How not to be a hostage to COVID-19: Episode 1

Alex Reinhardt was brought in to turn around a renewable-energy company that had been on the verge of bankruptcy until the German government bailed it out. After he fainted from overwork and burnout and had to take a medical leave, the board appoi...

In late 2020, as the world began to emerge from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wärtsilä, a Finnish corporation specializing in power systems, made a bold decision. Despite being a well-established company with a strong track record in...

Anne, a newly appointed CFO at a global manufacturing group, transitions from consultant to leader, embracing delegation, strategic thinking, and career growth.

Leaders are always trying to figure out how to get more social power at work. So, how do you develop your social power with the groups and teams around you?

In the newly revised second edition of Hostage at the Table: How Leaders Can Overcome Conflict, Influence Others and Raise Performance, clinical psychologist, distinguished leadership professor, and veteran hostage negotiator George Kohlrieser com...

In today’s fast-paced and ever-changing business environment, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face unique challenges. From navigating market volatility to managing limited resources, SMEs must find ways to build resilience within their t...

From absorbing stress to finding your authentic voice, leaders of global companies share the wisdom that has helped them excel in their roles.

When I was eight years old, I watched the Mexico Olympics on television and thought ‘I want to do that.’ It took eight years and an incredible amount of work, including extraordinary highs and lows, to achieve that goal.

This note explores the critical skill of leading across cultures in global and diverse business environments. It addresses the challenges and opportunities presented by cross-cultural teams, providing leaders with strategies to navigate cultural differences and leverage diversity for enhanced performance and innovation. The note begins by outlining potential pitfalls in cross-cultural leadership, such as miscommunication, cultural stereotyping and varying expectations around decision-making and work styles. It then highlights the value creation opportunities, including diverse perspectives, enhanced creativity and increased organizational adaptability. A significant portion of the note is dedicated to understanding key areas of cultural difference, including communication styles, decision-making processes, attitudes toward time, relationship expectations, power dynamics and tolerance for ambiguity. It provides a comparative analysis of these dimensions across different national cultures. The note offers ten comprehensive strategies for effective cross-cultural leadership, ranging from cultivating cultural intelligence to managing virtual cross-cultural teams. It emphasizes the importance of developing cultural intelligence (CQ) and provides guidance on how leaders can enhance their CQ and foster it within their teams. Practical tools, such as a cross-cultural leadership preparation checklist, are included to help leaders apply the concepts in their work. The note concludes with a list of references for further reading on the subject.

Early in his career, Dolf van den Brink, CEO of Heineken since 2020, did everything he could to project an image of authority – including wearing spectacles he didn't need. It wasn't until he learned to be comfortable in his skin that he began to ...