Cultural intelligence (CQ) is knowing that when you walk into a room — or a TEAMS call — not everyone experiences what happens in that meeting the same way you do.

It’s the awareness that your “direct” might be someone else’s “rude,” your “humble” might read as “unqualified,” and your silence might land as agreement when it’s actually discomfort.

It’s what makes a good leader genuinely trustworthy — to everyone in the room, not just the ones who think like them.

And in an AI-driven world, CQ is becoming more and more critical for effective leadership.