07: Charlotta Oberg - Optimizing Your Cultural Intelligence

What does it take to be successful across cultures? Why is this important in our increasingly global village? How should we act to connect cross-culturally, and what are the benefits? In this episode of The Life:Optimized Show, my good friend and cultural intelligence expert, Charlotta Öberg and I dive into exploring these questions, and figuring out how to optimize your business and leadership with greater cross-cultural communication and connection, and how in this day and age this is not a novelty but an imperative. We also talk about broader social issues like racism, xenophobia, multiculturalism and inter-cultural relationships - both in terms of the inevitable challenges and the abundant opportunities that come with living in an increasingly global village, and making an active effort to engage with different cultures, around the world and in our own neighbourhoods. --- Charlotta Öberg has dedicated 15 years to responding to these questions, by equipping thousands of professionals around the world with Cultural Intelligence. She enables people who work across cultures, in multicultural societies and global business, to succeed and thrive. A sought after expert on cross-cultural matters, she is a keynote speaker, facilitator and writer. Originally from Sweden, she has lived and worked around the world, including Malaysia, China and the US. She now manages PRISMA Cross-Cultural Consultants, developing multicultural mindsets for organisations in Australia and beyond. Most recently, Charlotta worked for the Swedish government as a cultural diversity advisor, where she was awarded an EU project on Cultural Competence and nominated for the annual Diversity Prize. She has also headed up the London office of training firm Aperian Global, now her international partner. Charlotta holds a Masters Degree in Social Science with a focus on inter-cultural communication, and is a certified coach. She enjoys living in the global village that is Sydney with her family. You can learn more about Charlotta and her work at http://www.prismagroup.com.au.