Before a joke with a multicultural group, run it through a filter: does it rely on local wordplay?

Invent at least three plausible reasons for a behavior that upset you, before you judge.

Invest five minutes to say a foreign colleague's name correctly — the highest return per minute in workplace relationships.

To open trust in a new team, share your failure first — others will open up.

Before meeting a colleague from a new culture, read his country's 6 Hofstede dimensions.

In some cultures "yes" means "I heard", not "I agree" — ask explicitly.

French/Dutch tolerate direct critique; East-Asian needs it wrapped.

A magic question to thaw cold collegiality: "Tell me about [event/food/custom] in your culture".

In direct Anglo cultures, talk 60%/listen 40%; in East-Asian, reverse it.

Anonymously ask Edmondson's three questions to score your team's psychological safety.

Invite one person weekly for a simple 30-min tea — builds community fabric from zero.

Before asking a high-context colleague for something, reshape your direct ask into a polite hint.

Before gifting a foreign colleague, check 3 common cultural pitfalls that could turn it into an insult.

Before reading a colleague's silence in a meeting, ask: is it thinking, respect, or deferred refusal?

When talking across generations (a parent, a teen), switch to their preferred channel, not yours.

Before a joke or offhand remark about food/fasting/holidays, check the listener's religious considerations.

Before starting, imagine the project failed in six months and write down why.

Before any delegation, answer 7 questions in writing — send them with the handover.

Before confirming a decision, spend 10 minutes writing the counter-case forcefully.

One document answering every "how do we work here?" question for new hires.

Who influences whom? — draw network to know "who talks to whom to shift decision".

8 cultural scales (communicating, evaluating, persuading, leading, deciding, trusting, disagreeing, scheduling) to understand why your global team clashes.

Your quick intervention to stop every squabble robs your children of learning to solve it themselves — deliberate delay beats over-hasty intervention.