Effective Global Leadership

Effective Global Leadership

Traits of Global Leadership

An effective domestic leader does not necessarily embody traits that can make them successful on the global stage. For instance, an American business leader faces different circumstances in other countries. Other cultures, politics, and economies may differ significantly from their country of origin. Therefore, business leaders operating on the global stage must possess the necessary traits to help them navigate host countries’ complexities.

Culture Awareness

Cultural awareness is one of the most critical leadership traits expected from global leaders. Before setting up manufacturing plants in other countries, company leadership should consider the culture and values in these areas. For instance, organizational structures differ from country to country. In countries that value social hierarchy and classes, junior employees are expected to respect their leaders (Hewlett, 2017). However, in egalitarian societies, organizations function with limited formal structures (Hewlett, 2017). Global leaders should ensure organizational structures align with societal customs.

Integrity

Another core value expected of influential global leaders is integrity. An excellent global leader is expected to guard their reputation and the reputation of the company where they work. Often, there are temptations for leaders to take shortcuts and do things the easy way (Hewlett, 2017). For instance, the British American Tobacco Company (BAT) has been accused of bribing political leaders to get favorable legislation in the past, dealing a blow to the reputation of the mother company. Effective leaders are expected to uphold their company’s reputation and their teams.

Inclusiveness

Also, fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment enhances leadership innovation. The alternative is to leave the decision-making role to a few select individuals, which locks out alternative feedback. The employees of a global company represent the interests of the host country. Therefore, including them in the decision-making process will ensure that the organization captures a global customer base’s ever-changing tastes and preferences.

An Attitude of Empowerment

Another key trait of global leaders is the readiness to empower their followers. The idea is to enable organizational participants to contribute toward a common objective. If leaders fail to empower teams in the host country, they may feel alienated and become less productive.

Flexibility

Also, an influential global leader should communicate ideas and directives clearly while considering cultural variations. Leaders should also be ready to adapt to the ever-changing business landscape in a global environment. Since unanticipated events characterize the global environment, adapting quickly to these changes will come in handy (Hewlett, 2017). Effective leaders should also foster communication between team members to derive solutions to the problems in a global environment.

How Organizations Assess Leadership Integrity

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola is among America’s multinational corporations that have dominated the global market for a long time. The company is arguably a pioneer in developing global leaders. The company appoints individuals versed in insights into different global environments to ensure organizational diversity. Besides, the company trains its global leaders on the various strategies they can use to gain a competitive edge in the global environment.

Procter and Gamble

The Procter and Gamble Company also looks for leaders who can adapt to the diverse global environment. During recruitment, the company looks for specific traits from employees. One such trait is a candidate’s ability to respond confidently to questions bordering on diversity (Mautz, 2019). Also, the company seeks clarity in communication from the outset (Mautz, 2019). Potential candidates must display the ability to handle a diverse workforce before recruiting.

Servant Leadership

According to Kenton (2021), servant leadership is a style of leadership whereby a leader’s interaction with other organizational participants aims to achieve authority rather than power. Such a system embodies a decentralized organizational structure whereby leaders employ customer-centricity during decision-making. Leaders believe that when employees have a good relationship with customers, they are better positioned to gain insights into their needs.

Servant leadership is closely linked with the traits expected from global leaders. For instance, servant leaders are characterized by the desire to empower their juniors to pursue organizational goals. The authoritative figure in servant leadership tries to trigger the innovative spirit amongst employees.

Besides, servant leaders put the organization’s interests over personal elevation. Servant leaders push the value of integrity throughout organizational ranks (Kenton, 2021). That includes encouraging employees to put customers’ interests over theirs. In addition, servant leaders also exhibit an unselfish mindset. A servant leader should allow employees to take credit for organizational achievements. Besides, a good leader should appreciate them. When leaders have a giving attitude, they include all employees in their day-to-day operations (Kenton, 2021). Such leaders will share profits with employees to appreciate their contribution toward organizational growth.

Moreover, great leaders should foster leadership in others. The idea is to develop the next generation who can take over in the future. It is not about mentoring a single individual in the company but preparing many employees to take over. Fostering leadership comes in many forms, including mentorship, coaching, and growth (Kenton, 2021). Such efforts align with empowerment, one of the critical traits expected from effective global leaders.

References

Hewlett, S. (2017). The Attributes of an Effective Global Leader. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2016/10/the-attributes-of-an-effective-global-leader

Kenton, W. (2021). Servant Leadership. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/servant-leadership.asp#:~:text=Servant%20leadership%20is%20a%20leadership

Mautz, S. (2019). Satya Nadella looks for a combination of qualities known as “Nadella’s Necessities” when hiring people at Microsoft. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/2-things-microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-looks-for-before-hiring-2019-9?r=US&IR=T#1-do-they-create-clarity-1

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All effective leaders motivate people to action. While leadership styles may vary, and some leaders use tactics that may not be effective in the long run or in all situations, seasoned leaders understand that their actions communicate louder than their words do. Successful global leaders must also be responsive to the different values they encounter and be flexible and adaptable to meet the changing needs of their customers and employees (Sharkey, 2016). Exceptional leaders are also keenly aware of their role in developing the talents of team members and providing the necessary support to encourage innovation, exploration, and success.

In this Assignment, you will explore the key traits of effective global leaders and reflect on these traits and apply them to the model of servant leadership. You will research companies that use these traits to identify and train developing global leaders. In addition, you will identify how success is measured and the methods that companies use to assess successful leaders.

To complete this Assignment, review the Learning Resources for this week and other resources that you have found online. Identify five key traits of effective global leadership and answer the following questions in a 3- to 4-page paper (excluding the title page and references):

**Why are these traits effective?
**Provide examples from at least two companies that use at least one of these traits when developing leaders for global assignments. How do they assess their leaders? What traits or competencies are used to measure leaders?
**What is servant leadership? How do these five key traits apply to servant leadership?