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Find past editions of the MAKING GLOBAL WORK newsletter below.
How AI Highlights the Value of Language Workers
AI is not replacing language professionals. I believe it is showing the world why their judgment, cultural fluency, and human nuance matter more than ever.
Why Global Workers Should Be Running the Company
People who work across borders learn skills that translate directly into great leadership. Here is why I think global experience belongs in the C-suite.
The Hidden Trade-Offs of a Global Life
Living and working internationally brings huge rewards. It also comes with quiet costs that no one talks about until you live them yourself.
Networking Beyond Your Comfort Zone
The most valuable connections rarely come from your usual circles. Here is how to build relationships outside the familiar and why it pays off.
What a Reader’s Questions Taught Me about Career Growth
A reader’s thoughtful questions for me sparked fresh thinking on how careers actually grow. The answers matter for anyone navigating their next move.
The Power of Selective Curiosity
Curiosity is a strength, but only when it is focused. Learn how to choose what to be curious about so your attention compounds over time.
The Invisible Skill Behind Career Growth
There is one skill almost no one teaches, but every successful leader has. Here is how to spot it and build it in yourself.
The Math Most People Get Wrong about AI
Most predictions about AI miss a basic calculation. Understanding the real math changes how you should think about your career and your company.
Pulling Yourself Continually Upward
Career growth is not a single leap. It is a daily practice of small, deliberate moves that lift you over time.
Why Local Employees Are Brand Ambassadors
Your people in each market are your most powerful brand asset. Here is how to recognize and unlock their value.
Tuning Out the Noise, Tuning Into What Matters
Modern work is loud. Learn how to filter the signal from the noise so you can focus on what actually moves your career and company forward.
Why 70% of International Expansion Efforts Fail
Most global expansion efforts fall short. Here are the patterns behind the failures and what the successful 30% do differently.
Thinking Like a General Manager
GM thinking is one of the most valuable mindsets in business. Learn how to develop it, even if your title says something else.
The Gravitational Pull of Your Home Market
Companies often default to their home market without realizing it. This invisible force quietly limits global growth.
Four LinkedIn Moments That Changed My Career Trajectory
Four specific moments on LinkedIn shaped the path of my career. Each one offers a lesson you can apply to your own.
Lateral Moves as Strategic Repositioning, Not Detours
A lateral move is not a step backward. Done well, it can reposition your career for a much bigger leap forward.
Why Sequential Ambition is Better Than Having It All
Trying to have everything at once leads to burnout. Pursuing your goals in sequence gets you further with less cost.
You’re Not the Problem: How to Survive After Layoffs
Being laid off is hard, but it is not a verdict on your worth. Here is how to think clearly and move forward when it happens.
Great leaders do more than set direction. They help others believe in what is possible, especially when the path is unclear.
Most meetings waste time. A few simple shifts I routinely use can turn them into the most valuable hour of your week.
The phrase “having it all” only works if you define what “all” means to you. Without that definition, you will always feel as if you’re not doing enough.
Closing the Gap Between Strategy and Execution
Strategy is easy to write and hard to execute. Here is how to close the gap that derails most plans.
The Many Ways to Define Ambition
Ambition does not look the same for everyone. Understanding your own version of it is the first step to building a career that fits.
Balancing Urgency and Patience
Great careers and great companies need both speed and patience. Knowing when to push and when to wait is a skill worth practicing.
How We Grew HubSpot’s International Revenue 25X
A behind-the-scenes look at how HubSpot scaled internationally. The lessons apply whether you run a startup or a large company.
The Best Revenge? Keep On Going
When people doubt you or knock you down, the strongest response is to keep going. Here is why persistence is the ultimate answer.
Speaking to Both Heart and Head
The best communicators reach people on two levels at once. Learn how to balance logic and emotion in everything you say.
Creating to Find Our Community
When you create and share your work, the right people find you. Here is how creating becomes the fastest path to belonging.
Career Lessons I Learned as a Fulbright Scholar
A Fulbright shaped my view of the world and of work. The lessons go far beyond academics.
The Compound Interest of Work Relationships
Relationships at work compound the same way money does. Small investments today pay surprisingly large dividends years later.
Why So Many Job Searches Miss the Mark
Most job searches focus on the wrong things. A small shift in approach can make all the difference in finding the right role.
Work Wisdom from Construction Workers
A surprising amount of career wisdom comes from watching people build things. Here is what construction workers can teach knowledge workers.
Sustainable High Performance vs Work-Life Balance
Work-life balance is not the right goal for everyone. Sustainable high performance is a more useful frame, and here is how to build it.
