Describe a time when you were a student of your own failure. What specific insight from this experience has shaped your development?

Following the establishment of four of my U.S. based company’s departments in Costa Rica, my next challenge was to promote seamless direct communication between the teams as I stepped back. Of mixed ethnicity myself, I easily transitioned between the American “to-the-point” business culture, and the gentler Costa Rican environment. I took for granted that my team would too. In this assumption lay the root of my failure, and as I disengaged, things began to go awry. The Costa Ricans felt discouraged by remarks from their U.S. coworkers, and the Americans were frustrated by perceived Costa Rican inefficiencies.

Stepping back gave me the perspective I needed. Because of my heritage and passion for empowering women, I had become emotionally vested in this all-female Costa Rican team, often shielding them from the impacts of their errors. Secondly, I recognized that critical to organizational change was Change Management. Building cultural awareness, and aligning expectations were success factors I had overlooked in my zeal to accomplish the transition.

I held communication workshops with my U.S. teammates, helping them develop actionable, yet respectful feedback. Concurrently, I guided the Costa Rican ladies that criticism should be perceived as growth mechanisms, and challenged them to reduce their error-rates. Applying this lesson as a microfinance volunteer at Foundation for Women, I remember to analyze my clients’ business plans objectively, and present constructive feedback with sensitivity. I also make an effort to understand their backgrounds, as this impacts our working relationship and how I position them to potential investors.