Compatible

This week is special, with several international cultural and religious events happening at the same time! The diversity of our world never ceases to fascinate me.

Yesterday, the Lunar New Year welcomed the Fire Horse 🧧 Today, Ramadan 🌙 and Lent ✝ begin

Chinese (Lunar) New Year marks the start of the lunar calendar. 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse, symbolising energy, courage, and a strong will — a year for bold action and transformation.

Ramadan is the holiest month in Islam. Many Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, but it’s also a time for generosity, self-reflection, and spiritual connection.

Lent lasts 40 days before Easter. Rooted in Jesus’ 40 days in the desert, it’s a period of prayer, fasting, and reflection, helping Christians reconnect with their values.

We’re not talking small numbers: over 2 billion celebrate Chinese New Year, roughly 2 billion observe Ramadan, and close to 1 billion observe Lent. These are major rhythms of life for a huge part of the world — and in a global workplace, they should be normalised and respected.

Practical tips for teams:
• Awareness: Share short guides on these observances.
• Flexibility: Adjust hours or meetings for fasting, reflection, or family time.
• Open dialogue: Invite colleagues to share and educate teammates about their traditions.

This week is a beautiful reminder of the cultural richness around us!

🧧 Happy New Year — may the Fire Horse bring you energy, courage, and transformation.
🌙 Ramadan Mubarak!
✝ Happy Lent!

Cultural Intelligence in 2026 is about how leaders prevent escalation, govern AI responsibly, and keep organisations functional under pressure.

In this carousel, I outline five trends shaping Cultural Intelligence — from risk and resilience to behaviour-based inclusion, AI governance, and leadership capability.

Click the link in my bio to read the full newsletter.

Grateful to share “The Architecture of Cultural Intelligence”, featured by INSPO / Thought Leaders Digest.

I wrote this piece from a simple but important observation: leaders today are asked to manage people and navigate complexity across cultures, time zones, and norms in a highly technology-enabled world.

While it may look like we are getting closer, the truth is that human connection cannot be replaced by technology.

Technology connects systems. It is a means to an end but I believe Cultural Intelligence (CQ) connects people.

The paradox for leaders today is clear: the more globally connected we become, the more intentional we must be about human connection.

In the article, I explore CQ as a practical leadership discipline, focusing on three key capabilities:
- Perspective-taking: interpreting before judging
- Adaptive communication: transmitting meaning without losing authenticity
- Tolerance for ambiguity: staying grounded when clarity is scarce

Drawing on two decades of CQ research and real-world examples from organizations, the piece reframes cultural intelligence as a source of inclusion, agility, and trust at scale.

Thank you to INSPO for amplifying this conversation.

👉 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eXFf4MuJ

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