The percentage of companies focusing on global leadership has slowly been on the rise over the past decade. In 2010, 31% of large corporations implemented some form of global leadership development into their leadership training programs.
That number jumped to 44% in 2014, and it has continued to increase since then. Creating leaders on a global scale is not merely a fleeting trend; there are many reasons that more companies are investing in global leadership development.
And top-level executives agree, according to this 2018 survey, in which “developing next gen leaders” was voted to the top of the list of challenges for leaders’ action at 64%. Both large corporations and small businesses are beginning to operate more frequently on a global scale, which means that leadership development must follow suit. Implementing a global leadership development (GLD) program is completely necessary, but unfortunately, it’s not an easy task.
There is no generalized program content that can be applied to all companies who are looking to grow their ranks of global leaders. But we at eurac have developed a process, based on 14 best practice principles, to help companies and organizations set up their own in-house, customized global leadership development program.
Number 5 of these best practice principles is Participation Selection, i.e. selecting who should take part in the program based on the overarching company goals. Sadly, not everybody is cut out to be a global leader, so an organization would simply be throwing away resources by choosing the wrong people to participate in a GLD program.
Read on to find out how you can select the right people for your GLD program.
Can Anyone Become a Leader?
One of the age-old debates on leadership is whether it is a quality that can be developed over time, or whether it is something an individual is born with. Some individuals have a natural ability to lead, while others do not. That being said, anyone can become a leader because leadership comes in many forms.
Leaders are traditionally seen as steadfast individuals who exhibit courage, confidence, and the ability to give orders. But this is just one of the many forms of leadership. Some leaders possess a personality that can captivate a crowd of thousands. Others are humble and possess more subtle leadership skills, like the ability to listen.
Even for those who feel that they are not born leaders, there’s good news. Anyone can become a leader by focusing on personal positive traits, but also by putting in the work to develop key traits, attitudes, and skills of leadership.
A common verdict is that leadership is ⅓ born and ⅔ made. No matter the individual in question, there’s a certain amount of education, training, and experience involved in becoming a true leader.
What About a Global Leader?
Theoretically, all leaders should be able to perform on a global scale according to what was just mentioned above. But in practical terms, we’re not all cut out to be global leaders. The key traits and qualities of a global leader are far more extensive than those needed for leading on a domestic level.
Managing all of the different factors global leadership entails — culture, legality, economy — across a global scale is not easy. Experts agree that anyone can become a global leader — as long as they’re willing to work on self-improvement and ‑development, and possess a forward-to attitude. Seen from that perspective, some individuals are indeed cut out for global leadership, while others, quite frankly, just aren’t. The challenge is differentiating between the two and selecting participants who have what it takes.
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The Importance of Selecting the Right Participants
The process of participant selection is a crucial step in determining the success of a GLD program. Not only is it essential for program success, but it is pertinent in determining the future success of the company. This program is about enhancing leadership abilities on a global level, but delving even deeper, it’s about achieving company goals in the long run.
According to the best practices principles for eurac’s GLD program, participant selection is high on the list of priorities:
“We select who should take part in the program based on the overarching company goals. Not everybody is cut out for the job based on the pre-set goals, so we must choose only those who fit.”
So the real question is not whether or not participant selection is important, but rather, how do we go about choosing the ones who fit? To begin, there are two main factors that must be considered before all else: program goals and leadership competencies.
What Goals Is a GLD Program Meant to Achieve?
First, let’s start with goals. Establishing and measuring goals for a GLD program is a major part of the participant selection phase. One company’s GLD program will look different from the next since each company has its own set of specific needs — and its own specific set of goals.
Before the program starts, there needs to be a goal-setting phase where the company leaders come together to focus on strengths, weaknesses, needs, and missions. These goals should consider both the short and long-term plans for the company.
By establishing clear, measurable goals, the process of selecting program participants is simplified. These goals should give company leaders a clearer picture of which employees are cut out for achieving them.
