What You Must Know About Aloha Leadership

The Hawaiian language is much deeper than 13 letters and a series of words (all seemingly with a vowel-to-consonant ratio of 4:1!) As I've explored the meaning of Aloha Leadership, it's become apparent to this haole (Mainlander) that to understand Hawaiian culture one has to put aside some preconceptions.

1. One size fits all. Hawaiians come in many shapes and sizes, and the "culture" of the islands is actually a revered mix of many nationalities and traditions. Trying to fit people into pre-conceived notions of who we think they ought to be is fraught with danger.

2. Strong communities need a just one leader to work. Like the proverbial chain, our society is as strong as the weakest link. Regardless of our backgrounds, we depend on each other to live and thrive. If one person lets the water out of the fish pond and all the koi die, we all suffer.

3. History is only a subject in school. The people who come before us, whether in our family, our community or our business, have lessons to teach us if we're willing to listen. Listening is the second part of the critical equation however; we first have to ask questions to plumb the depth of that wisdom.

When you think you understand another person's culture, ask yourself this. "What do I assume about this person and their background?" Our assumptions are nearly always based on what we think we know, filtered through our own life experience. Like the word "aloha", the people surrounding you have much more to share than meets the eye.

See the Aloha Leadership keynote at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj4IAFSY4zY

Hire Mike Faber for your next meeting, off-site or convention by calling 720.851.5208 (US/Intl)

Cultural Diversity Means Leadership Opportunity & Challenge

In recent interviews with Hawaiian business and community leaders, it's become apparent that leadership in a diverse environment presents both challenges and opportunities. The Islands are a melting pot of cultures, including but not limited to, native Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Mainland (or "Haole"), Portugese and Hispanic. As the influence of television and online media become greater, those cultures are assimilating each other and "foreign" characteristics at a dizzying pace.

What this means for leaders is as confusing as ordering off the menu at your favorite "Hawaiian, Portugese, Mexican, Japanese, Chinese" restaurant. Here are a couple of "tips" to keep in mind when you're managing a diverse workforce.

Recognize that "culture" doesn't just mean the shape of a face or where someone's parents came from. Culture starts with beliefs, behaviors and family history.

Every workforce is "diverse". It's up to your leadership to identify how each invidivual and group work best together and across cultural lines.

Increase your sensitivity to cultural "hot buttons" and be prepared to apologize when you accidentally cross a boundary. A "pat on the back" may be welcomed by your COO from Pepper Pike Ohio, but viewed as an affront on personal space by the VP from Basil, Switzerland.

Here's the best quote I've heard in a long time on the pursuit of success. This is from Lauren Kessler's book "Broken Twig", a story of three generations of the Japanese-American Yasui family in the 20th century. One of the second generation "Nisei" sons was Min, and he wrote to a friend from a jail cell in 1943.

"Too many people go through life without ever having made an intense enough effort to be called a failure."

As Paul Harvey used to say, to hear "the rest of the story" check out the book!

Aloha Leadership and Amazing Tales of Hawai'i

Missionaries arrived in what were then called the "Sandwich Islands" in the mid-nineteenth century. Like zealots everywhere, they quickly tried to mold native customs and practices into something more becoming a "God Fearing" nation. In the tropical heat, the Haole (Anglos) wore layers of black, woolen clothing. I can't find any references to how often these settlers bathed, but I imagine it wasn't enough!

Among the practices that the new arrivals looked down on were hula (too sexy), topless women (see #1!) and surfing. For a while, surfing was actually banned in Hawai'i. The Beach Boys never would have made a career of surf music if they'd been born 100 years too early.

Leaders in Hawai'i fought running battles in both the legislature and the streets for many decades. Often, these fights were centered on the clash between "new" world thinking and closely held tradition. Also at play were diverse financial interests from both home and overseas, pitted against a native population that realized their power lay in their land, culture and strategic location between Asia and the Americas.

Balancing heritage and new thinking are constant challenges for the "Aloha Leader", whether your office is on Oahu, Molokai or in land-locked Toledo, Ohio. How leaders work to "Honor Your Culture" is a key component of Mike Faber's "Aloha Leadership" presentation. To inquire about booking Mike, please call 720.851.5208 or email mike@mikefaber.com

Who Qualifies as "Hawaiian"?

A gentleman I interviewed recently on the topic of Aloha Leadership mentioned before our conversation that he wasn't "born here", meaning he isn't native Hawaiian. That said, he arrived on the islands for good in 1950, which by my reckoning gave him sixty years to acclimate.

We define ourselves in large part by where we live, where we were born, and who we cheer for. I was born in Boston, grew up in Western New York state, and have lived almost exclusively in the Rocky Mountain region since 1988. My immediate family lives in Boston, New York and Seattle. When people ask, I say I'm a native of Massachusetts with roots in Rochester NY and New Mexico. It gets kind of confusing.

The need to identify ourselves with a place or a culture is deeply set. When the cavemen introduced each other many years ago, I'm sure they said "My name is Phil, from Cave 16!" and so regional affiliations were born. In Hawai'i, those who can trace their roots back to "native" Hawaiians carry that proudly. It's important to remember where we come from, and to honor our native culture. It's also important to recognize that in the end we're all products of a cultural, social and regional mish-mash. Our differences may keep us apart from time to time, but our similarities create synergy that fosters creativity, healthy curiousity, and hopefully mutual respect.

Regardless of where we call "home", we're all native human beings after all.

Aloha Leadership Combines Respect and Vision!

Hawai'i's beauty belies a violent past. From Kings and Kahuna fighting for dominance in the 18th and 19th centuries, to the smoldering eruptions beneath the sea that are still giving birth to this magnificent chain of islands.

As leaders sometimes we miss the formative stages of the people we rely on. When I started as a branch manager for a large brokerage firm back in the early 90's, I felt like I had to place my "stamp" on everything from office decor to the way customers were greeted. No detail was too small for me to comment upon, and the team I'd inherited must have felt like my input was trashing all that had come before me. Their culture had been shaped over years of working together, and while opportunities existed to improve performance, I didn't win any popularity awards (or improve performance) by speaking loudly and carrying a big stick.

Sometimes it takes upheaval to act as a catalyst for change. Without eruptions and steaming flows of lava, the islands wouldn't exist. But those eruptions happened for thousands of years deep in the ocean before the first signs of change appeared at the surface.

Think about the evolution of change, and the need for respect of an existing culture, before the bull in you invades the china shop.