Becoming Who You’re Actually Meant to Be
Most people drift into a version of themselves shaped by others. The real work is becoming who you were meant to be all along.
Your unique strengths are easy to overlook because they seem easy to you. Learn how to spot them and put them to work.
Who Really Knows What’s Good and What’s Bad?
What feels like a setback today often turns out to be a gift. A reminder that the story of your career rarely runs in a straight line.
Nando’s Serves Up World-Class Marketing
How Nando’s built one of the most distinctive global brands in food. Their approach offers lessons for any marketer expanding internationally.
Dealing with High-Conflict Personalities
Some people drain energy from every room they enter. Here is how to protect yourself and your team from high-conflict personalities at work.
Adapt the Message, Preserve the Meaning
Going global is not about translating words. It is about preserving meaning while adapting the message for each market.
50 Things I’ve Learned in 50 Years
Fifty lessons from fifty years of life and work. Some are practical, some are personal, all are honest.
Using Hard Times to Build Resilience
Hard times are not just something to survive. They are the raw material for resilience, if you know how to use them.
Leading People Through Uncertainty
Uncertainty is the new normal at work. Here is how to lead a team well when no one knows what comes next.
The Power of Self-Marketing In Your Career and Life
Self-marketing is not about marketing yourself to others. It’s about reinforcing messages to yourself, until you change your own beliefs about yourself.
How to Evaluate Workplace Culture
Culture decides whether you thrive or struggle at a company. Here is how to evaluate it before you accept the offer.
A bias for action separates great teams from average ones. Here is how to build it in yourself and the people around you.
How Location Dependency Blocks Global Growth
When everything depends on one office, global growth stalls. Learn how to spot location dependency and design around it.
Why Your Character Is Your Legacy
Titles and accomplishments fade. The way you treat people is what people remember and what becomes your legacy.
Follow the Growth & Build a Great Career
Going where the growth is matters more than going where the prestige is. Here is how to spot real growth and follow it.
What Being Abducted Taught Me About Living
The story of how I was abducted at gunpoint, an experience that changed how I think about fear, time, and what matters in work and in life.
How AI Will Unlock a New Era of Creativity
AI is often framed as a threat to creative work. The reality is that it could spark the largest creative boom in human history.
Empathy grows when we are close to people who are different from us. Here is why proximity matters more than any training program.
How You Hire Can Make or Break Your Career
The people you hire shape your reputation as a leader more than your own work does. Here is how to hire with that truth in mind.
A strong personal brand opens doors you never knew existed. Here is how to build one that actually reflects who you are.
What the Best Global Brands Do Differently
Great global brands share a few core habits. Once you see them, you can apply them at any scale.
Why Global B2B Marketing Isn’t Easy
B2B marketing across borders is harder than most leaders expect. Here is what trips up even experienced teams and how to avoid it.
Why Weaknesses Are Also Strengths
The traits you see as weaknesses often hold your greatest strengths. Learn how to flip the script on what you have been told to fix.
The Importance of Thinking Before Doing
In a world that rewards speed, real thinking has become rare. Here is why slowing down to think first is one of the highest-leverage habits in business.
What It’s Like to Be an Author
An honest look at what writing books really involves. The reality is harder, slower, and more rewarding than most people imagine.
Most success comes from doing simple things consistently well. Here is how to be brilliant at the basics in any role.
How Metrics Help Global Teams Come Together
The right metrics align global teams in ways no town hall can. Here is how to pick metrics that bring people together instead of pulling them apart.
Why Global Marketers Don’t Use Local Assets
Local marketing assets often go unused at the global level. Here is why that happens and how to fix it.
The Why of Your International Career | Remembering Susan Wojcicki
On the deeper why behind an international career, with reflections on the legacy of Susan Wojcicki.
Choosing the Best Company to Work With
Choosing where to work is one of the highest-stakes decisions of your career. Here is a clearer way to make the choice.
Why Consumer Brands Are the Very Best at Going Global
Consumer brands set the standard for global expansion. Here is what B2B and tech companies can learn from how they do it.
Cadbury’s Local Marketing | The Rise of the Global Native
How Cadbury wins through local-language marketing, plus the rise of a new kind of global professional: the global native.
International Pricing | Being the New Kid
How to price your product across markets, plus what to do when you are the new hire in a global organization.
Dove’s Global Beauty Movement | The Power of Being Consistent
Dove’s beauty movement is a master class in global brand consistency. Why staying consistent matters more for career growth than you think.
Europe’s Next Tech Unicorns | Becoming a Great Leader
Where Europe’s next tech unicorns are emerging, and the qualities that in my experience turn good managers into great leaders.
Competing for Global Sports Viewers | The Mid-Year Reset
How sports leagues compete for global attention, plus a practical guide to how I conduct a mid-year career reset.
