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

Deliver effective feedback in 3 parts (Situation—Behavior—Impact) so the other person hears you without defensiveness.

Phrase every feedback in 3 sentences: situation, specific behavior, impact — no interpretation.

Sort your feedback on care personally × challenge directly — sweet spot: high in both.

Don't hoard feedback until annual review — give within 24 hours of event.

Monthly, publicly post appreciation of someone in your team with specific details on LinkedIn or Slack.

Write four sentences: Describe the behavior, Express the impact, Specify the change, Consequences.

When criticized, ask: "what specifically in X bothers you?" — forces clarity.

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.

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.

Prep your 1-on-1 with SBI + GROW: situation, behavior, impact, then open GROW questions.

Write a specific SBI thank-you to one colleague every day for two weeks.

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

End every meeting with: what worked (+) and what we change next time (Δ).

After any delegated task completes, deliver feedback in Situation-Behavior-Impact format.

Decline any meeting without a written agenda — politely cancel and request one.

Last 3 minutes: what worked? What do we improve next meeting?

Every successful change passes 8 steps in order — skipping any = likely failure.

Error defined as system problem not person — unlocks honest info without fear.

A frank 1-hour discussion: what 5 values do we want to work by, and what behaviors express them?

Frame feedback in 3 sentences: Situation, Behavior, Impact — strips bias, refocuses on behavior.

A 2×2: "Care Personally × Challenge Directly". Know which quadrant you're in with each report.

30 min with a top performer, 5 questions on "why you stay and why you might leave" before they actually consider leaving.

Ask 8 people around you 3 questions: what do I do well? what should I stop? what would you stop me from doing if you saw?

Instead of directing reports, give them full context to decide confidently themselves. You do this as leader.

4 steps: Describe (situation), Express (impact), Specify (change), Consequences (outcomes).

After the model answers, ask it to critique its own answer and improve it before final delivery.