuable insights. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss any future episodes. And feel free to share it with anyone you think might enjoy it too!
Thank you for being part of this adventure. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the episode!
Catch you soon,
Trisha
Listen below on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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Trisha 00:00:26:02 - 00:01:11:12
Hi, everyone. I'm Trisha Carter. I'm an organisational psychologist and I'm an explorer of cultural intelligence. I'm on a quest to discover what enables us to see things from different perspectives, especially different cultural perspectives and why sometimes it's easier than others to make that shift in perspective. This is the introduction episode of the Shift podcast. So, in this session, you're just hearing from me, but I can promise you that we will have some fascinating guests in the upcoming sessions to talk about culture and to talk about how we think and how our thinking relates to cultural intelligence.
Trisha 00:01:12:14 - 00:01:34:18
And it's not just how we think about our own cultures, but also how we think about other cultures and to become aware of how others might think differently to us. I mean, have you ever had one of those moments where you suddenly become very aware that you are thinking differently to the way the person you're talking to is thinking?
Trisha 00:01:36:02 - 00:02:15:02
Or maybe you've suddenly realized that you understand something that you didn't previously? I've had many of those moments. Initially, I wasn't sure whether to call them aha moments or WTF moments, but I've decided to call them moments of Shift. I'm sure you know that feeling when the shift happens and suddenly you see things differently. So, we moved to China in the nineties to a city called Hefei in Anhui Province, and a number of those moments of shift were seared into my brain from the early days living there.
Trisha 00:02:16:09 - 00:02:42:00
In one of them we were at a dinner in our apartment, and we were discussing with local friends their plans and dreams about owning their own apartment. You know, some things are the same in many places around the world. We all have those dinner party property conversations. Anyway, one of our friends said that he had recently given all of his savings to his brother so that he could buy an apartment.
Trisha 00:02:42:21 - 00:03:03:01
And I'm like, You didn't give him all your savings, did you? And he's like, Yes, I did. He's my brother and I'm: ‘But what if you get a chance to buy someplace and you need the money?’ And he’s, ‘Well, then he'll give me my money back.’ And at this point, part of my brain is thinking, This is crazy.
Trisha 00:03:03:09 - 00:03:27:00
He'll never get his own place. But I'm also aware that he's not crazy. He's a really intelligent engineer and a really nice guy. So, another part of my brain is saying, This is crazy and it's really generous and kind to do that for your brother. And there's another part of my brain that's saying - I must sound really selfish to him.
Trisha 00:03:27:11 - 00:04:00:03
And honestly, that thought just horrified me because I don't want to be selfish. Kindness is one of my values. It's the way that I want to show up. But in my culture, his actions weren't part of sensible saving actions. In my culture, my brother is responsible for his savings and I'm responsible for mine. So, you might have heard of it before, this is like the classic difference between individualist and collectivist cultures, the me and the we perspective. Are my needs more important or are the needs of the group?
Trisha 00:04:01:11 - 00:04:31:20
Maybe I’d heard about it, maybe I'd read about that difference, at that point, but I'd never seen it so strongly. I'd never seen myself so strongly as an individualist or seen that perspective and seen the other perspective as clearly as I did that night. So that's an example of metacognitive awareness when we become aware of our own thinking and assumptions and when we can see how our own thinking might be different to others we're dealing with.
Trisha 00:04:32:04 - 00:04:55:04
I'm often coaching or training people in how to gain that metacognitive awareness. And to be honest, sometimes it's hard to help people get it. I don't know if you've tried at times and tried to get that other perspective, and that's why I really want to dig into the topic and work out some ways to help us see other perspectives faster and easier.
Trisha 00:04:56:01 - 00:05:17:15
That awareness, that cultural awareness of metacognition, of awareness, it's just one part of cultural intelligence. And so, in our next session, I want to help us all learn a bit more about cultural intelligence and how we can increase it. I'll be interviewing David Livermore, who is a very respected researcher and author in this area. And he's just a great guy as well.
Trisha 00:05:18:02 - 00:05:39:18
In case you're still wondering about the engineer, the very generous engineer, he did buy his own home and he now owns a couple of apartments and we're still friends. I'll put some links in the show notes, for those of you who want to learn more about individualism and collectivism and about an introduction to cultural intelligence. So, thank you, everyone, for listening today.
Trisha 00:05:40:02 - 00:06:01:23
And if you'd like to keep in touch, please follow me on LinkedIn. On your podcast app, please follow so that you can learn about future episodes. And please join us next week to dive deeper into the Shift.