Cultural Intelligence

Brand global, adapt local: a conversation with Katherine Melchior Ray and Nataly Kelly

Katherine Melchior Ray and Nataly Kelly discuss their new book, 'Brand Global, Adapt Local: How to Build Brand Value Across Cultures'.

Inclusive strategies for hospitality managers

With international travel now accessible to an ever-growing proportion of the global population, in the hospitality sector, diversity can be a building block to a premium customer experience.

Garbage in, garbage out

Even the best AI tools display cultural bias. So without knowing how to write culturally intelligent AI prompts, it's easy to end up with content that is not quite right for your intended audience.

Global trends to watch in 2024

Building a more culturally intelligent world requires keeping an eye on what’s going on globally. So I can’t help but wonder what 2024 might hold for us and what trends we should be anticipating and watching.

Why emotional intelligence is not enough

Emotional intelligence and cultural intelligence are like fraternal twins. They’re not the same person, but they share the same DNA and the family resemblance is unmistakable.

How to deliver effective diversity training

There is plenty of valid criticism about diversity training. But an approach that addresses “what’s in it for you” and confronts real-world challenges goes a long way towards delivering effective learning opportunities.

Diverse teams and psychological safety

There’s been a surge of interest recently about the importance of psychological safety, and rightfully so. But like many good things, it's better not to have too much of it.

Culturally intelligent teams: different values, same norms

Understanding cultural differences on a diverse team does not automatically translate into better performance. Instead, leaders need to develop team norms that are both inclusive and unifying.

Communication differences on diverse teams

Differences in communication styles can be a constant source of conflict on diverse teams. Understanding these differences is key to building trust, avoiding misunderstandings and leading more effectively.

Leadership advice you should ignore

So much advice to leaders and entrepreneurs is ill suited to leading in today's digital, diverse world. It often includes kernels of truth, but much of it needs a major rethink, starting with these.

Five questions culturally intelligent leaders ask themselves everyday

While cultural intelligence (CQ) needs to inform big picture strategic and operational issues, where it really comes to life is in the everyday practices of a leader.

The power of figured worlds

Figured worlds - the social contexts where we feel most comfortable - are everywhere. They might be countries, racial groups, fashions, friend groups or religions - and we underestimate their power at our peril.

How culturally intelligent leaders make decisions

What does culturally intelligent decision-making look like for today's global leader? It's certainly not as simple as "just make a decision."

The leadership trust crisis

Across the world, trust in leadership is at an all-time low. But global leaders also need to be mindful that many approaches to rebuilding trust are biased toward Western values.

How to talk about the elephant in the room

Knowing how to identify and constructively address unresolved conflict in different cultural situations is a key skill for global leaders.

Latest book podcasts

More Podcasts

Steve Cockram: the Voice-Driven Leader

Steve Cockram, co-founder of Giant Worldwide, talks about his latest book, 'The Voice-Driven Leader' and explains how to create environments in which every voice gets heard.

What is Relationship Currency?

Keynote speaker and transformational coach, Ravi Rajani, talks about his new book, "Relationship currency: five communication habits for limitless influence and business success".

Hone - how purposeful leaders defy drift

We dive into the new book from Deloitte's Geoff Tuff and Steven Goldbach, 'Hone - how purposeful leaders defy drift'.

Lesley Cooper on stress and pressure at work

In this episode we discuss wellbeing at work with Lesley Cooper, including the issues of fear-based cultures and psychological safety.

Presenting to diverse audiences

Presentation skills are a critical part of being an effective leader. But the more diverse your audience, the more you have to plan ahead and adjust the way you present.

What is a 'global' leader?

'Global leadership' is one of those fancy terms that gets used in glossy consulting reports and EMBA marketing briefs. But what does it actually mean?

The biggest source of conflict on diverse teams

Clashing expectations are the main source of conflict in almost any relationship. And nowhere is that more true than with the intercultural challenges of diverse teams.

The culturally intelligent team

It's harder to get things done on a diverse team. But with moderate to high levels of cultural intelligence, diverse teams can outperform homogeneous teams in a number of important ways.

Cultural intelligence and competing with robots

The dystopian view of a future overrun by robots forgets that the human brain gives us some things technology cannot compete with, namely our ability to adapt and create.

The group excluded from diversity programs

The US is a divided nation, in part because many working class individuals believe progressives and diversity advocates have compassion for everyone - except them. Might they be right?

We're in a crisis! Why can't we all just get along?

Even faced by a global pandemic, we don't seem able to bridge our tribal divides and leverage our differences to find solutions, rather than using them to further destroy us.

When is it appropriate to yell at someone? Depends on where you’re from!

There's a wide variation in what we deem as 'appropriate' ways to express frustration. At the heart of this is the difference between Neutral and Affective behavior - differences that can quickly lead to profound misunderstandings.

How to tell if you're mansplaining

Are mansplaining and its close cousin, whitesplaining, real things or are they just more pop psychology terms? David Livermore interviews Dr Amy Heaton to find out.

Are all white people privileged?

You can’t have an honest conversation about cultural intelligence without addressing 'white privilege', the idea that white people inherit certain privileges simply by the color of their skin. But this isn't an easy thing to discuss.

What's the answer? It depends

I’ve gained a reputation for being the “It depends” guy. When fielding questions during a presentation on cultural intelligence, my default response is “It depends!” Let me explain why.

Why you need to stop teaching about cultural differences

Far from building real cultural intelligence, teaching people about cultural differences actually leads to stereotyping and perpetuating bias rather than building real understanding.

Emotional intelligence doesn't translate

Emotions are universal. But the ways in which different cultures express them are not. So what’s considered appropriate in one culture could get you in trouble if blindly applied to colleagues and friends elsewhere.

Culture fit vs. authenticity

Authenticity - being yourself - can sometimes collide with organizational values. So how far should any of us be expected to give up our authentic preferences for the sake of an organizational purpose?

Seven ways to assess your perspective taking

You can’t motivate people or negotiate effectively without perspective taking - being able to step outside our own experience and consider something from another person’s point of view.

Latest book reviews

MORE BOOK REVIEWS

Hone - How Purposeful Leaders Defy Drift

Hone - How Purposeful Leaders Defy Drift

Geoff Tuff and Steven Goldbach

In a business landscape obsessed with transformation and disruption, Hone offers a refreshingly counterintuitive approach to today's organisational challenges.

Lead Like Julius Caesar

Lead Like Julius Caesar

Paul Vanderbroeck

What can Julius Caesar's imperfect story - his spectacular failures as well as his success - tell us about contemporary leadership challenges?

The Voice-Driven Leader

The Voice-Driven Leader

Steve Cockram and Jeremie Kubicek

How can managers and organisations create an environment in which every voice is genuinely heard, valued and deployed to maximum effect? This book offers some practical ways to meet this challenge.