Become a Global Leader

What happens when the power structure you see is not the one that matters?

Moving into a new role, team, project or department, or even starting a relocation assignment can be deeply disorienting when the 'rules' of influence suddenly seem to change. You may understand the formal hierarchy on paper, yet still find decisions happening elsewhere, unexpected people shaping outcomes, or apparently informal teams operating with strong underlying power structures.

In this episode, I explore how Cultural Intelligence can help you observe those invisible power lines, with examples where the organisation chart, job titles and meeting structures did not tell the full story of how influence and decision-making really worked.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why visible informality does not always mean low hierarchy
• How Cultural Intelligence can help when familiar professional 'rules' shift
• Why the organisation chart is not the same as the influence map
• How to identify the hidden power lines
• A practical approach to invisible power
• Navigating decisions that happen outside the meeting structures

What could you ask to make the invisible power lines clearer in your workplace?

Resources:

• Talk to Victoria about your team's leadership development: https://culturecuppa.com/contact/
• Listen to the audiobook, Become a Global Leader: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Become-a-Global-Leader-Audiobook/B0HGYF1LHR
• Read the print book/ e-book: https://culturecuppa.com/book/
• Follow Victoria on LinkedIn for more global leadership, strategic communication and Cultural Intelligence insights: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-rennoldson

Watch the video of this Episode here:

• Power and Hierarchy across Cultures: https://youtu.be/Nui7mPlVU8o

Read this Episode's Blog post here:

• How to Navigate Invisible Power with Cultural Intelligence: https://culturecuppa.com/how-to-navigate-invisible-power-with-cultural-intelligence/

What happens when leaders become so focused on speed, delivery and efficiency that they start to become almost machine-like themselves?

In this conversation with Kate Jones, founder of Neon and architect of Deeply Human® leadership, we explore why humanity is not the opposite of performance, but one of the conditions that enables people and teams to perform at their best.

We discuss what Kate calls the 'hamster wheel' of modern work, where pace, task focus and constant delivery can squeeze out reflection, creativity and meaningful connections and relationships. We also explore how leaders can create connection in remote and global teams, and why care is something people need to experience, not simply an intention.

Kate's challenge is clear - demonstrating high levels of humanity as a leader does not mean accepting lower standards or weaker performance. Leaders can make tough decisions, expect high performance and still lead with care, connection and compassion.

Kate Jones brings 30 years of experience in leadership, organisational culture and change, including 20 years across social work and corporate consulting before founding Neon in 2013. Her work focuses on helping purpose-led organisations build leadership capability without losing the human qualities that create trust, connection and wellbeing.

What you will learn:

• Why humanity and high performance are not opposites
• How the 'hamster wheel' of work can make leaders increasingly disconnected
• Why self-awareness is the starting point for more human leadership
• Focusing on relationships to change the impact of conversations
• Ways to build genuine connection across remote and global teams
• Why self-care is a leadership responsibility, not an optional extra
• How small, everyday choices can communicate care

When has the pace made you less connected to the people around you?

What are the small ways you could communicate care to your team?

Resources:

• Connect with Kate Jones on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katerjones
• Learn more about Kate Jones' Deeply Human® leadership work and Neon: https://deeplyneon.com
• Find all of Kate Jones' links here: https://linktr.ee/katejonesneon
• Discover your leadership archetype with Kate Jones' quiz: https://neon4.scoreapp.com/
• Listen to the audiobook of Become a Global Leader: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Become-a-Global-Leader-Audiobook/B0HGYF1LHR
• Read the book, Become a Global Leader: https://culturecuppa.com/book/
• Follow Victoria on LinkedIn for more global leadership, strategic communication and Cultural Intelligence insights: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-rennoldson
• Talk to Victoria about you or your team's leadership development: https://culturecuppa.com/contact/

Watch the video of this Episode here:

• Escaping the Leadership Hamster Wheel with Kate Jones: https://youtu.be/mzJA5H0icuQ

Read this Episode's Blog post here:

• Humanity is the Leadership Advantage: https://culturecuppa.com/humanity-is-the-leadership-advantage/

What can 200 conversations teach us about leadership?

This is a very special episode, celebrating 4 years and 200 episodes of the podcast. When I started, the show was called Cultural Communication Confidence and every episode was solo. Since then, the podcast, my work and my own thinking have evolved, shaping not only the topics we explore here, but the questions we have been asking the guests who have joined us.

