Welcome to Inclusion Bites, your sanctuary for bold conversations that spark change. I'm Joanne Lockwood, your guide on this journey of exploration into the heart of inclusion, belonging, and societal transformation. Ever wondered what it truly takes to create a world where everyone not only belongs but thrives? You're not alone. Join me as we uncover the unseen, challenge the status quo, and share stories that resonate deep within. Ready to dive in. Whether you're sipping your morning coffee or winding down after a long day, let's connect, reflect, and inspire action together. Don't forget, you can be part of the conversation too. Reach out to jo.lockwood@seechangehappen.co.uk to share your insights or to join me on the show.

So adjust your earbuds and settle in. It's time to ignite the spark of inclusion with Inclusion Bites. And today is episode 123 with the title Cultural Intelligence for Harnessing Diversity. And I have the absolute honor and privilege to welcome Ritika Wadhwa. Ritika is an ethnic minority, immigrant, female founder, and CEO of Prabhaav Global that specialises in using the transformative power of cultural intelligence for impactful leadership. When I asked Ritika to describe superpower, she said resilience. Hello, Ritika. Welcome to the show.

Oh, thank you, Joanne. The honor is absolutely, completely, and 100% mine. You know what a big fangirl I am of Joanne Lockwood.

Oh, going bashful now and so. We met each other recently at a Professional Speaking Association meeting, but also we caught up at the Culture Pioneer Awards, didn't we, with, HR's own Sift. That was a a great evening, wasn't it?

It was. It was. I think I've well, I've I've been fangirling you from afar for a while. And so it was I've actually seen you in a lot of forums, but obviously you only noticed me at the PSA first and then at the HR zone. So I think our paths have crossed several times before that. And so meeting you in person was brilliant, but also being asked to be featured as a guest on your podcast is an absolute honor. Thank you.

Thank you. Pratika then, tell me, cultural intelligence, how do we harness it for diversity? Tell us more about CQ.

Oh, right. So where do I start? Tell us more about CQ. CQ CQ is cultural intelligence. Cultural intelligence technically is defined as the ability to work with people that are different from us. It is a capability that we can all build and scale very much like emotional intelligence, and it helps us to work in multicultural situations, to work with people that are different from us, to work and navigate situations that might not be familiar to us. There's IQ, there's EQ, and there's CQ. CQ is relatively the new baby on the block as we call it because it's been around 20 plus years, but only in the last 12 or so years has there been a practical application to cultural intelligence. Cultural intelligence, very much like emotional intelligence, is formed of 4 capabilities.