Archive for the ‘Global Leadership’ Category

On Thursday night, Campaign Chairs Barbara & Craig Barrett announced the successful completion of the Thunderbird Campaign: an effort to raise $65M in gifts and pledges by 2011 (our 65th anniversary) to support Thunderbird’s mission.   In a little over five years, thousands of alumni and friends around the world came together around a shared desire to invest in Thunderbird, to help this pioneering institution created in the heart of Arizona 65 years ago, to continue to educate global leaders who can bring about peace and prosperity around the world.

Like the rest of trustees attending the small, private celebration, I was humbled and moved.  This campaign means much more than $65M for all of us: it means 65 million expressions of commitment to our mission, of recognition of the daily work of our faculty and staff, of encouragement to keep finding new ways to change more lives around the world through education and thought leadership.

I can’t possibly document all that was said over the last three days, the tears, the gratitude, the generosity.  But I will leave you with one story, provided by one of our thousands of donors, an octogenarian, World War II veteran who, without any expectation of personal recognition, signed the biggest check we received.  We asked him why he chose to support Thunderbird.  This is his answer:

When I was a freshman in college, a young man enjoying life, I was asked to join the army to help my country and the world.  And so I did.  I was trained as a pilot in a place just like the Thunderbird field where we’re sitting today.  I flew, I fought and I was proud to make a difference.  As an old man, I want to keep helping my country and the world.  And what better way to do that than by helping Thunderbird train thousands of leaders from around the world who will help build a more secure, more peaceful and more prosperous world?  As an old man, I cannot fly anymore.  So I decided to let Thunderbird fly for me, to let Thunderbird fly forever.

Bloomberg Businessweek runs a story this week about Thunderbird’s new mobile app.  The app is not an isolated initiative, but part of our efforts to deliver on one of the four pillars of Vision 2020: to build a professional community of learning and practice.

Thunderbird’s model of effective global leadership includes the notion of Global Social Capital as a core competence.  Successful global leaders, we have found through research and decades of experience, are not so just because of what they know, but of who they know.  They have built relationships across the world that help them deepen their understanding of multiple cultural, institutional and economic environments and open the right doors when needed.

But operating on a global scale makes the development of effective relationships much more difficult, sometimes because of plain  difficulties in crossing paths with the right people but also because differences in cultural backgrounds often become an obstacle to building trust.

Our various master and executive education programs, help participants build this crucial component of their global leadership capabilities by carefully constructing co-horts, learning environments and experiences that induce to the creation and nurturing of global relationships.  But building social capital is a life-long endeavor.  While a Thunderbird program can help many people get started, it takes time and effort to develop a rich global set of relationships that can serve as learning ground and open new opportunities.

Thus our effort to work with our award winning global alumni network to strengthen the opportunities for professional interaction.  And our efforts to leverage the full power of mobile and social networking capabilities to support that work.

Thunderbird Vision 2020, Global Leadership-Global Impact, asks that we focus outward, not inward and that we find new and better ways to change lives, to empower individuals to bring about opportunities around the world by building good businesses.  Here’s one example.

By Wynona Heim, Program Manager, Thunderbird for Good

The Vital Voices award ceremony was a wonderful event, and Fatema Akbari and her daughter Shahla did a beautiful job at the acceptance speech, and as Ambassadors for the 10,000 Women program, Project Artemis, and their native Afghanistan.  Fatema stole the show when she got up to the microphone at the end of the speech that her daughter had translated for her and said in English: “I want to make a special thank you to Vital Voices, the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women program, and Thunderbird for all of their support of Afghan women.  Next time I come to the United States, I will speak only English.”  She was the ONLY awardee to get a standing ovation at the END of her speech.

Her Vital Voices video, which includes the interview with you, is on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt6I_KNXUZ0

A funny thing happened last night on my way to dinner. And it made me think about how technology does not always deliver on its full potential if driven by the wrong management philosophy.

A group of 20 executives attending a board meeting ride on a bus from their hotel to their dinner site.  The driver makes a couple of wrong turns and gets the group lost.  With the help of a cellphone GPS system, two passengers guide the driver and they finally make it to their destination, only 40 minutes late.  The passengers are frustrated and the driver, upset and embarrassed.

