Why Cultural Intelligence is the Key to Modern Corporate Leadership in Lincoln, Nebraska and Beyond

In this article, I want to share statistics showing how Lincoln and the state of Nebraska are globally interconnected, and why it’s important to increase cultural intelligence in order to make our state more competitive and welcoming. 

We’ll do this first by looking inward, learning about the presence of immigrants, and looking outward, learning about the presence of foreign businesses. As you’ll see, in today’s globalized landscape, cultural intelligence (CQ) is a must-have skill for corporate leaders. Success in leadership depends on the ability to connect and communicate across cultural divides. Training that prioritizes CQ empower leaders to navigate cultural complexity, foster collaboration, and drive innovation.

Nebraska’s Globalized Business Landscape

Recently released census data for Nebraska has shown that immigrants are a leading reason for our state’s population growth. The University of Nebraska - Omaha’s Center for Public Affairs Leadership had the following assessment of the state’s population from July 2023-July 2024, as reported in the Nebraska Examiner.

• Nebraska’s population has topped 2 million, and a key driver was a jump in international migrants. As of July 2024, the estimated number of people in the state was 2,005,465.

• The sharp increase reflected in international migration figures is more due to a change in the methods used to track the data nationally, rather than a sudden influx of newcomers from other countries, meaning immigrants were likely underreported in the past. 

• Domestic migration, people moving within the states, pointed to a net loss of about 1,500 for Nebraska between July 2023 and July 2024, marking the continuation of a trend.

From the Nebraska Examiner

With the same census data, The Flatwater Free Press discusses the impact immigrants are having in Nebraska, in both rural and urban centers. They report the following:

• The perception is that Nebraska's smaller communities are dying. The reality is that many rural Nebraska counties are now growing for one reason. Immigration.

• For years, the perception of rural Nebraska is that it’s old, overwhelmingly white and dying. The reality: 21 Nebraska counties outside the Omaha and Lincoln metro areas actually grew between 2010 and 2020. In 16 of those counties, according to census data, the growth was 100% because of residents of color.  

Whether you are from Lincoln, Omaha, a small town, or a different state, immigration has been having an impact on your community. Unauthorized immigration is, of course, a very divisive topic in our country, and according to this Pew Research Center article, “As of 2022, unauthorized immigrants represented 3.3% of the total U.S. population and 23% of the foreign-born population.” Also, “the lawful immigrant population grew steadily from 24.1 million in 2000 to 36.9 million in 2022.” 

While we can look within our state’s borders to find internationalization, we can also look to foreign investment in Nebraska. We can see from the Office of the United States Trade Representative: 

• In 2023, Nebraska exported $6.8 billion of manufactured products.

• A total of 1,754 companies exported from Nebraska locations in 2022 (latest data available). Of those, 1,402 (80 percent) were small and medium sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.

• Nebraska exported $1.7 billion in goods to Canada in 2023, representing 21 percent of the state’s total goods exports. Followed by Mexico ($1.5 billion), Japan ($699 million), China ($666 million), and South Korea ($570 million).

• In 2021 (latest data available), foreign-controlled companies employed 38,600 Nebraska workers. Major sources of foreign investment in Nebraska included Japan, the United Kingdom and Canada.

See this chart from the International Trade Administration:

FDI stands for Foreign Direct Investment.

What is Cultural Intelligence?

Cultural intelligence is a learned skill that enables people to be successful in today’s interconnected, globalized world. It’s the capability to function and relate effectively in culturally diverse situations. It helps you identify your own cultural behaviors, identify cultural differences in others, and learn to adapt to any differences you encounter. Success in leadership depends on the ability to connect and communicate across cultural divides.

Identifying cultural differences is hard and confusing. A lot of times when we are seeing cultural differences, we ascribe the behavior to that person’s character. This might mean when you work with your colleague from the Middle East, you notice that they’re late to meetings and you may believe that they’re disrespectful of your time. This nugget of a thought begins to develop into a negative stereotype. That’s low-CQ thinking, and it’s very common and very damaging.

By contrast, with high CQ, you are able to identify the colleague’s behavior as a cultural preference. You know that Middle Eastern cultures value relationships over tasks. This is the opposite from the predominant American culture you come from, which values tasks and efficiency. There’s a natural conflict of cultures in your relationship. When you have high CQ, you find a way to adapt to a variety of cultural preferences, and you no longer negatively stereotype your colleague. You work better together, and you value each other’s contributions. Even more powerfully, you openly discuss your cultural preferences, and use each other’s cultural diversity to strengthen the community or workplace. Your leadership depends on your ability to connect and communicate across cultural divides.

The Business Case for CQ in Leadership

Why might you need CQ in corporate leadership? Maybe you lead a global team, with staff or offices around the world, or your team locally is from differing cultures. Leading remote or multicultural teams requires navigating language, values, and communication differences. 

Maybe you negotiate contracts and partnerships. CQ improves outcomes in cross-border business deals and partnerships. Maybe you’re looking for increased innovation. Diverse teams thrive when leaders can integrate varied perspectives into creative solutions. You can read a blog from the Cultural Intelligence Center here to learn more about how businesses bring CQ to life. 

What Does CQ Training Look Like for Corporate Leadership?

The most important aspect of CQ is self-assessment and self-reflection. Self-reflection helps you identify your own cultural behaviors, identify cultural differences in others, and learn to adapt to any differences you encounter. These three steps are the heart and soul of CQ skill-building, and they take time. Ultimately, adapting your behavior puts others at ease, strengthens relationships, enhances interactions, in turn, improving your leadership and success.

An important part of training is a CQ assessment. An assessment measures your cultural preferences, which are your behaviors and beliefs that you may not realize are shaping your choices day-in and day-out. An assessment can also measure the four dimensions of cultural intelligence, CQ Drive—the curiosity and motivation needed to work well with others, CQ Knowledge—understanding the kinds of differences that describe one group versus the next, without resorting to stereotyping specific cultures, CQ Strategy—learning how to plan effectively in light of cultural differences, and CQ Action—being able to adapt behavior when the situation requires it. Anyone can improve their cultural intelligence, and these four dimensions are the key.

Now What?

In the previously quoted article from the Nebraska Examiner, Brian Slone of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, “an increase in the foreign-born population would align with what business leaders have known for some time…A big factor in our population growth, and therefore in our economic growth, has been international migration,” 

From a workforce standpoint, Slone said immigration will have to continue to play a “significant” role in filling the tens of thousands of vacant Nebraska jobs. 

Beyond Tourism offers a wide range of CQ assessments and services, which have been validated through the research of the Cultural Intelligence Center. See the website to learn more about package elements, and how to build a CQ training program that fits your team’s unique needs.

Whether you are in Lincoln or another part of Nebraska, your ability to communicate across cultural divides is incredibly important for the future of our globalized, shrinking world. Cultural intelligence is the skill of the future, and your leadership depends on the ability to connect and communicate across cultural divides.