{"id":22059,"date":"2025-09-18T20:44:56","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T19:44:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.meritxellobiols.com\/?p=22059"},"modified":"2026-01-13T11:31:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T10:31:10","slug":"philadelphia-my-laboratory-of-leadership-and-global-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meritxellobiols.com\/en\/philadelphia-my-laboratory-of-leadership-and-global-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Philadelphia: My Global Leadership and Learning Lab"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Philadelphia, my second home
(and my leadership laboratory)<\/h1>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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What began as an \u201cimmersion\u201d to improve my English became, four years later, one of the most valuable professional and personal decisions I have ever made. Every fall, I pack my bags for a three-month stay in Philadelphia. There, I have a routine, a city that I now feel is my own, and an \u201cAmerican family\u201d that welcomes me as one of their own. Above all, I have a vibrant space for learning and contributing<\/strong> that enriches my work with my clients and teams.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What am I doing there (and why does it matter to those in leadership)?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Philadelphia is an active break<\/strong> for me, where I observe trends, try out tools, and accompany leaders in new contexts. This year, I am repeating two key themes:<\/p>

1) Multiculturalism in the city and online work, bilingual (ES\/EN)<\/h3>

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Being in such a cosmopolitan city allows me to see different realities<\/strong> firsthand and open my mind to a global perspective that is increasingly present in organizations. I bring all of that to my online sessions<\/strong> (yes: even though I’m there, I continue to work with my coachees, wherever they are, in Spanish or English).<\/p>

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How does that translate into value for you?<\/strong><\/p>

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  • Intercultural communication<\/strong>: clearer and more respectful messages in diverse teams.<\/p><\/li>

  • Leadership of hybrid and distributed teams<\/strong>: coordination rituals, availability agreements, and asynchronous work that reduce friction.<\/p><\/li>

  • Decisions with multiple perspectives<\/strong>: integrating different viewpoints without losing strategic focus.<\/p><\/li>

  • More inclusive and effective meetings<\/strong>: facilitation, turn-taking, and follow-up that improve participation and commitments to action.<\/p><\/li>

  • Bilingual coaching (ES\/EN)<\/strong>: we switch languages according to the objective, context, or audience to gain precision and fluency.<\/p><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    2) Pennsylvania Conference for Women<\/b><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    An event that brings together thousands of professionals and offers keynotes, sessions, and Career Coaching<\/strong> spaces. Last year, I offered coaching sessions in English there, and this year I am returning to listen, learn, and contribute from a place of emotional and conscious leadership<\/strong>. It is a privilege for me to be able to be in such a stimulating environment once again.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    New this year<\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    As if everything I’ve been doing in Philadelphia in previous years weren’t enough, this year I’m adding another experience\u2014and not just any experience\u2014: the 5th Biennial International Columbia Coaching Conference at Columbia University (NYC)<\/strong>. A meeting point with international colleagues to update practices, research trends, and compare advanced approaches to executive coaching. What we test and discuss there will later be incorporated into my processes with leaders and teams.<\/p>

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    A transformative experience that goes beyond technique and focuses on people, communication, emotions, and purpose.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    The professional behind the personal<\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Yes, Philadelphia is affectionate, with streets I already recognize and an accent that embraces me. But it is also rigorous, which I don’t lose sight of while I’m here. I take advantage of the wide range of possibilities this environment offers (high-level conferences and networking), gather experiences, and pour them<\/strong> into the work I do with executives:<\/p>

    • True bilingualism (ES\/EN)<\/strong> and multiculturalism to lead global teams.<\/li>
    • Applied emotional intelligence tools<\/strong> for complex decisions under pressure.<\/li>
    • Collaborative processes<\/strong> that reduce friction and increase strategic focus.<\/li>
    • Energy and clarity<\/strong> to accompany with purpose: prioritize, delegate, and communicate better.<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      How you benefit if you lead today<\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      Because talent alone is not enough. Because technique without emotion falls short.
      And because team well-being directly influences service, customer experience… and profitability.<\/p>

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      Today we know that developing skills such as active listening, assertiveness, and empathy<\/strong> not only improves the work environment: it also boosts efficiency, talent retention, and the ability to cope with pressure with resilience.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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      Philadelphia, lessons learned and gratitude<\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      Every Thanksgiving<\/strong>, I give thanks for three things: the trust<\/strong> of those who welcome me, the curiosity<\/strong> of those who learn with me, and the responsibility<\/strong> to continue giving back. I return in December with a full notebook and a clear compass to help you lead with greater clarity, empathy, and results.<\/strong><\/p>

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      If you would like us to work together when I return (or remotely during my stay), write to me and we will design a plan tailored to your needs<\/strong>\u2014individual or for your team\u2014in Spanish or English.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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      Philadelphia, my second home (and my leadership laboratory) What began as an “immersion” to improve my English became, four years later, one of the most valuable professional and personal decisions I have ever made. Every fall, I pack my bags […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":22038,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[401],"tags":[669,607,565,923,418],"class_list":["post-22059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-en","tag-conscious-leadership","tag-emotional-intelligence-en","tag-executive-coaching-en","tag-leadership-training","tag-philadelphia-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meritxellobiols.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22059","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meritxellobiols.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meritxellobiols.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meritxellobiols.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meritxellobiols.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22059"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.meritxellobiols.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22059\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22170,"href":"https:\/\/www.meritxellobiols.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22059\/revisions\/22170"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meritxellobiols.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meritxellobiols.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meritxellobiols.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22059"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meritxellobiols.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}