Base Leadership Skills

While every profession is different, there are foundational skills to develop that cut across them all. In a recent study based on interviews with international business leaders from several countries, for example, the following were considered to be the most important global leadership competencies:

• Communication skills
• Motivation to learn
• Flexibility
• Open-mindedness
• Respect for others
• Sensitivity

It is very easy to roll through this list and assume you don’t need improvement in any of them. But no matter where you are on the spectrum, you can always improve. And do you honestly know where you are on the spectrum? Do you have someone that acts as an objective advisor to you? Getting that honest advice can help you chart your path forward effectively.

Supervisors, peers and mentors can be sources to help you plan your changes. We work with clients to create strategic advisory boards and peer advisory boards to establish open feedback and mentoring. Do you have such honest mentoring? Can you establish it?

How can you foster these attributes of open-mindedness, sensitivity and respect for others? By being more globally aware. Learn with a global perspective. Travel if at all possible. Be aware of what is going on in the world and how it impacts you and your organization and career. Actively pursue information and ideas that are outside of your country.

A quick and easy tip to expand your thinking is via the books and magazines you select. You can have your favorite magazine delivered in another language. You can sign up for e-newsletters from other countries. You can also set up a keyword-based email news feed on international topics from Google Alerts for free. Because of our work with clients on building business in China, for example, we regularly collect and send research to our clients that they would find of interest. This builds their knowledge and yours. Whenever anyone is considering entering a new market, they are extremely interested in immersing themselves in it. Is there a topic of intense interest in your company you should aggressively target to learn?