“At a very early stage of my career I was part of a virtual team in an international matrix organization. I had the wonderful opportunity to observe how my former functional boss in a different country managed to build an international virtual cross-cultural team without having any formal power. What did he do? His weapon was trust before task and a clear focus on relationships. I was more committed to this virtual team than to my local team and to any other co-located team I have ever been on since. His role modeling still encourages me in what I do – because I know it is right. I love supporting leaders and team members from different cultures in getting to know each other better, learning to trust and respect each other, enjoying working together, leveraging synergies and becoming a high performing virtual team, even if they never meet in person.”