Being culturally competent and demonstrating cultural humility takes time to happen. It is also not about choosing cultural humility over cultural competence or vice versa. Instead, it’s about cultivating and enabling both to work in unison.
Here’s how you can begin your journey towards cultural competence and humility.
1. Examine your ‘Blind Spots’
Start by examining and reflecting on your biases, assumptions, attitudes, and values and how they may influence your interactions with others. Identify any implicit bias that might be at play. Implicit biases are those unconscious stereotypes and attitudes you’ve learned and carried toward specific groups of people. These biases are like “blind spots”—you aren’t aware they exist unless you intentionally look!
Identifying your blind spots may involve asking yourself:
- Am I tolerant enough to learn from others?
- Are there privileges that I have that others don’t?
- What do I think about other cultures that are different from my own?
- Do I actively seek out perspectives or experiences that differ from my own?
- Do I recognize and challenge my assumptions about people different from me?
- Do I refrain from having deep conversations about social issues? If I do engage in dialogue, am I listening with intent or just talking?
Once we can identify our blind spots, the work can begin to address those stereotypes and attitudes. We can start unraveling, challenging, and correcting our learned biases.
2. Consider Others’ Point of View
Putting ourselves in another person’s shoes, or “shoe-shifting,” helps us begin to consider the experiences and perspectives of others. Cultural humility and competence require us to avoid being distracted by what we think we know. It’s asking ourselves whether there is anything we ought to know and framing our interactions with others as a partnership. So next time you’re interacting with someone who may appear different than you or may hold different beliefs and values, ask yourself, “What else should I know?” instead of “What do I know?” Be intentional about incorporating humility into your interactions – listening more than speaking, feeling comfortable with not knowing or understanding everything, and demonstrating genuine curiosity. Although we know empathy and compassion are the right things to do, it can be challenging to put these into practice when faced with our stereotypes and implicit biases. Why, though? Perhaps because to truly put ourselves in another person’s shoes, we must be willing and able to remove our shoes first!
3. Get to Know People Different From You
It’s easy to get along with people who are similar to us. Seriously, think about those people who are closest to you, and more than likely, many of them will resemble….well, you! But if you want to develop cultural competence and humility, you’ve got to stretch a little and step outside your backyard. This involves active and intentional efforts to experience others.
- Reading books (e.g., autobiographies) to gain new perspective/appreciation
- Volunteering or participating in organizations that serve diverse communities
- Attending community/multicultural events to promote direct dialogue and interaction
- Listening to podcasts with hosts/guests who have different lived experiences or beliefs
When we stretch ourselves this way, we can challenge our stereotypes and attitudes toward others and begin to value their unique experiences. We can create meaningful connections built on respect, appreciation, and a deeper understanding beyond superficial interactions. These proactive strategies allow you to enhance cultural competence and humility and contribute to more inclusive and united communities.
Conclusion
As you strengthen your cultural competency and humility skills, consider yourself and the individuals you live, learn, and work with. Every interaction with an individual is an opportunity to practice, demonstrate, and enhance these skills.
Cultural competency says, ‘I’m the expert.’
Cultural humility says, ‘You’re the expert.’
Whose expertise will you prioritize next?