In 1995, I had the privilege of hosting Dr. Fons Trompennars in Jakarta for a seminar on Cross Cultural Competence built on his research of the Seven Dimensions of Culture. His passion and friendship have greatly aided me in navigating the diverse cultures of Asia that I have lived in for over 40 years to support my success as a global consultant in leadership and sales/service productivity. Let’s look at how Dr. Trompenaars research can assist you and your organization in solving problems but more importantly reconciling cultural dilemmas.

In my sales blog of two weeks ago, with insight from the Sales 3.0 blog, we researched the different Gen AI responses to a question on sales effectiveness. My curiosity got to me as a cross-cultural leader to see how Gen AI would respond to a leadership question. Let’s review how Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot respond to this prompt:

“What are the competencies of an excellent cross-cultural leader or manager?”

Successful innovation will always have failed ideas along the way. The key is maximize the value of those mistakes and minimize the risk.
The term “smarter mistakes” is an oxymoron at first blush. A mistake is something that is misguided or incorrect, and it is also usually unanticipated. Thus, it feels impossible to plan for making a “smarter mistake.” No company or person ever knowingly plans or wants to make a mistake, but still, mistakes happen.

In 2015, the LA Times published the results of a survey that analysed fear. Over 1,000 people participated in the study, which revealed that 31% of adults had a fear of failure. Nearly one in three people! That figure was even higher than the segment of Americans with arachnophobia, the fear of spiders. For a lot of people, potentially coming up short of a goal can be the crippling deterrent that prevents them from even taking the first step. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

If you’re a leader who really wants your employees at the office full-time, there may be a new solution: Join a small firm. According to new data, firms with fewer than 5,000 employees are nearly three times as likely to require full-time attendance from their workers as firms with more than 25,000 employees. In all, 23% of smaller firms require full-time office work, while only 8% of the largest firms do.

In today's competitive work environment, if company leaders plan to attract and retain the best talent to elevate their organization's progress and performance levels, it is key for managers to learn how to improve their ability to connect with their team authentically and effectively to generate a bond of trust and empathy that will continue to flourish.

Despite its increasing recognition in the workplace, emotional intelligence (EI) remains an often under-valued aspect of leadership. Particularly for women and younger leaders rising to positions of influence, its significance cannot be overstated. Navigating through a labyrinth of gender biases, evolving workplace paradigms, and diverse generational expectations demands a finely honed emotional acumen.

Firstly, ELAvate Training Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (ETM) is now open for training in Malaysia. The government training body, HRDC has also given me a full exemption to be an HRDC certified trainer. This means ETM and myself as the HRDC exempt trainer allows your Malaysian company to qualify for HRDC subsidies to carry out ELAvate training in Sales, Service, Leadership, Team building and other types of training HRDC approves.

As of this week, I have lived in Asia 43 years. I came out as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Malaysia hoping to “teach” Malaysians a few things. But was my perception off! Asia has taught me much more about trust, culture, and relationships than I ever could have imagined. Asia has given me many warm loving caring relationships regardless of ethnic or religious backgrounds. The key to nurturing and maintaining these healthy relationships is trust.

CEO Magazine says “Motivational speaker, ethnologist, bestselling author and “unshakable optimist” Simon Sinek’s dynamic thoughts on leadership have improved the fortunes of some of the biggest organisations and governments around the world. “ Here is a pick of Simon’s most inspiring affirmations. I find his insight and wisdom refreshing, wise and inspiring. What do you think?

Paraphrasing John Maxwell, “If you have great people around you, they will take you higher than your 2024 dream will. Leaders are never self-made. Those closest to you determine your level of success, so choosing the right companions as partners in pursuit of your 2024 vision and goals is an important decision. My advice is to surround yourself with talented people who will challenge you, help you grow and inspire you to maximize your potential.”

Mike’s Note: A good article to set your 2024 on a solid, positive foundation. If all your goals and good intentions seem to fall by the wayside soon after New Year's, try getting back to basics as Dr. Mark Berin outlines in this refreshing blog from “Greater Good Magazine.” I have added some of my insights to this blog. Reading through website after website summarizing how to be happier or stronger in 2024, the answers are easy to dismiss.

I have found most corporate leaders and entrepreneurs try to balance their life by placing their revenue target on one end of the life see saw and on the other end family, health, hobbies and what appear to less important aspects of life. If this sounds like you, read on how you can use our ELAvate 2024 Lego House Life Goal Sheet to plan out holistic life goals for a more successful satisfying 2024.

Leading well is a multi-faceted responsibility. I often read articles and blogs where a leadership expert writes, “This is the one thing you need to do right!” Earlier in my career, I was easily influenced by these formulaic approaches to leadership. Whether it is “The One Minute Manager”, “The One Thing”, “The One Thing You Need to Know”, or “First, Break All the Rules” --- you get the idea.

There is a plethora of blogs and articles documenting the increasing stress and burnout at all levels of the corporate world. At the CEO level, Deloitte estimates a high share of executives—70%—“are seriously considering quitting for a job that better supports their well-being.” Across Asia, burnout rates for workers are higher than the global norm.

Part of your role as a leader and manager is to “lift the lid” of each your subordinates so they may individually be more motivated and productive in 2024. Let me ask you: Did you have an Employee Development Plan for each of your subordinates in 2023? How well did you proactively follow up and monitor each employee’s growth? How would you rate yourself as a leader who nurtures the growth of your team members in 2023?

Assessing managers for promotion or succession is a critical process to ensure that the right individuals are advancing in your organization to enhance organizational growth and competitiveness. The initial steps for this process begins with your board or senior managers in collaboration with your HR department to put in place the steps and process for assessing for promotion.

This blog post has been adapted from Dr. John Maxwell’s leadership book, The 360 Degree Leader. John Maxwell has been one of the world’s foremost personal and professional leadership experts for more than 40 years, and his insights here instruct you on how to influence others no matter their title, position or relationship in the organization you work in.

We all are moving into planning for 2024. Part of the planning process is the plan to develop your employees to upskill and grow in their competence that supports your firm to remain competitive. The new ELAvate training Leadership and Sales Catalogues can offer ideas and concrete training actions on how you might accomplish growing your people in 2024.

Michael’s Note: Dr. Tim Elmore and I have been friends for over 20 years. His example of coaching younger leaders and his public speaking excellence has made me a much better trainer. As an avid road cyclist, I found this blog very insightful on how growing your leadership is so similar to improving your physical fitness. Read on!

I just finished a workout with our personal trainer, Tammy Dennard. Three times a week, Tammy facilitates strength training for my wife and me and some friends. As you can imagine, we joke about having a “love-hate relationship” with her.