Mind The Gap

11Hiring Teams Across Countries: Talent Eats Strategy for Breakfast

Behind every successful international expansion are the people who actually make it happen: the leaders who shape the market entry and the teams who implement it in the local context.

This chapter explores the quiet engine of global expansion—people—by showing how organizations identify, hire, onboard, and retain the right talent across borders.

Identifying the Right Talent in Different Countries

Who is best suited to lead an expansion into a new country? Conventional wisdom might say it’s wise to have the top person (or at least, significant members of the leadership team) be native to the target country. These people know the culture instinctively, and they’re likely to have strong local networks. Hisham Halbouny agrees that, in many cases, that has proved to be a good choice for his portfolio companies across Africa. But he’s also seen exceptions, like a Turkish CEO who does a great job leading a company in Tanzania. This is because, when it comes to leadership, other factors than local knowledge become important. It’s often best to choose someone who knows how to lead and is culturally adaptable.

Hiring Leaders to Drive International Expansion: Hire for “Distance Traveled,” Not Just Gold Stars on the Résumé

Alexandre Lazarow takes this into account by looking for “distance traveled” in the background of the person being recruited: “What I want are team members who are humble enough to understand the ...