The leader I coached was sharp, recently promoted, and stepping into a high-visibility international project. On paper, there was nothing to “fix.” And yet, before the first key meeting, there was a quiet concern, “I know what I want to achieve. I’m not sure how my leadership will be read.”

That sentence is the real reason intercultural meetings go sideways. Not because people lack competence, because signals get misread.

In one culture, authority is communicated through clarity and speed. In another, authority is communicated through structure, formality, and the choreography of who speaks when. In one setting, “direct” earns trust. In another, “direct” can feel careless or disrespectful. Same intent, different reception.

The executive mistake: assuming your default leadership signal is universal

Most executives prepare the content, agenda, data, decision options. But in intercultural settings, outcomes depend just as much on how meaning travels, and on who needs to feel aligned before anything is “real.”

So here is a preparation routine that keeps you efficient and sharp, without drowning in cultural detail.

A 4-step executive prep (10–15 minutes)

1) Perception check, observation vs interpretation
Write down what you’re observing, and what you’re assuming. This protects you from reacting to your own interpretation.

2) Values and respect signals
Clarify what matters most to you in this meeting, and what may matter most to them, especially status cues and respect signals.

3) Communication calibration
Decide what’s safer here, more direct vs more indirect, more formal vs more informal, explicit vs context-based, slower vs faster.

4) “Pack the suitcase”, situation and stakeholders
Map the situation, in-person or virtual, abroad or home, meeting type, and the stakeholder reality.
Who decides formally, who influences informally, and the question many leaders forget, who needs to feel consulted before a decision is “real”?

Leadership Signal Scan (incl. gender dynamics, where relevant)

This isn’t about worth. It’s about how leadership signals may be read in this specific context, and ensuring your authority and intent land accurately.

If you’re a woman leading the interaction, the goal is not to “perform” a role. The goal is to make leadership unmistakably clear from the first moment, which matters for any leader, and can be especially important for women in certain contexts. You don’t need to explain or declare authority, you can communicate it through presence and structure, by “radiating” leadership. Pick a few moves that strengthen clarity and trust, meeting choreography, who you acknowledge first, who you invite in early, and decision framing that is culturally readable, without overcompensating.

This matters for any leader, meeting design, turn-taking, credit, ownership, can either amplify expertise, or accidentally hide it. Strong leaders shape the conditions so the right contributions are visible and decisions stick.

The executive edge: authority and authenticity together

In the coaching session, the breakthrough was not “act different.” It was, keep your intent and values constant, and adapt the delivery system so your leadership is legible in that context.

That’s what authenticity looks like in international leadership, not repeating the same behaviors everywhere, making sure your intent lands accurately.

What to do before your next intercultural meeting

If you do nothing else, do this:

• Write down what you’re interpreting, and what else it could mean.
• Identify key status cues and respect signals in the room.
• Clarify the stakeholder reality, formal decider, informal influencers, hidden stakeholder check.
• Decide your opening, purpose, roles, decision flow, and your close, alignment and next steps.

Download the Executive Intercultural Meeting Prep Worksheet (10–15 minutes) and use it before your next meeting.
For high-stakes situations, book an executive prep session to align stakeholder dynamics, leadership signals, and decision flow in advance.
Book: Executive Fit Check (15 min)
Prefer email: sylvie@sylvieschoch.com

Coming next: Leading International Programs – Why multi-country programs stall on the people-layer: decision flow, escalation norms, stakeholder alignment, and a second worksheet for preparing specific high-stakes communication situations, WHO, WHERE, HOW, TO WHOM, WHAT, WHY.