The Leadership in Action Series: On Leading the Global Organization

Leading Globally Requires a Fundamental Shift

Ancella Livers

Global leaders who have moved from a domestic or regional leadership role must manage an ever-shifting swirl of cultural behaviors, regional needs, and corporate expectations while also dealing with the challenges all leaders must face. They also need the technical know-how to manage across time zones, currencies, languages, and laws. All this requires a basic change in their thinking and behavior.

It was after Nirve’s parents came to the job interview that René realized the shift to global leadership would present more changes than he had anticipated. In René’s country such meetings were for the job applicant only. For Nirve, however, bringing one’s parents and sometimes even grandparents ...