Nikita Mercado

As someone who is Filipino and has spent years working in the U.S., I’ve lived both sides of this. And I’ll be honest this understanding didn’t come overnight. It took years of working between cultures seeing the gaps firsthand and learning how to bridge them. What I’ve Learned Success isn’t just about hiring the right people. It’s about leading them the right way. Because when leadership and culture align everything works. And when they don’t even great talent can feel misaligned. What We’ve Covered in This Series Across this series, we’ve talked about: Why “yes” doesn’t always mean agreement Why “no” isn’t always said directly Why feedback can feel personal Why loyalty runs deep Why teams go above and beyond Why “we” matters more than “I” Why respect shapes communication None of these are weaknesses. They’re cultural strengths. But only if you understand how to work with them. What Effective Leadership Looks Like If you’re leading Filipino teams, here’s what actually works: 1. Create...

  I used to wait for the right moment. More clarity. More stability. More confidence. Something that would make the risk feel smaller. It never came. There was always one more reason to wait. One more thing to figure out. At some point, I realized timing is something you decide. Not something you find. You move before everything makes sense. You act before you feel fully secure. And then you adjust along the way. Perfect timing is usually just fear in disguise. If you are waiting, You might already have enough to begin.

A manager once told me: “My team is great… but they don’t speak up unless I ask.” Meetings were quiet. Feedback was minimal. Ideas didn’t come out as freely as expected. From the outside, it looked like a lack of initiative. But that wasn’t the case. What’s Actually Happening In many Filipino workplaces, there is a strong respect for authority. Leadership is seen as: A source of direction A position to be respected Someone not to be openly challenged Because of this: Team members may wait to be invited to speak They may hesitate to interrupt or disagree They may avoid sharing ideas unless directly asked Not because they don’t have ideas, but because of how communication is shaped culturally. Where the Gap Happens In many Western work environments: Speaking up is encouraged Challenging ideas is seen as healthy Participation is expected So when Filipino team members are more reserved, it can be interpreted as: Lack of confidence Lack of engagement Lack of critical thinking But often, it’...

No one prepares you for this part. That growth changes your relationships. As you build, your priorities shift. Your time becomes more intentional. Your thinking becomes more focused. Your tolerance for misalignment becomes smaller. And sometimes, that creates distance. With people you care about. With people who knew an earlier version of you. It does not mean you have become cold. It means you are evolving. Not everyone is meant to come with you to every stage. That does not make them less important. It just means the path is changing. Growth is not just about gaining. It is also about letting go. And that part is rarely talked about.

  I once asked a team member: “Who handled this project? You did a great job.” And the answer was immediate: “We did.” Not “I did.” Not “That was my part.” Just… “we.” What’s Actually Happening In many Western workplaces, individual ownership is emphasized. Who owns this? Who delivered this? Who gets credit? And that makes sense. It drives accountability. But in Filipino culture, there’s a stronger sense of collective identity. You’ll often hear: “We completed it” “Our team handled it” “We’ll fix it” Because success is shared. This mindset is deeply rooted in a cultural value often associated with bayanihan the idea of community, cooperation, and helping one another. Where the Gap Happens For global hiring managers, this can be confusing. You might think: “Who is actually responsible?” “Why isn’t anyone taking ownership?” “Who should I recognize?” It can feel like a lack of clarity. But in reality: Ownership exists Accountability exists It’s just expressed differently Filipino pro...

  There is a moment in building where the excitement fades. Not completely. But enough that discipline has to take over. The early days are driven by adrenaline. Everything feels new. Fast. Full of possibility. But the middle requires something else. Consistency. Showing up when it feels repetitive. Continuing when results are slow. Staying committed without constant validation. This is where most people drift. Not because they are not capable. Because it stops feeling exciting. But this is also where things start to compound. Where real progress is made. Not in bursts. But in steady, often unrecognized effort. You do not need to feel excited every day. You just need to keep going.