For this very special episode 200, I look back at 6 ideas from recent conversations that have stuck in my head, and I believe deeply matter to leaders now.

Very different perspectives and ideas from a range of guest experts and leaders, but one thought connects them all- being a human leader.

What we explore in this episode:

• Why leadership is an apprenticeship
• Are we outsourcing too much judgement to AI
• Courageous leadership under pressure
• How to create impact without simply becoming louder
• What your ego may be trying to protect you from
• Listening and silence in multicultural teams

Which idea most changes your perspective?

Resources:

• Explore more podcast episodes: https://culturecuppa.com/podcast
• Listen to the audiobook: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Become-a-Global-Leader-Audiobook/B0HGYF1LHR
• Read the book: https://culturecuppa.com/book/
• Follow Victoria on LinkedIn for more global leadership, strategic communication and Cultural Intelligence insights: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-rennoldson
• Talk to Victoria about you or your team's leadership growth: https://culturecuppa.com/contact/

Listen to the full guest episodes:

• Leadership is an Apprenticeship with Helen Brocklebank - https://culturecuppa.com/podcasts/188-leadership-is-an-apprenticeship-with-helen-brocklebank/
• Are you outsourcing your judgement to AI? with Rahim Hirji - https://culturecuppa.com/podcasts/192-are-you-outsourcing-your-judgement-to-ai-with-rahim-hirji/
• The Courage to Lead with Humanity, with Diana Osagie - https://culturecuppa.com/podcasts/196-the-courage-to-lead-with-humanity-with-diana-osagie/
• Unique is Better than Better, Impactful Communication with Andrea Wojnicki - https://culturecuppa.com/podcasts/178-unique-is-better-than-better-impactful-communication-with-andrea-wojnicki/
• Ego in Leadership with Mary Gregory - https://culturecuppa.com/podcasts/163-ego-in-leadership-with-mary-gregory/
• Cultural Intelligence, From Knowledge to Action, with Lucy Butters - https://culturecuppa.com/podcasts/167-cultural-intelligence-from-knowledge-to-action-with-lucy-butters/

Watch the video of this Episode here:

• 6 Leadership Ideas from 200 Episodes - https://youtu.be/BUQ1lKBHuqo

Read this Episode's Blog post here:

• 6 leadership ideas from 200 episodes - https://culturecuppa.com/6-leadership-ideas-from-200-episodes/

What are you communicating before you even say a word?

In this conversation with Jude Jennison, founder of Leaders by Nature, we explore how unconscious non-verbal behaviour shapes trust, relationships and leadership impact.

Jude spent 17 years at IBM before developing her methodology that uses horses to reveal the behaviours leaders may not realise they are bringing into their professional relationships.

We discuss how stress, fear and past experiences can influence behaviour, especially during uncertainty, even when leaders believe they are presenting as calm and confident.

She shares why horses are so powerful at revealing incongruence between what we feel and what we project, and how this can expose patterns around trust, control, compassion and clarity.

Jude has coached more than 5,000 leaders, written 3 leadership books, and describes horses as the most honest feedback mechanism leaders can engage in.

What you will learn:

• How unconscious behaviours affect leadership impact
• Why uncertainty amplifies unhelpful default patterns
• What your non-verbal behaviour reveals about trust and psychological safety in your team
• The way to give and receive feedback without judgement
• The changes that can shift a difficult relationship

How aware are you of what you communicate non-verbally when under pressure?

Resources:

• Connect with Jude Jennison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judejennison/
• Learn more about Jude's leadership work with horses: https://www.leadersbynature.com
• Read Jude's books, 'Leading through uncertainty' and 'OPUS: The Hidden Dynamics of Team Performance': https://www.leadersbynature.com/books
• Listen to the new audiobook of Become a Global Leader: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Become-a-Global-Leader-Audiobook/B0HGYF1LHR
• Read the book, Become a Global Leader:https://culturecuppa.com/book/
• Follow Victoria on LinkedIn for more global leadership, strategic communication and Cultural Intelligence insights: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-rennoldson
• Talk to Victoria about you or your team's leadership development: https://culturecuppa.com/contact/

Watch the video of this Episode here:

• The Non-Verbal Behaviours Shaping Trust with Jude Jennison: https://youtu.be/UAgi8ys4tWA

Read this Episode's Blog post here:

• What are you Communicating Unconsciously? https://culturecuppa.com/what-are-you-communicating-unconsciously/

What kind of leader do you need to become now?