Interestingly, the bus was equipped with a GPS system.  But the system was designed to allow the manager of the bus company to control the location of the bus on real-time from his central office, not to help the driver navigate to her destination.  Technology was not used to help the employee avoid a mistake but to allow the manager to know that a mistake had been made.

Should technology be used to empower or to control?  We just read McGregor’s Theory X/Theory Y classic piece in my leadership seminar. It is remarkable how relevant it continues to be decades later!

By J. Oseas Ramírez Assad ‘11

Estimado Angel,
…
I wanted to share with you that this Sunday I just got back from Cambodia where I was participating in a TEM lab for the last five weeks. We worked on a project for DDD (Digital Divide Data), a social enterprise that hires disadvantaged Cambodian youth (from very poor families, landmine victims, etc.) and trains them on basic IT skills to provide digitization services. At the same time, DDD gives them a scholarship to study a university degree so that they can get a better job when they graduate, thus breaking the cycle of poverty they were in. Our project consisted in helping DDD determine whether and how they could offer their digitization services locally in the healthcare and financial services sectors. In the end, we were able to present the client with valuable insight about their organization as well as concrete, actionable items as they required. This will help them strengthen their business model in order to continue furthering their social mission

The reason why I wanted to share this with you is that since I started my studies in Thunderbird a year and a half ago, this is the first time in which I have experimented what it means to enact our mission of creating sustainable prosperity worldwide. The mission is what made me choose Thunderbird above other programs and it was fundamental for me to live it before graduating. This took place greatly in part thanks to the support you provided to me through Mr. Scott to address the IIE to allow a Fulbright to participate in such a program, so I wanted to thank you for your support.

Estimado Angel, gracias: esta experiencia ha tenido un gran impacto en mi vida.

Nos vemos pronto – ¡saludos!

A collective piece coordinated by Jennifer Corriero and released today, The Youth Effect focuses on those who come behind as the safest bet to build a better future.  What a beautiful “graduation present” from the Forum of Young Global Leaders, of which I had the honor of belonging to the inaugural class.  It should help us never forget that one day someone believed in us.

The Youth Effect was created to inspire leaders of organizations across sectors to believe in the capability of youth and to develop the skills of established leaders in being able to engage and collaborate more effectively with youth. It is part of an effort to ensure that children and youth are an integral part of designing, shaping and creating a more sustainable future. [...]

Here are a few tweet-size quotes:

“How do we utilize the enormous potential of youth to influence the broader society and effect real change?” David Jones  #youtheffect

“People are true changemakers. How do we enlarge physical and mental spaces to let youth into the leadership sphere?” Penny Low  #youtheffect

“Leaders need to understand what matters to today’s youth. How do we involve this generation?” Hon. Scott Brison #youtheffect

“How do we motivate youth into action and involve them in the democratic process?”  Juan Mario Laserna and Christine Balling #youtheffect

“Youth are important Champions of Global Dignity. How do we provide them the opportunities to develop?” HRH Crown Prince Haakon  #youtheffect

“Youth can transcend the pressures of social divisions. How do we utilize their social competitive advantages?” Wilmot Allen #youtheffect

Focus on reaching young people instead of simply finding them. How do we “integrate and not infiltrate”? Josh Spear  #youtheffect

“Today’s youth are “digital natives” of social media. How can employers manage Gen Y?” Lucian Tarnowski  #youtheffect

“Today’s children are born in a world of unlimited communication. How do foster creative innovation among them?” Adrian Cheok  #youtheffect

“Integrated media campaigns are successful in reaching the youth. What was the Shuga campaign in Kenya?” Bhavneet Singh #youtheffect

“We need to unleash the creative potential of youth.  How do we transform the classroom to grow leadership?” Jennifer Corriero #youtheffect

“Facilitating meetings are key to engaging the youth. How do you successfully structure and conduct these meetings?” Yair Goldfinger #youtheffect

“Youth are not only the future, but also present leaders. How do we make them a part of setting the agenda?” Teresa Kennedy #youtheffect

“How do we engage and empower marginalized youth, especially female youth, to bring about transformational change?” Lorna Solis #youtheffect

