Practical examples

International leadership team — Understanding each other’s styles and strengths

The challenge: An international management team of a tech company asked for a workshop to enhance mutual understanding and collaboration. Goals included clarifying individual strengths and blind spots, exploring team dynamics, improving feedback skills and raising intercultural awareness.

My approach: We started with a session based on individual Facet5 personality profiles. Team members reflected on their personal style and the collective team dynamic. We then used a business game to bring key themes like feedback, collaboration and cultural differences to life in a playful yet impactful way.

The result: The workshop deepened understanding of each other’s behaviours and motivations and offered practical tools for more effective collaboration, especially when differences become visible.

New team leads — From expert to leader

The challenge: A high-tech company asked for leadership training for new team leads managing international teams. These were strong technical experts, but relatively inexperienced in leadership or cross-cultural collaboration.

My approach: I designed a custom programme focused on intercultural leadership, effective communication and dealing with resistance. We used simulations, real-life examples from their work environment and a professional training actor to practise challenging conversations.

The result: Participants felt more confident in their leadership role, reported working less hard but achieving more, and managers observed noticeable improvement in ownership and collaboration.

International retail teams — Aligning across borders

The challenge: A retail organisation with branches in various countries asked for workshops for their international teams. The goal was to strengthen leadership, improve collaboration and build better alignment with the HQ.

My approach: I delivered localised workshops in each country, tailored to their context. We worked on themes like personal leadership, cross-border collaboration and recognising cultural differences in communication and decision-making. Practical exercises and reflection helped teams understand their own style and that of their colleagues.

The result: Teams felt more confident, started aligning more proactively with HQ and gained insight into how and why decisions are made in the Netherlands. The workshops built mutual understanding, streamlined communication and created a stronger sense of belonging.

Remote teams — Building connection from a distance

The challenge: An international organisation with a partly remote culture noticed growing disconnect within their teams. Interactions were limited, often online and functional. This led to misunderstandings, less empathy and an increasing sense of distance between colleagues.

My approach: In a workshop, we took time to truly see each other, not just as colleagues but as individuals with different values, patterns and communication styles. This fostered deeper understanding and humanised collaboration. We also made clear agreements: how we meet online, which channel for what kind of information and how we proactively stay in sync.

The result: Team members felt more seen and heard. They started reaching out more, took more ownership and collaborated more effectively. With better communication habits and more mutual understanding, trust increased and time was used more effectively.