Know This Number.....to Thrive in Culture

Want to come to the NW and live your life in Portland?  Assess your CQ score.  Do you have the CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE to thrive in one of Porltand's 20-minute communities?  My friend Cameron shared this helpful link:  http://changethis.com/manifesto/84.05.YourCQ/pdf/84.05.YourCQ.pdf

The article deals with this important question:

Why do some individuals and organizations easily and effectively adapt their views and behaviors cross-culturally and others don’t? What factors explain the difference? The research found that individuals who are effective in culturally diverse situations are people who are comfortable in their own skin, which in turn allows them to learn and listen to the perspective of others.

Here are some notable insights from the article:

The research reveals four capabilities that consistently emerge among individuals who are culturally
intelligent: (the 4 steps below):
1. CQ Drive: They possess a high level of interest, drive and motivation to adapt cross-culturally.
2. CQ Knowledge: They have a strong understanding about how cultures are similar and different.
3. CQ Strategy: They are aware and able to plan in light of their cultural understanding.
4. CQ Action: They know when to adapt and when not to adapt when relating and working
cross-culturally.

A few of the most important discoveries from the research on cultural intelligence are:
•Your CQ predicts how you’ll adjust to cultural differences whatever the context, including
generational cultures, ethnic, organizational, ideological, and many others.
•Your CQ is a much stronger indicator of your cross-cultural effectiveness than your IQ, nationality,
education, or EQ (emotional intelligence).
•With high CQ, you’re more likely to:
1. Adapt to unpredictable situations.
2. Remain true to yourself while also adapting cross-culturally.
3. Be the most sought-after job candidate for management positions.
4. Network better.
5. Negotiate more effectively.
6. Generate more income for yourself and your organizations.
7. Enjoy better personal well-being in culturally complex situations.
8. Be the best “interpreter” and “translator” for groups that might not
otherwise understand or relate well together.

Try this to improve your CQ score:
a.  Hands-on-experience.  Visit a culture different than your own.
b.  Learn the 4 steps to increase CQ::

Four Steps to Increasing CQ: The four capabilities that make up cultural intelligence can also
be thought of as four steps to improving CQ. The research finds that cultural intelligence is
best enhanced by first getting people motivated to engage cross-culturally (Drive), which then
gives them greater interest in learning about cultural differences (Knowledge), which in turn
helps them plan (Strategy) and behave (Action) accordingly.
The four-step process can even be used on the spur of the moment. Imagine you have a client
from Germany arriving in 15 minutes. One way to quickly walk through the four-step process
of increasing CQ is to ask:
1. CQ Drive: What’s my motive and objective for what I want to accomplish with this client?
2. CQ Knowledge: What should I bear in mind about German culture to make this
an effective meeting?
3. CQ Strategy: What’s my plan for pulling this off?
4. CQ Action: How should I behave? 

c. Take a class.


Visit www.CulturalQ.com for more information on the CQ assessments available. Or,
when purchasing a physical copy of The Cultural Intelligence Difference, you’ll receive a unique code that
provides you with access to the online CQ Self-Assessment.