East-West Leadership Coaching & Keynotes

My posts and videos trigger questions that have little to do with my focus on East-West executive skills, and recently to two most frequent ones are: - How do I find a job in China? - How do I become a public speaker? I will look at both but let me start with the second one first, for fun. Those who want to eventually speak to large audiences must know one trick: to work on their topic and speaking skills separately. None of them comes first: you must be a good speaker to get audiences, and you need a great message to be heard. There are skills but meaningless speakers. There are geniuses whose speech puts people to sleep. Message and eloquence are separate but equally hard skillsets. What: topic Wanna speak? Find one topic with which you could surprise an audience in 20 words. Found it? Write it down in 20 words. Test it on trusted but critical people you know. Surprised enough? Turn it into a 200-word story with a punch at the end and reach out to places where you could tell it to an audience. Start small: clubs, friendly events, even dinners. After a few successful tries, up the length & audience from 200 words to 20 people to 500-50 (approximate, of course). When you reach 1,000-100, you’re ready. Most of my speaking is about expats working in a challenging culture and my book Dragon Suit. My surprise in 20 words: “Expat managers arrive in culturally challenging locations mentally prepared, but culture shock will hit them emotionally in unexpected ways.” How: eloquence Wanna speak well? Any time people eagerly listen to you, pull one to the side and ask why they liked listening. Write it down: this is your speaker style. Don’t let anything hijack it. Toastmasters, TEDx: I’ve done them all and they are great practice, but force standards on speakers that won’t make them stand out elsewhere. Build better structure, improve storytelling, add twists, but do this to enhance what makes you—you! Like a pilot, I matured my speaking with logged hours. Mentors (amazing big-time speakers) also let me peep backstage. Now I know that great speakers look natural when they rehearsed every word and move, and follow a plan even when they speak ad hoc for 3 minutes. I wish you great audiences! What else would you like to know?

One irony of leadership development is that ups-and-downs of confidence and competence are disconnected. Management trainees feel they could revolutionise entire companies. Ten years later, the same person in an executive position loses sleep over a new invoicing system. One tool we’ll discuss to explain the competence-confidence gap at my FREE Executive Presence webinar on September 5 is Situational Leadership. We’ll use it to explain why smart executives turn perfectionism into bitter self-criticism, how they can free themselves, and teach constructive habits to others. Sign up now, it’s not too late: https://lnkd.in/dQCumnZB

- Agitated body language shows executive presence in Paris & New York. - In Bangkok or Riyadh, it’s a sign of losing control. - Openly challenging a Dutch boss starts a conversation. - In China, it's often the end of discussion. Join my Free webinar on Executive Presence across East, West, cultures and functions, or message me for a one-day Executive Presence workshop in Europe or Asia: https://lnkd.in/dQCumnZB

Human Resources specialists at both large and small firms tell me it’s hard to convince executives to work with a coach because “they don’t think they have a problem”. That means the firm must communicate coaching differently. - It is one thing to present coaching as a fix to a performance, or worse still, an “attitude” problem. - It’s another to offer coaching as support to ascend to the next level of performance or executive presence. The very word “coaching” comes from sports. Think about it: what do sports coaches do? Their focus isn’t “fixing problems”. Leaders earmarked for coaching are the select few in need of a boost to reach levels that can be quite ambitious. Reach out for advice or coaching for top East-West executives.

Most executives I help enter new East-West markets know what to do. Where they need help is how to start and how to follow up consistently. AWARENESS: What is the first step when everything looks urgent, important, and requires thorough analysis and deep thought? SKILLS: Once priorities are clear, most of my clients have the tools, skills and experience to get started. HABITS: How to keep long-term clarity while phone reminders blink, people knock and priorities clash? From the autumn I replace my EUR250-per-month advisory package, most popular with startups and private entrepreneurs, with a EUR499 basic package. You can message me for a personal offer to EUR250 monthly advisory for another month: https://lnkd.in/gUAiNf2N

Daily updates about staying away from social media puzzle me. “Look, I am out in nature, completely unglugged.” Who is posting, then? Yes, some social media wielding executives & entrepreneurs preloaded a fortnight of content, then dumped their phones while the bot proudly posts every day. But I suspect others simply get itchy by the leftover energy at a time when they should remind themselves to calm their pulses to a non-performance, life-is-fun rate. Here are a few tips.

I’ve updated my Events page with a few exciting in-person and online talks you can attend free or for a small fee, as opposed to the in-house corporate events and conference talks I usually do. - Join my free webinar on Executive Presence Across Cultures in September, - Join us in Paris, where I introduce my book Dragon Suit for the first time at the IESEG School of Management in early October, - Sign up early for my SIETAR France online talk on whether COVID19, AI & geopolitics killed expat networks, as it’s a small event and places will fill quickly. Find details & register here: https://lnkd.in/dZTtbNrn Message me if you have trouble registering to either event, and follow my LinkedIn or email newsletter as I announce new events.

Not everyone in a global leadership positions is passionate about the cultural nuances. Often, you must focus on core business. One thing international executives often forget is that they can delegate intercultural challenges the same way they involve specialists for project funding, public relations, visual design or sales. Here are a few well-tested ideas by seasoned intercultural leaders: - Pick the person closest to the culture that gives you headaches, and put them in charge of communication. No ideas? Learn about your people’s personal history: where they were born and lived, their spouses, hobbies, what they read and watch. - Close your eyes, recall someone from a challenging location or professional silo whose chemistry feels closest to you and ask for advice. Stuck? Discuss this question with a trusted direct report. - When a local, ethnic, generational or professional culture seems to interfere with team performance, ask a colleague in a relevant job (assistant, HR, PR) to draft a 2-page memo on constructive business behaviour in that culture. Feels weird? Ask ChatGPT. Message me for East-West Leadership coaching and advisory, or schedule a free 15-minute call: https://lnkd.in/dnB6nSym

Why do both multinational and local firms in China struggle to attract and retain talented foreigners despite China’s growing global influence? While China challenges the markets of global firms both at home and abroad, in one area the country remains stubbornly isolated: human resources. Its expat workforce, already extremely low in international comparison before the pandemic, shrank half in recent years. Some argue on social media that China doesn’t need foreigners anymore, but foreign and local firms openly vent their frustration over a lack foreign talent. Multinationals need expats to link recently localised operations with headquarters and worldwide branches. Chinese firms need foreign managers for their overseas strategies. My latest YouTube video discusses how and why China lost much of its expat managers, why Beijing struggles to attract foreign talent, what the near future holds and the opportunities that this talent crisis presents for committed managers who aim for careers in China or dealing with China. Watch: https://lnkd.in/dMCMEQeD

The concept of “Executive Presence” entered corporate vocabularies so triumphantly that at many firms, it became part of competency and performance management systems. But my recent executive coaching and leadership workshop participants in Asia and Europe often raise the questions: What is it and how can we improve it? My FREE webinars will stop for August but on September 5, we will discuss with participating executives, managers and entrepreneurs: - The basic meaning of Executive Presence, - How leaders can differentiate between poor and excellent Executive Presence, or anything in-between, - How people from diverse national, regional, corporate and professional cultures experience, apply and improve Executive Presence differently, - Not-so-secret ingredients of Executive Presence, including emotional intelligence, active listening and purposeful communication, - Ways to feel, measure and share improvement in the Executive Presence of leaders and leadership teams. Details & registration: https://lnkd.in/dQCumnZB