Respecting diverse opinions, temperaments and work styles is every professional team’s philosophy-until the first stressful event comes along. Then, stress and conflict splits even the best team into factions from which recovery is hard and slow. …

Intercontinental business meetings used to be for top management. COVID19 changed all that: anyone with a broadband access is a global problem-solver now. In general, most people support remote work. But connected cars, fridges, apps and meetings come with built-in flaws. Professional communities are complex systems that take years or…

If you’re a foreigner who was here to answer the door when the friendly officials of China’s 2020 National Census turned up with their clipboards, you may wonder how a turbulent 2020 changed foreign demographics in the country. In recent years, China’s government has shifted rhetoric from global integration to…

For leaders in business, healthcare, government, education and more, 2020 was both a dream and a nightmare. As a former diplomat who has spent the last 15 years consulting global firms on intercultural leadership, I watched with fascination as a global pandemic filled people with purpose and hesitation, spirit and…

For business leaders running multinational firms in China, the first half of 2020 was a surreal time. One executive I coached had to manage his team through a stressful lockdown only weeks after he started his new job. Many had to choose between being grounded for week at home or…

From multibillion multinationals to startups, businesses were unprepared for COVID19. Exactly like the people inside them, firms had planned for many risks and their countermeasures, but not this. Individuals and teams feel the same way: there is not much they can do about it, apart from limiting exposure and improving…

2020 stood for ‘vision’ at most multinational leadership teams I advised, coached or trained last year. On the horizon, they had one looming challenge: China. Where is it heading? How do we respond? What can we get? Who can manage it? China is a leadership challenge because in the generally…

The lonesome masked figures of security guards in empty streets have become an eloquent social media meme in China’s cities during the current Coronavirus outbreak. Expats merrily selfie away in deserted shopping malls and airport lounges. Well done everyone who is missing from the picture: health authorities remind citizens to…

Global people skills aren’t optional any more — 2019 made this message clear. Global business reached managers of tiny startups in Mumbai or multibillion firms in Manhattan even if they never went abroad. Many companies I advise and coach have management teams with more nationalities than members, zigzagging between appointments…