Leading Across Cultures and Generations
In today’s global and multigenerational workplace, leaders are increasingly called upon to navigate differences in culture, values, work styles, and expectations. Employees bring varied perspectives shaped by national culture, organizational norms, and generational experiences, influencing how they communicate, collaborate, view authority, and define success. Leaders who can understand and leverage these differences – rather than be challenged by them – are better positioned to build trust, strengthen collaboration, and drive performance.
This 1-day program equips people managers with the insight and practical tools needed to lead effectively across cultures and generations. Participants will explore how cultural and generational differences show up in the workplace and learn strategies to manage individuals in ways that honor those differences while aligning teams around shared goals, purpose, and values.
During this workshop, participants will immediately apply insight and tools resulting in:
- Understanding how cultural and generational backgrounds influence work styles, communication, and expectations
- Increased awareness of how emotional intelligence supports effective leadership across differences
- The ability to use social perception to better understand others and reduce unintentional bias
- Practical strategies for managing employees as individuals rather than stereotypes
- Tools to build trust, bridge differences, and strengthen relationships within and across teams
- The ability to adapt leadership approaches to effectively lead across cultures and generations
This program is currently being offered as part of the Certificate in Leadership in Asheville. Please visit that program page to register. You can join our mailing list to learn about other programs currently available, and/or the interest list to be notified the next time it is offered.
Key Learnings
Current and emerging leaders will gain practical, actionable guidance on how to navigate cultural and generational differences in the workplace. Through discussion, reflection, and application, participants will learn how to recognize key characteristics of different generations, understand cultural perspectives that shape workplace behavior, and leverage diverse viewpoints to create a more productive and inclusive work environment. By the end of the program, leaders will be better prepared to build bridges among employees and lead teams that perform well together despite – and because of – their differences.
Additional Information
This program is designed for both new and experienced leaders who want to strengthen their ability to lead effectively across cultural and generational differences. Participants may include people managers, team leads, and individual contributors with leadership responsibilities who work with multigenerational teams or across cultures. Individuals are encouraged to attend on their own or as part of a team from their organization to build shared understanding and practical strategies they can apply immediately.
Schedule: 8:00am- 4:15pm
- 8:00 – 8:20 Arrival and Breakfast
- 8:20 – 8:30 Introductions and program overview
- 8:30 – 10:00 Session 1 – Understanding Cultural and Generational Work Styles
- 10:00 – 10:15 Break
- 10:15 – 12:00 Session 2 – Emotional Intelligence, Social Perception, and Bias Across Differences
- 12:00 – 12:30 Lunch
- 12:30 – 2:00 Session 3 – Building Trust and Psychological Safety Across Cultures and Generations
- 2:00 – 2:15 Break
- 2:30 – 4:00 Session 4 – Adapting Leadership Approaches to Lead Across Cultures and Generations
- 4:00 – 4:15 Review, group discussion, and program wrap-up
Course materials are included in the cost of tuition. Course materials will be distributed in paper format at the beginning of the workshop. Electronic materials can be provided upon request.
Program Cancellation
This course is offered contingent upon sufficient enrollment. If a course must be cancelled, all registered participants will be notified at least five (5) calendar days before the course’s start date. All registered participants will receive a 100% tuition refund. No fees will be charged for cancelled courses.
Individual Cancellation – Refund Policy
Prospective participants who withdraw at least 10 days prior to the start of a course will receive a full refund of tuition paid.
For more information, or to speak with a program adviser, please send an email to executivewake@wfu.edu.
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