During this goal-setting phase, you might consider sitting down with each potential program candidate to gauge whether their personal goals align with the company goals. A clear warning sign for a participant who isn’t ready for GLD program participation is one who is not goal-oriented in the slightest, and who has no idea or concept of the company’s overarching goals.
Core Competencies of a Global Leader
After establishing program goals, the next step is to consider the core competencies that are required from every global leader. An individual who possesses these competencies will be better able to accomplish what was laid out in the goal-setting phase.
There are three unique considerations for global leadership competence: traits, attitudes, and skills.
Traits of a Global Leader
As mentioned before, leadership is thought ⅓ born and ⅔ made, and here’s where that ⅓ portion comes into play. There are 5 key traits that every global leader should possess.
These include
- resilience,
- integrity,
- emotional intelligence,
- adaptability, and
- the ability to inspire.
The ability to inspire is a trait that not many people possess, but inspiration is all about passion. When deciding on participants, only consider those who possess a passion for both the company and the work at hand.
Attitudes of a Global Leader
An individual’s attitudes play a key role in success. This doesn’t just apply to success within a company, but overall success in life. In terms of becoming a successful global leader, there’s not one but four must-have attitudes. These include:
- An attitude of passion
- An attitude of empowerment
- An attitude of bigger picture thinking
- An attitude of creativity and innovation
Skills of a Global Leader
Lastly, a global leader must possess the proper skills. The skillset of a general leader is not quite the same as the skills required by a global leader.
There many global leadership skills that align with general leadership, like communication, delegating tasks, networking, problem-solving, and team management. There is one skill, however, that specifically sets the global leaders apart.
Cultural sensitivity and the ability to effectively communicate through cultural differences are an absolute must for exemplifying true global leadership. We’re not even just referring to cultural sensitivity across country borders, but also to remaining culturally sensitive within the workplace.
Even if all team members are located in one geographical location, chances are the team is comprised of many cultural backgrounds. A true global leader never “turns off” or “turns on” his or her sensitivity to other cultures, so consider this when selecting program participants.
More on Selecting the Right Participants
Focusing on program goals and core competencies of a true leader should help in selecting participants for global leadership development. But if these two factors are not enough, there are a few more considerations that can be made.
Choose Only Those Who Express Interest
This goes without saying, but only participants who are genuinely interested in being a part of the global leadership development program should be selected. Even if you see an immense amount of potential in an employee, there is no point in selecting that person for the program if the passion isn’t there.
Seek Those Who Have Impact
All leaders have the ability to impact and influence others in one way or another. Even if that impact is subtle, it needs to be there. In many cases, it is an individual’s job title that determines the impact. Try to leave job title out of the equation and determine if the person, rather than his or her title, has the innate potential to positively impact and influence others in the workplace.
Focus on Individual and Group Behaviors
A lot can be determined about an employee through observation of peer coaching sessions. If an employee doesn’t work well with others, then that individual should probably not be considered for the program. But if an employee brings something new to the table in a group setting, it’s likely that he or she will bring positive energy to the GLD program.
Think Towards the Future
Setting future goals has already been covered, but the importance of thinking towards the future needs to be reiterated once again. The entire purpose of a GLD program is to develop global leaders who will positively affect the future of the company. When deciding on candidates, always consider whether or not that person will play a leadership role in the company’s future.
In Summary
Let’s recap: To select the right participants for your GLD program, these are the things you should take into account:
- Know your program’s goals.
- Match these goals with the necessary core competencies global leaders will need to meet them, and filter participants according to those traits, attitudes, and skills.
- Choose people who express interest.
- Seek people who have an impact.
- Focus on individual and group behaviors.
- Always keep the future in mind.
How eurac Can Help You Select the Right Participants
As a leader in the field of leadership development since 1995, the team at eurac can easily differentiate the employees with potential from those who are not cut out to be global leaders. It is up to the company leaders to make the final decision on who is involved in global leadership development, but eurac can provide helpful insight into the selection process.
If you’re curious about how to get started, get in touch with us here. For more ideas, information and topical discussion on global leadership and its development in organizations, sign up to our newsletter to get new weekly insights.