Case Study 2 — The Culture She Almost Hid

This case ends Part III on an uplifting note: someone who assumed her culture had no place at work, kept it hidden, and then discovered that sharing it built genuine connection and became a professional asset.

Composite: Mariam, a marketing specialist who moved from Beirut, Lebanon, to a company in Canada.

The situation

Mariam, eager to fit in and be seen as "professional," decides to keep her Lebanese culture entirely out of the workplace. She doesn't mention her holidays, doesn't bring her food, doesn't talk about home. She assumes — as many newcomers do — that her culture is a private matter that has no place at work, or might even mark her as "other" and hurt her professionally. So she keeps it invisible, presenting a culturally-blank professional self.

The "before"

This costs her in a quiet way. By hiding a big part of who she is, Mariam feels she can never quite be herself at work; she stays a little distant, a little guarded. Colleagues find her pleasant but somewhat hard to know. She also misses easy opportunities for connection — when colleagues share their own holidays, traditions, and food, Mariam stays silent, reinforcing the distance. She feels, ironically, less included for having hidden the very thing that makes her interesting and warm.

She's operating on an assumption that, in most modern Western workplaces, is simply wrong: that her culture is unwelcome.

What is actually happening

Mariam is missing one of the genuinely positive features the chapter highlights: many Western offices welcome and enjoy when you share your culture — holidays, food, traditions. Far from marking her as "other" in a bad way, sharing her background would more likely: - Build connection — food and traditions are wonderful rapport-builders (Chapter 9); colleagues are usually curious, not hostile. - Showcase her as interesting and warm — her biculturalism is an asset, not a liability (Chapter 39). - Let her be more fully herself at work, which paradoxically makes her more included, not less.

Her hiding instinct is understandable (fear of standing out, of bias — which can be real, Chapter 32) but, in most contemporary Western workplaces with their diversity norms and curious colleagues, it's overcautious and self-defeating. She's paying a connection cost to avoid a danger that's mostly not there.

This is a place where the book's recurring message — your culture is a strength, not a handicap — is literally, practically true at work.

The "after"

Mariam tests the waters and is pleasantly surprised:

  1. She brings Lebanese food to share at an office gathering — it's a hit; colleagues are delighted and curious, and several warm conversations follow.
  2. She mentions her holidays and explains a tradition or two when relevant — colleagues find it genuinely interesting, and some share their own in return.
  3. She lets herself be culturally herself — and finds she's more connected, more "known," and more comfortable, not less professional.
  4. She discovers her biculturalism is a work asset — she brings perspective on international markets, bridges cross-cultural communication (Chapter 17), and is valued because of, not despite, her background.

What she almost hid turned out to be one of her best connection-builders and a genuine professional strength.

Test the water, then share (keep this). If you're unsure whether your culture is welcome at work, start small and low-risk: bring a dish to a potluck, mention a holiday when it's relevant, answer "what's that?" with genuine warmth. Watch the response — in most modern Western offices it's curiosity and delight. You're not "being unprofessional"; you're giving colleagues a doorway to know you, and showing the biculturalism that's one of your real assets. (Bias exists — Chapter 32 — so read your specific workplace; but the usual error is hiding too much, not sharing too much.)

The lesson

Many Western workplaces genuinely welcome you sharing your culture — food, holidays, traditions — and doing so usually builds connection, lets you be more fully yourself (which makes you more included), and reveals your biculturalism as a professional asset, not a liability. The instinct to hide your culture to seem "professional" is usually overcautious and self-defeating in modern, diversity-minded Western offices. Your background isn't something to erase at the office door — it's often one of the best things you bring. (This doesn't deny that bias exists — Chapter 32 — but in most workplaces, sharing is welcomed far more than feared.)

Discussion questions

  1. Why did hiding her culture make Mariam less included, not more "professional"?
  2. What assumption was Mariam operating on, and why is it usually wrong in modern Western workplaces?
  3. How is biculturalism a professional asset (not just a personal trait)? Give examples.
  4. The case acknowledges bias can exist (Chapter 32). How do you balance sharing your culture with realistic caution?
  5. Journal link: Have you hidden parts of your culture at work? What's one small way you could share it (the "test the water" approach) — and what might it open?