Editor鈥檚 Note:

In the following interview, leadership coach Maya Hu-Chan explains how an ancient Chinese concept can help leaders build the human skills necessary to thrive in today鈥檚 multicultural and multigenerational work environment. The interview is conducted by Sara Kuepfer, a staff writer at getAbstract.

Q: Maya, in your book, 鈥淪aving Face,鈥� you take a deep dive into the ancient Chinese concept of 鈥渇ace.鈥� Could you briefly explain the meaning of the term?

A: Face represents an individual鈥檚 self-esteem, self-worth, identity, reputation, status, pride and dignity. Face represents both how you see yourself and how other people perceive you. Although the concept originates in Asian culture, it speaks to a deeper human need for dignity and acceptance. Face permeates all levels of social and business interactions.

Q: In the West, we often refer to the concept of 鈥渓osing face鈥� using different kinds of language. Could you give some examples?

A: People may not explicitly say 鈥淚 lost face at work鈥� but will more likely say something like, 鈥渕y boss doesn鈥檛 appreciate what I do鈥� or 鈥減eople don鈥檛 take my ideas seriously鈥� or 鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel I鈥檓 being heard.鈥� Someone may also complain about being passed over for promotion even though they had been working so hard. What all these expressions boil down to is the feeling of not being valued or appreciated for who you are and what you do.

Q: The Asian concept of face is thousands of years old. What is giving it renewed relevancy today?

A: Our business landscape is changing so rapidly and the workforce is becoming so much more diverse. As leaders, what we say, how we show up, and how we interact with others can directly impact our relationships, our business and ultimately our success. Leaders today must be able to connect with people across geography, time zones, genders, cultures and generations. Saving face and honoring face may be ancient concepts but are even more relevant today.

Q: How does the concept relate to our increased use of and reliance on social media?

A: Social media has changed the way we distribute and receive information 鈥� as well as the way we connect with strangers. It鈥檚 so easy to offend or insult people when you don鈥檛 have to confront them face-to-face. There definitely has been a loss of civility and graciousness in our digital communication. That鈥檚 why learning how to honor face and save face and avoid causing someone to lose face is such an essential skill today. We need to relearn how to build authentic relationships.

Q: Why is the ability to honor and protect other people鈥檚 face such an essential leadership skill?

A: Today鈥檚 leaders must be able to move in many circles and think in many styles when working across different cultures, as well as when communicating remotely. Knowing how to protect the face of others is a prerequisite of successful collaboration. If leaders can learn to avoid causing someone to lose face, they will be able to build authentic relationships, break down barriers and help people to do their best work and truly be themselves. As an executive coach, I have found that of all the challenges my clients are dealing with, of all the conflicts that arise in companies big and small, the most consistent characteristic missing in nearly all of those interactions is how people deal with each other in terms of face.

Q: In your book, you tell the story of how a COO went about solving a crisis that could have easily derailed into shaming and blaming. Can you explain how the COO went about saving his finance director鈥檚 face?

A: A client of mine, let鈥檚 call him Jeff, was the finance director of a global company. Under his watch, a frontline employee stole over US$100,000. Jeff felt responsible for the theft as he designed and deployed the entire cash flow process that allowed the employee to commit the fraud. It was a high-profile case, and the longer the company鈥檚 investigation went on, the more guilty Jeff felt. He was consumed with stress, lost weight and was no longer able to sleep at night. When the day came for him to meet with his team and the COO to discuss the issue, he was full of anxiety. But when the COO, who had a hardline reputation, walked into the room, he broke the tension with one sentence: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 care about the theft.鈥� The COO went on to say that theft is unavoidable, whether you run a hot dog stand or a multinational company. The company was insured and would be made whole. The only thing the COO asked for was for Jeff and his team to review the process and fix it. Jeff鈥檚 demeanor immediately brightened. For the rest of the meeting, he and his team focused on solving the problem and moving forward. Jeff returned to his job with renewed energy. The COO had sent a clear message to Jeff and his team: 鈥淚 trust you. I have confidence in you to do the right thing.鈥� The COO had saved Jeff鈥檚 face.

Q: Leaders today work with teams that are multicultural and multigenerational. How can leaders become more culturally agile?

A: In my book, I introduce the AAA model for developing cultural agility. The first 鈥淎鈥� stands for 鈥淎ware.鈥� Global leaders must be aware of their own assumptions, biases, and the impact their words and actions have on others. The second 鈥淎鈥� stands for 鈥淎cquire.鈥� Leaders must gain knowledge of the mindset and societal norms other people live by. They must be able to put themselves into other people鈥檚 shoes. Note that before you can put on someone else鈥檚 shoes, you must take off your own shoes. You put aside your own belief system to be able to truly understand the other person鈥檚 position. The third 鈥淎鈥� stands for 鈥淎dapt.鈥� Once you are aware of your own assumptions and behaviors, and after you acquire knowledge and understanding of the other person鈥檚 perspective, you will need to adapt your behavior accordingly. You need to take thoughtful actions to produce positive outcomes for everybody involved.

Q: Your message for leaders is not to treat everybody the same way but to treat people the way they want to be treated 鈥�

A: Exactly. You meet people where they are. This way, we can preserve dignity and build trust, and hopefully make the world a more peaceful and better place for all of us.

Q: In Asian culture, communication is very contextual. Presumably, people from high-context-oriented cultures find it particularly hard to interact with others in a virtual environment. What advice do you have for leaders and team members to honor these cultural differences, and ensure everyone has an equal voice and can thrive in the virtual workspace?

A: I like the metaphor of raising the human antenna. In the old days, we used to have radios where you had to raise the antenna all the way up and then move it around until you could hear the radio messages clearly. We can apply this analogy to human interactions. We need to raise our human antenna. Whenever you interact with people, pay attention to who they are and where they come from.

Q: So developing good listening skills is key 鈥�

A: In fact, the Chinese character for listening is very complex. It consists of three parts: an ear, a heart and 10 eyes. What that tells us is that when we are listening, we don鈥檛 just listen with our ears, we also listen with our heart and our eyes through observation. We observe and we pay attention and watch what鈥檚 not said as much as what is said. When it comes to working with people who come from a background or culture that differs from your own, you must really pay attention and seek to understand them on their own terms. You take a step back, suspend your judgments and learn where the other person is coming from before you speak. This will allow you to set yourself up for success working in a multicultural and remote work environment.

Maya Hu-Chan is a leadership coach, consultant, keynote speaker, founder of the 鈥淕lobal Leadership Association and co-author of Global Leadership: The Next Generation.鈥