Beyond Borders…Beyond Bias…

I recently designed a Cultural Quotient (CQ) training program for a client’s requirement and called the program- Beyond Borders. The intent was clear—to help professionals understand why CQ is no longer a “nice-to-have” but a critical capability in today’s interconnected business and professional world along with practical frameworks and quick ways to develop it.

The client wanted to interact with the facilitator who would deliver the program face-to-face in Delhi. Since I wasn’t based there, we began shortlisting external facilitator profiles. On the day of the scheduled call, the chosen facilitator backed out unexpectedly. I was asked to step in and walk the client through the program instead, with an assurance that client was fine with me travelling to deliver the program.

This came on a day when I was under the weather and wrapping up work for the week— I was about to take the rest of the week off for a vacation. However, I prepared for the call in just under an hour.

The call went well. I emphasized on my experience of working with clients and colleagues from UK & Asia pacific in my previous roles in other organizations.  I shared the personal stories I had planned to bring into the session- to ensure relatability and make the learning sticky. The client appreciated the flow, asked no corrective questions, and moved directly to checking my availability and potential dates for the session. The conversation ended with them saying they looked forward to meeting me. I remember feeling quietly happy— of the preparation, the clarity, and the buy-in created under pressure.

A week later, I learned—unofficially—that the client wanted to see more facilitator profiles.

The feedback?
My depth and width of knowledge were strong.
But my aura/looks and personality weren’t impressive.”

This feedback never came on email from the client but was shared verbally with my team.

What struck me wasn’t the rejection. It was the contradiction.
The content flow was impressive | The thinking landed | The client saw value | Yet perception overruled capability.

A team that had identified Cultural Intelligence as a gap in their organization was in fact in need of it the most.

Cultural intelligence is not just about how we work across countries—it is also about how we evaluate people who don’t fit our internal templates of ‘presence’, ‘polish’, or ‘Aura’.

In this case, feedback didn’t surface bias— it concealed it. Bias becomes powerful when it operates quietly, without accountability, and masquerades as “gut feel” or “aura.”

‘Looks and Aura’ are subjective & undefined. And what cannot be defined cannot be improved.

As a Learning & Development professional, this reinforced a core belief:

Feedback has the power to either build confidence or quietly dismantle it. And ambiguous feedback is dangerous because it leaves the receiver with doubt & no direction.

On the other hand, clear & specific feedback—whether positive or critical—creates awareness, learning, and growth. 

As professionals in learning space- kindness and empathy must be the foundation that makes feedback actionable, developmental and most importantly human.