How To Develop Your Global Leadership Pipeline

Companies are growing globally at a faster pace over the past two decades than most organizations are prepared to handle, and many organizations already are behind the curve in global leadership infrastructure. Your C-level executives may be global-business savvy, ensure they can handle the future demands of a globally integrated enterprise?

According to a 2009 Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) research study, 86 percent of senior executives say it is “extremely important” for them to work effectively across boundaries—including geographic boundaries—in their leadership role, but only 7 percent think they are “very effective” at doing so.

…The development of global leadership skills across all management levels is not just a personal development training initiative; it’s a key business strategy in today’s marketplace that directly impacts an organization’s success. A recent study by the Aberdeen Group suggests learning and development initiatives that help leaders achieve both business results and people results can have a huge organizational impact. The study applied three key performance criteria to differentiate the “Best-in-class” from “Industry Average” and “Laggard” companies regarding efforts to develop front-line and mid-level managers. “Best-in-class” companies generated 35 percent year-over-year improvements in manager ratings and 27 percent improvement in key employee turnover, and 69 percent of their employees rated themselves as “highly engaged.”

In contrast, “Laggard” companies generated only 2 percent improvement in manager ratings and saw key employee turnover worsen by 6 percent each year; only 22 percent of their employees considered themselves highly engaged.

…CCL suggests there are five development needs for strong global leadership (Developing a Leadership Strategy: A Critical Ingredient for Organizational Success, Global Organizational Leadership Development White Paper, May 2009).

…Cultural “sensitivity” is visible in most of today’s globally operating companies, but to have a business impact, it must take place within the greater context of maximizing individual potential and achieving business goals.

…Cultural diversity within management assures those areas of pain will be identified and resolved more quickly so teams can continue to operate at the high level of productivity necessary to sustain a competitive foothold.

…The most common adopted language of international business today is English, but studies suggest as few as 7 percent of employees in global corporations possess sufficient business English proficiency. Global communication requires leaders on both sides of the English skills gap to expand their skills to overcome language barriers and other communication challenges: non-native speakers must improve their English, while native speakers must learn how to adapt their use of English so they can be more easily understood by non-native speakers. …

Companies that are highly effective communicators delivered 47 percent higher total returns to shareholders over the last five years than the least effective communicators (2009/2010 Communication ROI Study Report: Capitalizing on Effective Communication).

…Immersion is the fastest route to understanding a different culture quickly, and organizations can build global strength by employing it as a leadership development strategy. Consider fast-tracking the development of cultural awareness and advanced global business skills among your young leaders by relocating them globally early in their management careers.

…International legal expertise can no longer be left in the hands of lawyers and outside consultants; today’s companies must develop that expertise in their own executive leaders. Globally positioned executives should be fluent in the business law practices and local variations of the geographic areas where they execute strategies to ensure alignment with local precedents and enhance your organization’s competitive edge.

…Expanded development strategies cost money and require commitment from both the organization and the workforce to realize long-term ROI —but the investment pays off in a more qualified, effective global leadership team that drives expansion and revenue. To gain executive support for that investment, learning and development management must present these initiatives not just as talent management solutions, but as critical business strategies to meet the increasing demands on current and future global leaders. Only by committing to the right global development tools and training will your organization be positioned to continually produce the competitive business minds necessary for global success.