Leadership has not stood still over the last 12 months. AI is accelerating, workplace expectations are shifting and organisations are navigating growing uncertainty. So this episode explores a deeper question for ambitious professionals - not only what do you want to achieve, but who do you need to become?

I reflect on why human capabilities matter even more now, especially confidence, clarity, Cultural Intelligence and challenging conversations, the four pillars at the heart of my work.

Plus, in this episode, I share the latest thinking behind the audiobook edition of Become a Global Leader, including why I recorded a new bonus chapter.

What you will learn in this episode:

• The leadership shift from 'what you need to achieve' to 'who you need to become'
• How AI makes human leadership capabilities more important
• A new definition for confidence in this context
• How leaders can create clarity when answers are uncertain
• How Cultural Intelligence helps leaders develop greater range to respond
• What recording an audiobook taught me about being human

Where do you need to experiment more?

Which human capability do you most need to focus on?

Resources:

• Listen to the new audiobook of Become a Global Leader: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Become-a-Global-Leader-Audiobook/B0HGYF1LHR
• Read the book, Become a Global Leader: https://culturecuppa.com/book/
• Follow Victoria on LinkedIn for more global leadership, strategic communication and Cultural Intelligence insights: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-rennoldson
• Talk to Victoria about you or your team's leadership development: https://culturecuppa.com/contact/

Watch the video of this Episode here:

• The Human Capabilities Leaders Need Now: https://youtu.be/9yRSNVf_TnE

Read this Episode's Blog post here:

• Who do you need to become as a leader? https://culturecuppa.com/who-do-you-need-to-become-as-a-leader/

What does it really take to influence when you do not have formal authority?

In this conversation with Laura Sellers, global executive and team coach for Procurement professionals, we explore why influence, confidence and relationship-building are essential leadership capabilities for professionals who want to elevate their impact across an organisation.

Laura shares why introverted energy is not a barrier to influence or leadership presence, and how some of the most impactful leaders are not the loudest in the room, but those who choose their moment, build strong relationships and communicate with intention.

We discuss the shift many professionals need to make as they become more senior, moving from technical expertise into relationship-based influence. This is especially important when you are influencing without authority, working across functions, collaborating remotely or navigating cultural differences.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why introverted energy can be a strength in leadership and influence
• How to challenge narrow ideas of what confidence should look like
• Ethical influence is not manipulation
• Why relationships are central to influencing without authority
• 'What does good look like?'- a simple question for complex dynamics
• How the drama triangle can help you understand conflict patterns
• Bringing more of yourself into your leadership

How does your natural communication style help you influence, and where might it need to flex?

Before you step into a difficult conversation, what role could you be playing in the relationship dynamic?

What part of yourself might you be leaving behind when you communicate in a different culture, language or context?

Resources:

• Connect with Laura Sellers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-sellers/
• Visit Laura Sellers' website: https://www.coachingforprocurement.co.uk/
• Buy Victoria's book, Become a Global Leader:https://culturecuppa.com/book/
• Follow Victoria on LinkedIn for more strategies, ideas and inspiration: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-rennoldson

Watch the video of this Episode here:

• How to Influence without Authority, with Laura Sellers: https://culturecuppa.com/podcasts/197-how-to-influence-without-authority-with-laura-sellers/

Read this Episode's Blog post here:

• Why influence starts with relationships: https://culturecuppa.com/why-influence-starts-with-relationships/

Courageous leadership is often misunderstood as being bold, forceful or unafraid.

In this conversation with Diana Osagie, leadership coach, trainer, consultant, author and keynote speaker, we explore a much more human definition of courage at work.

Diana's core idea is that courageous leadership means staying human when the situation is challenging you to become something else. Under pressure, many leaders revert to the habits that keep them safe, but those habits may not be what the team or organisation needs.

She challenges us to consider whether we care enough to hold up the mirror, tell the truth and help people do excellent work, even when that may feel uncomfortable.

Diana also introduces Juggernaut Thinking, her approach to helping leaders and organisations build deeper clarity around what they are for, how they behave under pressure and what they need to stop carrying.

Diana is the founder of Courageous Leadership Consultancy and The Academy of Women's Leadership. With 26 years' experience leading secondary education, she brings deep practical insight into leading under pressure, alongside her work as an author of five books on leadership.

What you will learn in this episode:

• How pressure can push leaders into unhelpful habit patterns
• What it means to stay human when leadership feels difficult
• What professional love encompasses, and how it supports accountability
• The role of clean motivations in difficult conversations
• The cultural dynamics in courageous conversations
• A practical structure for speaking truth to power with respect
• Diana's framework, Juggernaut Thinking

What habits do you default to under pressure?

