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Raise your GQ
We live in a global world today. Almost all businesses, whether they acknowledge it or not, are global and impacted by the global world. And I think being a global leader is very different than just being an authentic leader operating in one country. And I think it has to do with the kind of empathy you have, the kind of compassion, the kind of openness and the kind of self-awareness of how you’re going to respond in a totally different environment than you’re in now. And I think to be a good global leader, you’ve got to spend time in a variety of global environments, and really get to know people and get on the ground. Not staying in a five-star hotel in Shanghai, but getting out in the countryside in China and really getting to know the people. Or wandering around in South Africa, going into Soweto and talking to the people there. Working in a business locally in Turkey or Ghana or somewhere like that, getting a real understanding of how things work and appreciation for the differences in people.
Apply your GQ
To be a global leader today, you’re going to have people from all over the world. Can, as a leader, you be effective to get them to collaborate among themselves and draw out the best of their qualities? And also have a sense of what your customers in those markets really want. So instead of integrating at the high level, and then pushing things out, like an exporter does, you have to take all that information and then formulate strategies for your companies, what the products and services you’re going to offer based on the needs of diverse people in different countries. That’s a tough job. And I think we have a real shortage of authentic global leaders today. And we’re going to have to develop those with a higher level of global intelligence, who have spent a lot of time particularly in emerging markets, not just in major developed country capitals, but understanding the people of these markets.
A good example of that would be Paul Polman, the CEO of Unilever. There’s probably no more global a company than Unilever, I think somewhere between 60 and 65% of their sales are in emerging markets, not just outside the United States, but in emerging markets. And Unilever have worked really hard at coming up with products. Now it’s a consumer company. They have 1000s of products, or 10s of 1000s, that meet the needs of local people. That may be reformulating Knorr soup to meet the needs of the people in Vietnam, which may be different than in China. To do that you have to have a keen awareness. And I think you need people on your team from all different countries. And that’s really one of the keys is how do you get that diversity and get them to work together and give them the opportunities.
But the companies that figure that out, like Unilever or PepsiCo are going to be the ones that succeed in this world. Those who just take a pure national view, we’re only going to promote people from within our company. We aren’t going to open the doors to people outside, all the people where our headquarters is that nationality is dominant–no. It’s got to have some diversity and open the doors to everyone. Because I think having diversity of life experience around the table is essential for any company. The company that’s predominantly white males today is not going to be successful in understanding the needs of all their customers.