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Beyond Emily in Paris: Navigating French Business Culture and HR Politics with Ciara Lakhani

Oct 31, 2024

Ciara Lakhani, former HR leader at Dashlane and the first head of people at Compass, shares her journey from New York to Paris. She debunks myths about French business culture, emphasizing the importance of authenticity and trust in cross-cultural leadership. Ciara discusses overcoming challenges like imposter syndrome and adapting to communication styles unique to France. She highlights the necessity of informal interactions in building relationships and the evolving role of HR professionals in a global landscape.

33:39

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Episode guests

Ciara Lakhani

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Quick takeaways

Navigating French business culture requires understanding local HR practices and building trust through authentic relationships with colleagues.

Embracing the directness of French communication fosters honesty in workplace discussions, enhancing collaboration and conflict resolution skills.

Deep dives

Navigating Cultural Differences in HR

Moving to France for work involves navigating significant cultural differences, particularly in HR practices. The speaker highlights how French leaders often hold stereotypes against local HR professionals, creating initial challenges in hiring and aligning with cultural norms. Over time, building trust and understanding local practices is crucial, as the speaker experienced pushback when trying to implement standard HR practices that didn't align with French work culture. Nevertheless, this transition offers opportunities as a new generation of HR professionals emerges, increasingly blending American and French practices within the tech industry.

Intro

2min

Navigating Parisian Professional Life

12min

Navigating Cultural Nuances in French Business Interactions

3min

Bridging Cultures: Communication in the Workplace

13min

Navigating French Business Culture and HR Dynamics

5min

Former Dashlane HR leader Ciara Lakhani shares her unfiltered journey from New York to Paris tech, debunking myths about French business culture while revealing the art of cross-cultural leadership. From smoke breaks with works councils to earning trust through authenticity, Ciara offers practical wisdom on navigating international business dynamics and building bridges between American and French work cultures.

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KEEP UP WITH CIARA, NOLAN, + KELLI ON LINKEDIN

Ciara: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ciaralakhani/

Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/

Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/

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LINKS:

Elevate People:

https://elevatepeople.io/

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(01:50) Ciara's move to Paris in 2020

(04:54) Challenges of being an HR exec in another country

(05:53) Stereotype against French HR people

(07:08) Communication style in France

(08:30) Assimilating with French HR professionals

(10:30) Generalizations about France

(11:45) Learning the nuances of French labor laws

(13:35) Navigating HR in different countries

(15:18) Sponsor: Metaview

(17:18) Punitive government in France

(18:39) Being a translator in HR

(19:50) Working with lawyers

(20:45) Org politics in France

(23:04) Unpacking the co-founder story

(23:50) Org navigation and politics in Paris

(27:30) Earning trust in a new culture

(29:50) French tactics and meeting people where they are

(30:00) Ciara's transition to being independent

(31:38) Assimilating into French culture

(33:00) Wrap

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hrheretics.substack.com

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