Developing Leaders Globally: One Size Doesn’t Fit All

As more and more organizations deepen roots outside of their home geographies, they begin to confront the reality that leaders grow differently in different markets. One size does not fit all when it comes to developing leaders globally. Organizations need to modify their leadership development efforts according to the markets they operate in and the backgrounds of their future leaders. While many organizations realize this, few actually succeed at this complex process. This helps answer the question organizations are repeatedly asking: “Why do we not have the quality of leaders we need when we invest so much in leadership development?”

To illustrate the intricacy of leadership development at the international level, take the example of a global telecommunications company that recently launched a start-up in an emerging country. The organization was immediately confronted with a diverse workforce comprised of people with 35 different nationalities, all but one working outside of their home countries. The company’s leadership development specialist quickly recognized the complexity of the situation and immediately began an exploration process to make sense of what 35 different nationalities working together in one location means and how it affects the way they should approach developing their leaders’ capabilities.