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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.
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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.
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