The skills you need to succeed on today’s international stage are very different from a decade ago. Since the pandemic we have been shaken by war, rising interest rates and the meteoric advance of AI. The landscape is complex, unstable and ambiguous. Technical expertise still matters, yet companies now weigh soft skills more heavily when hiring and promoting.
Why? Because in this uncertain economy genuine leaders must stay flexible, clarify strategy amid ambiguity and mobilise teams across borders.
Move just one or two rungs up the ladder and you will oversee – or at least influence – a wide geography. To land on the promotion shortlist you must prove you can generate impact, collaborate laterally and think on your feet. Below are the three essential skill sets I see separating high-potential talent from the crowd.
Contents
- Mastering intercultural communication
- Building collaboration and networking
- Sharpening strategic vision and contextual awareness
1 | Mastering intercultural communication
“Intercultural” goes far beyond language and nationality. Gender, age, academic background – each forms its own culture, shaping the lens through which we view the world. True empathy means slipping on the other person’s tinted glasses: understanding the logic and values that drive their reality.
That demands two ingredients:
- Openness and respect for difference
- Interpersonal sensitivity – tact and timing
In most multinationals the local corporate culture is the baseline, yet the personal culture of your boss or peers deserves equal study. Curiosity about their norms prevents misunderstandings and speeds up cohesion.
Two common pitfalls among Taiwanese professionals
- Active listening & linear thinking – debate is rare at school, so many people hear words but miss subtext. Higher up the hierarchy you have less time to prove yourself; capturing the manager’s exact question and replying to it is critical. When feedback says “Be sharper”, often the issue is listening.
- Structuring the message – Western audiences expect the point first: aim, angle, evidence, call to action. Asian speakers may narrate context then reveal the point at the end – risking interruption or derailment long before the punch line.
2 | Building collaboration and networking
Teamwork is nothing new. What counts globally is your ability to weave a network and wield interpersonal influence.
International roles rely on partners you do not manage. You must win hearts, sell ideas, sometimes over a casual coffee. Relationship skills mingle emotional intelligence with strategic sense: who, when and how to approach.
Systemic coaching helps you rise above the chessboard, map the actors, decision flow and vested interests. Many professionals, Taiwanese and others, feel awkward about “office politics”. Yet reframed positively, networking is simply using the human system wisely. Western graduates learn it early during internships; it becomes the bedrock of later leadership.
3 | Sharpening strategic vision and contextual awareness
International executives must read geopolitics, ESG shifts, human-rights debates. A marketing plan or HR policy is not enough; you need a 360-degree lens that integrates legal, financial, social and environmental angles.
Social media makes every department transparent. Employer branding, crisis communication… decisions must be rapid yet far-sighted. Those who connect short-term action to long-term strategy stand out as future leaders.
Key takeaway
To get noticed in a multinational you must demonstrate these behavioural skills every day – from emotional intelligence and sharp reasoning to high-impact communication and coherent decision making. It is a 360-degree inner transformation.
This is exactly why I created the one-day intensive workshop “Succeeding in a Global Context”, blending proven coaching tools with my multi-country corporate experience.
Ready for personalised support?
- Free 40-minute discovery session
- Analyse your current situation and goals
- Identify the coaching format that suits you best
- Set concrete targets and spot potential blockers
- Experience my coaching approach first-hand
Click here to book your session and start amplifying your international impact!