How comfortable are you holding your team truly accountable?

What does courageous leadership look like to you?

Resources:

• Connect with Diana Osagie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-osagie
• Visit Diana Osagie's website: https://www.courageousleadership.co.uk/
• Buy Diana Osagie's book: Courageous Leadership: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Courageous-Leadership-quash-tummy-butter/dp/1527249182
• Buy Diana Osagie's book: Juggernaut Thinking: https://www.courageousleadership.co.uk/services/juggernaut-thinking/
• Buy Victoria's book, Become a Global Leader: https://culturecuppa.com/book/
• Follow Victoria on LinkedIn for more strategies, ideas and inspiration: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-rennoldson

Watch the video of this Episode here:

• The Courage to Lead with Humanity, with Diana Osagie - https://culturecuppa.com/podcasts/196-the-courage-to-lead-with-humanity-with-diana-osagie

Read this Episode's Blog post here:

• Stay Human as a Leader when under Pressure - https://culturecuppa.com/stay-human-as-a-leader-when-under-pressure/

What if your great work is not seen? Many ambitious professionals believe that if they do excellent work, deliver results and make a meaningful contribution, their impact will naturally be noticed.

It is a belief that often is born from integrity, modesty and a strong work ethic, sometimes from cultural norms, yet as you move towards more senior levels, this belief can quietly hold you back.

In this episode, I explore why great work is not always the same as visible impact, and why taking responsibility for your positioning is not about ego, arrogance or self-promotion.

This is a challenge I see often with high-performing experienced professionals. You could be solving problems before they escalate, joining the dots across complexity, influencing behind the scenes, and using your skills to move projects forward. Yet much of that contribution can remain invisible, especially to stakeholders outside your immediate team.

If you are preparing for your next promotion, stepping into a broader leadership role or aiming to be seen as more strategic, waiting to be noticed is not a strategy, visibility and positioning are both key.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why great work does not always speak for itself
• How invisible work can limit recognition, influence and career progression
• Why you might feel uncomfortable talking about your impact
• The difference between self-promotion and strategic positioning
• How to articulate the value you create to the 'right people'
• A three-part structure to talk about your leadership impact

This episode is especially relevant if you are capable but unseen, experienced but still doubting yourself, or wondering why your hard work is not creating the career momentum you hoped for.

This is an important reminder that excellence needs to be visible in the right rooms, how much of your real value could sit in the work others never see, and how your hard work could need translating into visible leadership impact.

Where are you still hoping your work will speak for itself?

What value are you creating that people may not fully see yet?

How could you make your thinking and contribution more visible this week?

Resources:

• Explore Victoria's book, Become a Global Leader. Get your copy:https://culturecuppa.com/book/
• Follow Victoria on LinkedIn for more global leadership, strategic communication and Cultural Intelligence insights: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-rennoldson
• Talk to Victoria about your visibility challenges:https://culturecuppa.com/contact/

Watch the video of this Episode here:

• Why Great Work Does Not Speak For Itself - https://youtu.be/xE980ZU7ICI

Read this Episode's Blog post here:

• Are People Seeing the Value You Bring? - https://culturecuppa.com/are-people-seeing-the-value-you-bring/

What helps a story travel across cultures? In global organisations influenced by Western communication styles, leaders often rely heavily on data, logic, evidence and carefully structured presentations to create impact. Those things matter, but they are rarely what people remember most.

What people take away is the meaning they attach to your messages, and in leadership, storytelling shapes how you build trust, make ideas memorable, influence stakeholders, communicate change and help people connect with a shared purpose.

Yet a story that resonates in one cultural context may not land in another if the references, humour, metaphors, assumptions or emotional signals do not translate, even if you are communicating within one organisation.

In this conversation with Ned Legaspi, cultural intelligence educator, author and former media executive from the Philippines, we explore why storytelling has become such an important leadership communication skill, especially for professionals working across cultures, markets and diverse teams.

Ned brings over 30 years of experience in storytelling and cross-cultural communication, including senior media leadership experience and teaching communication. He is the author of Culturally Intelligent Storytelling for Southeast Asian Creators and a CQ Fellow.

Together, we explore universal human themes, but why cultural translation is vital if your stories are to land. Hope, loss, family and belonging may be universal human experiences, but the way they are expressed, interpreted and emotionally received is deeply shaped by culture.