Chanel’s Iconic Global Brand | Defining Your Career Eras
What makes Chanel’s brand iconic, and how thinking about your career in distinct eras can free you to grow, with examples from my own.
Lululemon’s Soaring Global Growth | Embracing Change
How Lululemon expands abroad, plus a fresh way to embrace change instead of resisting it.
Ralph Lauren Expands in China | The Importance of Being Measured
Inside Ralph Lauren’s China strategy, and why being measured beats being loud in your career.
Domino’s Pizza around the World | Failing vs Learning
How Domino’s became a global pizza giant, and how to tell the difference between a real failure and a useful lesson.
Expedia’s International Future | Building a Strong Team
Where Expedia is headed globally thanks to its new CEO, plus the building blocks of a team that actually delivers.
Dairy Queen Goes Big in China | Lessons from HubSpot in Japan
Dairy Queen’s bold move in China and what opening up our Tokyo office for HubSpot Japan taught me about scaling internationally.
South Africa Fuels Growth at Steve Madden | Breaking Up is Hard to Do
How South Africa is driving growth for Steve Madden, plus the under-discussed art of leaving a job well.
Respect for the Local | Building Your Personal Brand
Why respect for local markets is the foundation of global success, and how to build a personal brand that travels.
Workday’s Global Future | Being a Starry-Eyed Skeptic
Workday’s path to global growth, plus why the best leaders are both optimistic and skeptical at the same time.
Popeye’s Success in Local Markets | English Language Fatigue
How Popeye’s wins in local markets, and why English-language fatigue is a real and growing issue for global brands.
Hasbro’s Emerging Market Play | The Importance of Hiring
Hasbro’s bet on emerging markets and why hiring is the single most important thing leaders do.
“The Rock” Does International Expansion Right | Gathering In Person
What Dwayne Johnson’s brand teaches us about going global, and why gathering in person still matters in a remote world.
Owning International | Making Progress Against Goals
How Tanishq is taking on the U.S. market, what it means to truly own international, and how to track real progress against goals.
It’s Not Just America That Runs on Dunkin’ | The Importance of Following Through
Dunkin’s global story, plus why following through is the most underrated career skill of all.
Pepsi’s Global Launch | The Notion of Headquarters | Loneliness at Work
Inside Pepsi’s new and sweeping global launch, the changing meaning of headquarters, and the quiet truth about loneliness in modern work.
Shiseido’s Secrets to Global Growth | Underutilized Time Zone Tips | Your Life in Weeks
How Shiseido grows globally, smart ways to use time zones to your advantage, and a sobering but important exercise I recommend to map your life in weeks.
Local Market Share for Crocs | The GLOBE Principles | Building Your Network
Crocs’ approach to local market share, my GLOBE principles for international leadership, and a practical guide to network building.
Reese’s Rise in Europe | Krispy Kreme’s Expansion | Remembering Greenwood
Reese’s growing footprint in Europe, Krispy Kreme’s global moves, and reflections on the legacy of the Greenwood district from my recent visit there.
The NFL Goes Global | Expansion at Elemis | Rethinking Career Growth
How the NFL is going global, Elemis’s expansion strategy, and a fresh way to think about what career growth really means.
Universalization at L’oreal | Minority Languages | My Next Chapter with Zappi
L’Oréal’s universalization strategy, why minority languages matter to global brands, and the announcement of my next chapter at Zappi.
Local Lessons from Lego | Language as a Feature | Embracing Global Toil
Local-market lessons from Lego, treating language as a product feature, and the value of embracing the harder parts of global work.
Fogo de Chao’s Global Growth | Local Team Pain Points | Making Yourself Uncomfortable
How Fogo de Chão grows globally, the real pain points local teams face, and why deliberate discomfort is the fastest path to growth.
Under Armour’s International Acceleration | What the Best Global Teams Do
Under Armour’s push abroad, plus the habits that set the very best global teams apart from the rest.
Happy Joe’s Goes Global | The TAM Fallacy | Thoughts on Adaptability
Happy Joe’s surprising global push, why TAM math often misleads leaders, and how to build real adaptability into your career.
Jolibee’s Takes On the World | National Identity | Comparison vs Differentiation
Jollibee’s global ambitions, the role of national identity in global brands, and why differentiation beats comparison every time.
Global Growth Plays from Skechers | Giving Yourself the Gift of a Coach
How Skechers grows internationally, and why hiring a coach is one of the best gifts you can give your career.
Generational Views of Remote Work | Finding Meaningful Work
How different generations see remote work, plus a clear-eyed look at how to find work that actually means something to you.