By Steve Morrall, Principal Optical Engineer
Technical expertise often gets people into the room. Effective communication and trust are what help ideas gain traction once they’re there.
That was one of the key lessons I took away from participating in a Culture Map assessment designed to help employees better understand how cultural differences influence communication, trust and collaboration.
Working with customers and teams across North America, Europe and Asia, I regularly navigate different communication styles and expectations. The assessment helped me better understand my own tendencies and how those preferences may be perceived by others.
One insight stood out immediately.
I naturally approach communication from a principles-first perspective. When explaining a technical concept, I prefers to establish the foundation, build the logic and then arrive at the conclusion. While that approach works well with many technical audiences, I realized that some stakeholders prefer the opposite approach: start with the answer and then provide supporting details.
The distinction may seem small, but it can have a significant impact on how messages are received.
The assessment also highlighted how communication styles can influence perceptions of disagreement. In engineering environments, challenging assumptions and probing for evidence are essential parts of problem-solving. Outside of those settings, however, the same questions can sometimes be interpreted as disagreement rather than collaboration.
Recognizing that difference has helped me become more intentional about how I frame conversations and communicates alignment before exploring alternative viewpoints.
Trust emerged as another important theme.
My natural inclination is to build trust through actions, expertise and demonstrated results. The assessment reinforced that not every culture approaches trust in the same way. In many parts of the world, relationships are established before business discussions begin, making personal connection an important foundation for long-term collaboration.
Those insights have become increasingly relevant as we continue to expand globally and deepen relationships with customers around the world.
For me, the most valuable lesson wasn’t learning about other cultures. It was learning more about myself.
By understanding my own communication style, I became better equipped to adapt to different audiences, reduce misunderstandings and build stronger connections.
Cultural awareness is becoming an increasingly important business skill. Developing that awareness often starts with curiosity and asking the right questions.