Cultural competence starts with an open attitude – the ability to perceive that something is different or to understand that you need to be open so that you are capable of working with differences so you can make good business decisions.
Next comes self-awareness. This means thinking about what is cultural about you, or what you do at work that is directly related to your identify. This could mean many different things: Are you an immigrant, a single parent, a night student, a nature lover? The list goes on.
This understanding of yourself allows you to become aware of others.
Once you are armed with cultural knowledge and cultural awareness, next comes cultural skills, or the ability to leverage this knowledge and awareness to enhance interactions.
Ila Gandhi