Leading across difference. The foundations.
Management training for new and first-time managers of international and multicultural teams. Six one-to-one sessions on communicating, setting goals, delegating, giving feedback and coaching — in ways that work for everyone in your team.
The BASIS Leadership Programme
- 1Level 1 · FoundationYou are hereLeading across difference
- 2Level 2 · PractitionerManaging friction and performance
- 3Level 3 · StrategicCulture as a leadership asset
Who Level 1 is for: new managers of international teams
Newly promoted team leaders
Your first team, and it spans nationalities, languages or professions.
Specialists turned managers
Engineers, researchers or consultants now leading former peers in a mixed team.
Managers who have relocated
You’ve moved, for example to Barcelona, and now lead a local or international team.
Leaders of hybrid and remote teams
Your people work across countries and time zones, and rarely in the same room.
Situations new managers bring to Level 1
- “My team says yes in the meeting, then does something different.”
- “Two people on my team can’t give each other feedback without someone getting hurt.”
- “The same two people talk in every meeting. The others never speak.”
- “Half my team wants clear instructions. The other half wants to be asked for ideas.”
- “Deadlines keep slipping, and nobody seems to think it’s a problem.”
- “I’ve inherited a team that worked very differently under my predecessor.”
Anything you share about your team stays confidential.
What new managers of international teams learn in Level 1
Before you start
You complete a short intake and the Cultural Assessment Tool. If you want to involve your team, they complete the CAT too, along with the BTQ Team Pulse, and Brendan runs a 60-minute debrief with you and your team between sessions 1 and 2.
This is optional. You can take Level 1 on your own and bring your team in later, or not at all.
If your team takes part, their profiles and the debrief are included for teams of up to 10 people; €60 for each additional person.
The six training sessions
Culture, style and me as a leader
- The problem
- “My way is just normal.” Your own habits look neutral to you but not to your team, and under pressure you fall back on reactions you don’t notice.
- What you leave with
- Your Cultural Layers map, a leadership-style self-assessment, an under-pressure check, and a map of your team, built from their CAT profiles if they take part.
Under-pressure check: what sets you off, what you tell yourself, what you do, and what you’ll do instead. Often what sets a leader off is simply someone else’s normal way of working. - Try it this week
- Ask two team members how things worked in their last job, and log one moment you reacted under pressure.
Communicating and running meetings everyone contributes to
- The problem
- People nod, then deliver something else, and the same voices dominate every meeting.
- What you leave with
- Team communication rules (one message, one ask; decisions in writing; a recap at the end of every meeting) and an inclusive meeting checklist. Background reading: The Silence Trap Field Guide
- Try it this week
- Close every meeting with a written recap, and use a go-round at least once.
Goals, priorities and deadlines
- The problem
- People are busy on the wrong things, and “deadline” means a fixed date to some and a target to others.
- What you leave with
- A one-page goals and priorities sheet for your team, plus a deadline agreement (fixed or movable, check-ins, what “done” means)
- Try it this week
- Agree the top three priorities with each person.
Authority and delegation
- The problem
- Some people won’t push back or take initiative; others challenge everything.
- What you leave with
- The expectations conversation and a delegation checklist that names the level of autonomy
- Try it this week
- Hold the expectations conversation with one team member.
Feedback that lands
- The problem
- Criticism sounds brutal to one person and too vague to another.
- What you leave with
- A feedback planner you adjust for each person
- Try it this week
- Give one piece of corrective feedback with the planner.
One-to-ones and coaching conversations
- The problem
- You end up solving everyone’s problems for them, or one-to-ones turn into status updates.
- What you leave with
- A one-to-one rhythm and agenda, plus a four-step coaching conversation: goal, reality, options, next step
- Try it this week
- In one conversation this week, coach instead of giving the answer.
Your Team Operating Agreement
The tools from sessions 2–6 combined into one written agreement for your real team. Mixed teams work best when the rules are spelled out, not assumed.
If your team takes part, you also get your BTQ Team Pulse results, before and after.
Format and price
Between sessions: you can reach Brendan on Microsoft Teams with questions as they come up, so you’re not waiting for the next session when something happens with your team.
Includes optional team CAT profiles and a team debrief for up to 10 people (€60 per additional person).
Level 1 FAQs: training for new managers
Anything else? Ask on a free discovery call.
Book a discovery callDo I need management experience?
No. Level 1 is designed for new and first-time managers, typically in their first one or two years of leading a team.
How much time does it take?
Six 90-minute one-to-one sessions every one to two weeks, over about 8–10 weeks, plus one small action to try with your team between sessions.
Is it online or in person?
Either. Sessions run online or in person in Barcelona, or as an intensive week at your office, with travel and accommodation charged separately.
My team is all from one country. Is Level 1 still relevant?
Usually, yes. Differences in profession, previous employer and generation create the same friction as nationality, and the tools work the same way.
What happens after Level 1?
You leave with a written Team Operating Agreement for your team and a certificate. You can stop there, or continue to Level 2 when you’re ready.
Start with a conversation
A 30-minute discovery call to talk about your team and check Level 1 is the right place to start.