Culture and Festivities for Humanitarians

At the end some homework for you to become a better colleague

December 20, 2024 • Reading Time: 3 minutes

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Hey fellow humanitarian leader,

Last week, I wrote about preparation and planning.

They are still at the top of my list of tips I can give to help you become a better humanitarian leader.

But today, in my lovely and rainy Italy, is already the holiday season. Probably for you, it is not. In MOST of the world, it is not. And in our job, understanding what the rest of the world does is very important.

Cultures are different, and I am happy about that. It makes our world much more interesting and rich, at least culturally.

In the last 15 years, I learned to immerse myself and act respectfully in many different cultures. I mainly worked in sub-Saharan Africa but also had some experiences in Latin America, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Europe. I am lucky to have met many people and enough cultures to understand when I should avoid some topics.

Nevertheless, I am finally on an extended R&R and wanted to celebrate this with you.

If this is not a festive season for you, I hope you will accept mine. Happy rest to me and all those celebrating something during this period, and a happy life to all the others.

I think next week I will take a little time off from you. Let’s see if I will stick to this resolution or if my fingers will run at the keyboard to write you a short message.

In the meantime, I have a little homework for you.

If you are a resident staff:

  • How much do you know of your expat colleagues’ culture on a scale of 1 to 10?

  • What would you like to learn more?

  • What is the obstacle to learning it?

If you are an expat staff:

  • On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you know about the culture of the area where you are based?

  • What would you like to learn more?

  • What is the obstacle to learning it?

Send me your answers. I might have some tips for you on overcoming those obstacles and becoming a better colleague, which is the basis of a better leader.

Thanks for reading,
Luca