Ned shares his Bamboo Framework as a practical way to think about culturally intelligent storytelling for leaders, and has clear relevance for global professionals who need their ideas to connect across cultural boundaries.

Ultimately, storytelling is about audience awareness, cultural adaptation and the ability to communicate meaning in a way others can recognise and trust.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why storytelling is now one of the most important communication skills for leaders
• How stories help make strategy and business messages more memorable and meaningful
• Why universal themes do not automatically create universal connection
• How culture shapes attitudes to humour, authority, conflict, belonging and emotional expression
• Why metaphors, idioms and local references can create distance when they do not translate
• Ned's Bamboo Framework to help you think about storytelling across cultures
• Why understanding your own cultural DNA is the starting point for communicating across difference
• What Western leaders can learn from Southeast Asian perspectives on communication, relationships and time

This conversation offers a great reminder that global influence is about understanding the cultural context in which your message lands and shows why culturally adjusted storytelling can help you connect, build trust, and make your ideas memorable.

How culturally adaptable are the stories you tell?

What idioms, humour, or metaphors could be limiting how your message lands across cultures?

Resources:

• Connect with Ned Legaspi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nedlegaspi
• Visit Ned Legaspi's website: https://http://www.nedlegaspi.com
• Buy Ned Legaspi's book: https://nedlegaspi.com/buy/
• Buy Victoria's book, Become a Global Leader:https://culturecuppa.com/book/
• Follow Victoria on LinkedIn for more strategies, ideas and inspiration: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-rennoldson

Read this Episode's Blog post here:

• Cultural Intelligence in Storytelling - https://culturecuppa.com/cultural-intelligence-in-storytelling/

What does neuroinclusive communication look like at work?

Many leaders want to create inclusive teams, but do not always know what that means in everyday interactions and communication in meetings and conversations. It is one thing to value difference in principle, but another to understand how communication styles, meeting structures, sensory needs, processing time and psychological safety can be shaped so people feel able to speak and truly contribute.

In this conversation with Sara Bagheri, Communication and Voice Consultant, we explore the intersection between communication and neuroinclusion, with a particular focus on ADHD in the workplace.

Sara holds a Bachelor of Science in Speech, Language and Voice Therapy and works with professionals and organisations to transform how they communicate in speaking environments such as panels, conferences, podcasts and high-stakes interviews.

Together, we explore why neurodiversity is part of the wider human experience of how our brains process information, behaviour and communication differently. Sara shares how ADHD may show up in workplace communication and how behaviours can be misinterpreted.

This conversation connects closely to Cultural Intelligence because both require us to question assumptions. Whether we are working across cultures, languages, generations or neurotypes, leaders need to ask- whose communication style is being rewarded, whose voice is being missed, and what conditions allow more people to contribute their ideas?

Sara's insights and strategies are a valuable reminder that inclusive communication benefits everyone, and improves clarity, participation and psychological safety for the whole team.

What you will learn in this episode:

• What neurodiversity, neurotypical and neurodivergent mean, and why the language matters
• How ADHD can show up through communication, interaction and behaviour at work
• Why directness, urgency, going off on a tangent, or high energy can be misinterpreted
• The ways in which meeting preparation, agendas and clear expectations invite better contribution
• The strengths of those with ADHD and the benefits to the whole team of different communication and participation styles
• Ways for managers to support and reduce the cognitive load for neurodiverse team members
• How meetings can be adapted to support sensory needs and processing time

This conversation is ultimately about creating workplaces where individuals have the space to communicate, contribute or lead in their own way.

For leaders, this means becoming more aware of your own communication preferences, noticing the styles you may unconsciously reward, and creating spaces where different people can participate without having to mask, over-adapt or exhaust themselves to fit in.

What assumptions could you be making about a team member's communication style?

Whose voice is missing from your meetings?

Resources:

• Visit Sara Bagheri's website: https://www.fluencecomms.co.uk/
• Connect with Sara Bagheri on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarafluencecomms/
• Find out more about Victoria's book, Become a Global Leader: https://culturecuppa.com/book/
• Follow Victoria on LinkedIn for more strategies, ideas and inspiration: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-rennoldson

Read this Episode's Blog post here:

• ADHD & Neurodiversity: The Communication Barriers your Team could be Struggling with - https://culturecuppa.com/adhd-neurodiversity-the-communication-barriers-your-team-could-be-struggling-with/