The Sunday Mail
Women in Leadership
Maggie Mzumara
The world, which has evolved into a global village, now requires leaders that have a global mindset.
Insights from studies of business leadership suggest that one of the most essential leadership tasks is “cultivating a global mindset by viewing cultural and geographic diversity as an opportunity, not just a challenge”.
Research by the Thunderbird School of Global Management in the US, among over 200 global executives and over 6000 managers, has identified a “global mindset” as one of the individual qualities that are critical for leaders of tomorrow.
According to these thought leaders, having a global mindset requires intellectual capital, which is global business savvy, cognitive complexity and cosmopolitan outlook.
It also requires psychological capital, which is characterised by a passion for diversity, quest for adventure and self-assurance; including social capital, which is defined by intercultural empathy, interpersonal impact and diplomacy.
University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership opines that leaders with a strong stock of “global mindset” know about cultures, political and economic systems in other countries and understand how their global industry works. They are passionate about diversity and are willing to push themselves.
They are comfortable with being uncomfortable in bumpy environments.
They are also better able to build trusting relationships with people who are different from them by showing respect and empathy, and by being good listeners.
Global leaders need to become “transcultural creative leaders” — having the ability to transcend their childhood acculturation, respect different cultures and build cross-cultural partnerships based on mutual trust, respect and obligation.
They should also actively engage in cross-cultural problem-solving and help to construct new cultures based around projects, networks and transitory organisations.
Accordingly, there are certain competencies such a global perspective implies.
A leader with a global perspective is or has the following competencies:
Systemic thinker
The ability to appreciate the interconnectedness and interdependency of the whole system, at all levels, and to recognise how changes to parts of the system affect the whole.
Open-minded
Actively seeking new knowledge and diverse opinions, questioning received wisdom, including being willing to have one’s own opinions challenged.
Inclusive, collaborative and participative
Reconciling different world views and belief systems, both within communities and across geographic, cultural and political divides.
Navigate complexity
Analysing, synthesising and translating complex issues, responding to risk, uncertainty and dilemmas, recognising and seizing opportunities and resolving problems or conflicts.
Thinks long term
Envisioning and using strategic long thinking and planning; seeing the whole, while not discounting the future.
Globally conscious
Understanding economic, social and ecological system pressures and the connections between these systems and political and economic forces.
Interdisciplinary
Sees the relevance and interconnectedness of the political governance, physical sciences, social sciences, technology, business and other disciplines.
More simply, according to researchers (Visser and Courtice 2011), a global leader is “someone who inspires and supports action towards a better world”.
◆ Maggie Mzumara is a leadership, communication and media strategist as well as corporate trainer, who offers group trainings as well as one on one coaching in various areas of expertise. She advocates women leadership and is founder of Success in Stilettos (SiS) Seminar Series, a leadership development platform for women. Contact her on [email protected] or follow on Twitter @magsmzumara
