This week, I had the privilege of speaking with Kristina, whose career as a global COO has spanned industries, continents, and complex organisational systems.
Our conversation was a fascinating exploration of what it means to lead sustainably not just across teams, but across time zones, cultures, and markets.
Leading at this level means balancing global consistency with local nuance, understanding when to adapt, when to listen, and when to hold firm. And in that balance, Kristina shared some powerful lessons worth reflecting on.
1. Trust and respect your team on the ground. They know their market best, the context, the culture, the customer. True leadership means empowering them to lead locally.
“Say you don’t know and ask for their opinion irrespective of hierarchy or title.”
2. Allow your team to make mistakes but make learning visible. The key is creating psychological safety for people to learn in the open which leads to better outcomes all round
3. Defend what’s important: your identity and your team’s. Whether facing gender bias, cultural pressure, or corporate politics, Kristina reminds us that boundaries are essential. Respect isn’t given; it’s modelled.
4. Build your own ecosystem for sustainability.
Core people No one sustains leadership alone. Kristina emphasised the importance of having sparring partners, people who challenge, listen, and offer perspective.
Self-care
Look after yourself physically, emotionally, and mentally leads to more sustainable energy, having some areas as non-negotiable
If you’re leading across geographies, here are some techniques to anchor your leadership:
Establish your “core rhythm.”Time zones can fragment connections. Create predictable rhythms, global stand-ups, weekly async summaries, or rotating meeting times so every team feels included.
Adapt your communication lens. Directness means respect in some cultures and confrontation in others. Use “mirroring” to listen for the tone and phrasing your team uses and match their style without losing authenticity.
Reference: The Practice of “Co-Elevation” (Keith Ferrazzi) In distributed teams, the best leaders shift from “managing people” to “co-elevating peers.” Mutual accountability lifting each other while delivering results.
Make learning collective.When mistakes happen, turn them into shared retrospectives rather than private corrections. It signals psychological safety and normalises growth.
Invest in cultural intelligence (CQ). CQ is a powerful tool for building empathy and agility in global teams.
Drive (motivation to work across cultures)
Knowledge (understanding cultural norms)
Strategy (planning for cross-cultural interactions)
Action (adapting behaviour effectively)
Developed by Christopher Earley & Soon Ang, CQ focuses on four capabilities:
Protect your energy cycles. Global leaders live in overlapping days. Build micro-buffers short breaks, clear boundaries, digital quiet hours to maintain clarity and empathy.
Leading across borders is as much about humility and trust as it is about strategy and structure. If we lead with curiosity, respect, and self-awareness, we can deliver stronger results, build cultures that can sustain themselves long after we’ve logged off for the day.
Kristina’s key takeawaysSome additional Practical Takeaways from Industry-Recognised Practices✨ Reflection
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