Empathy at Scale: Leading a Global Workforce With Cultural Intelligence

Courtney White didn’t have a foolproof playbook to guide him when he started his two-decade career in global leadership. What he had was a set of assumptions that included a belief that organizational culture could be scaled like a process and that clarity was a universal concept. “What I found out over my time is that I was wrong,” White said during a thought leadership spotlight at From Day One’s October virtual conference. “Global workforce leadership isn’t just about strategy. It’s about stewardship. It really doesn’t require an individual to be everywhere. It just requires you to be deeply somewhere.”White, the head of HR for agricultural solutions, North America at BASF, was interviewed by Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, a business reporter at The Seattle Times, to discuss the nuances of managing international teams. He shared many hard-earned lessons, framing them as “tuition” paid for the masterclass in empathy, adaptability, and context that his experience in global leadership has given him. White says his first global project didn’t go to plan, primarily because he assumed the strategies he had successfully used in the U.S. would work for Latin America until a colleague gently pulled him aside to say, “We don’t do business before we do people.”“That was a moment that really resonated with me,” White said. “It cracked open my understanding that it really wasn’t about mastering geography. It was about mastering empathy, adaptability, and context.”The Three Pillars of Global LeadershipWhite turned his experience managing international teams into a core leadership philosophy that’s built on three strategies. First, elevate cultural intelligence by treating it as a critical leadership skill rather than a soft skill.Second, practice time zone empathy by using calendars thoughtfully to create a more inclusive environment and ensure team members aren’t consistently burdened by inconvenient hours.And lastly, champion local autonomy while maintaining global alignment—a balance that, as White notes, drives innovation and keeps teams accountable.White discussed a transformation project involving a Canadian team that was given the freedom to localize the rollout. “They didn’t just deliver it. They reimagined what could be done,” White said. Their version was so effective that it was adopted globally. “When you give people the room to lead, they don’t just often meet expectations, they redefine them.”The Pitfall of the "One-Size-Fits-All" PlaybookWhite notes that one of the most common traps for global leaders is the belief that “your way is the right way.” He recalled a time when he had to defend a global rollout that had failed in two of five regions. His choice was to double down or own the failure. He chose the latter.This mindset also impacts career development. A high-potential employee in Mexico was once passed over because she didn’t self-promote, as it conflicted with her cultural norms. “If you’re using the same playbook for career growth in Tokyo, Toronto, or Texas, you’re not advocating,” White said. “You’re assuming.”Courtney White of BASF spoke with Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton of the Seattle Times on the subject "Empathy at Scale: Fostering Global Collaboration" (photo by From Day One)This realization led White and his team at BASF to implement a “broad banding” system for careers that’s designed to honor local norms while operating within the organization’s global framework. “Talent shouldn’t be limited to geography or even cultural biases,” he said.White also learned the importance of time zone empathy the hard way, after scheduling a recurring meeting that was perfect for him, but required his colleague to join him at midnight. When he realized his error when the person missed his call, he apologized. “Inclusion has to be a practice, and time zone empathy is bigger than logistics,” White said. He and his team now rotate meeting times and rely more on asynchronous tools. “It’s another sign of leadership when the systems are designed such that they respect the fact that people have lives and not just output. You can’t build trust in a time zone you ignore.”The Secret Ingredient: Nuance in CommunicationCommunication is everything in a world where companies are increasingly made up of globally dispersed teams. White says nuance is the “secret ingredient” that makes conversations productive. He learned this lesson after telling a colleague at BASF’s German headquarters he needed something “ASAP.” They delivered it in 24 hours, though he had just meant sometime that week. The tone, timing, and translation of words all matter enormously. Now, White makes a habit of asking, “How did that land?” instead of assuming his message was understood.“Words travel fast,” White said. “What I’ve also learned, though, is that meaning doesn’t. And so as intentional as we are with the words, we have to be as intentional with the meaning.”Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(NanoStockk/iStock)