Today, at the U.S. Mission to the EU in Brussels, a selection of 15 lucky Leadarisers enjoyed an intimate lunchtime discussion on cross-cultural negotiation, dispute resolution and cultural bridge building with leading public diplomacy and international relations expert Akram R. Elias. Leadarise participants represented the public, political, security, hospitality and communications sectors leading to a rich and interesting discussion on the challenge of using cultural intelligence for better negotiation, societal integration and democracy. Mr Elias’s passion for the subject is infectious and we were delighted to gain insights from his deep understanding of American culture. In the diverse landscape of Europe, it is cultural intelligence that will ultimately bring us closer, but first we must understand ourselves, and our common values, in order to better relate to those around us.

Our four “take aways” from a man who knows cultural intelligence and public diplomacy like no other:

Self-leadership

Our ability…