“When youth are obsessed with a new idea, they display true entrepreneurial streak. How do we encourage them?” Kingsley Bangwell #youtheffect

“Being an entrepreneur can be a viable development tool for youth. How do we foster youth entrepreneurship?” Alfredo Capote #youtheffect

“We need to address the lack of financial literacy among youth. What is the “LEARN MONEY” initiative?” Carolina Müller-Möhl #youtheffect

“Good managers are socially conscious and responsible. How do we shape young business leaders to serve society? ” Angel Cabrera #youtheffect

“Role models inspire youth to become change makers of the present & shapers the future. How do we inspire them?” Javier Garcia #youtheffect

“Be hard with the problem and soft with the person. How do we help youth overcome fear and build trust?” Alberto Vollmer #youtheffect

“Understanding youth communication styles is crucial to engaging them. How should we communicate with teenagers?” Nancy Lublin #youtheffect

From John Crawford Howell ‘73

Good evening, Ángel.  We trust you all had an uneventful flight home today.

Aleli and I delighted in being with you, your colleagues, and fellow Thunderbirds in Seattle yesterday evening [...]

Earlier in the evening when you were giving your presentation about the history of the school and its early leaders and you mentioned our second president, William Schurz, and his quote, “Borders frequented by trade seldom see soldiers.” I whispered to Aleli, “I think I get it!”  She had no idea what I was talking about, but today I confirmed the connection:  This past year and a half I have been doing research on the Galleon trade between China and the Philippines and Spain via Mexico for the 250 years between 1565 and 1815.  I went to Manila earlier this year in part to further my research and meet with academics at different universities who were knowledgeable about the trade.  I learned the voyage logs and other expansive records are maintained in Sevilla.  However, it is widely recognized that Dr. William Lytle Schurz was, and continues to be, the pre-eminent authority on the Galleon trade and in 1939 wrote the historically significant book, The Manila Galleon.  I had no idea until last night that he was our second president of Thunderbird.  Wow!  I was bowled over.  I don’t know how I am going to use this nexus, but use it I shall.  What an incredible and totally fitting coincidence.  I was shaking when I figured this out—a discovery meant to be.

Thank you for your collective leadership and the kindness you always extend to us.  We shall see you before 11-11-11.

Best regards,

John and Aleli

The latest edition of the Innovations Journal (pdf here), released during the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative last week, is dedicated to building back a better Haiti.  President Clinton, UN Special Envoy for Haiti, opens the special issue with a hopeful message:

In every nation’s history, there comes a turning point—a moment of opportunity in which the people can choose to build a better future for themselves and for the generations that follow; a moment in which they commit to work hard to realize that future, together. For Haiti, that moment has come.

The journal covers the role of technology and financing, physical infrastructure, women empowerment and agriculture and it includes a contribution by myself and two colleagues on education and human potential.

This year’s Clinton Global Initiative provided a picture and a quote that help define the notion of “global impact”, which is central to Thunderbird’s new Vision 2020.

First the picture:

Rangina Hamidi (left) is an entrepreneur, founder of Kandahar Treasure, which produces beautiful embroideries and distributes them internationally, while providing livelihoods and economic empowerment to hundreds of women in one of the hardest spots in war-torn Afghanistan.

Luis Alberto Moreno (right) is the President of the Inter-American Development Bank, the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean.

This week they shared the stage at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting, in a discussion on how to create jobs and facilitate business growth. Both studied at Thunderbird. Rangina is a graduate of the first class of Project Artemis.  Luis Alberto is a 1977 graduate of the Masters of International Management. Both are helping “create sustainable prosperity worldwide”.  Each in their own way.

The quote came from NY Times columnist Thomas Friedman:

If a solution isn’t scalable, it’s just a hobby. If not self-sustainable it won’t last

Thunderbird Vision 2020 establishes a commitment to innovate for scale and impact, to find ways to reach to the individuals with the potential to create and grow businesses that make a positive contribution to economic and human development.  Thunderbird was never meant to be a hobby and it was definitely meant to last.  Technology can be the means to deliver scale without compromising quality.  And alternative business models can help mobilize the necessary capital and devise financially self-sustainable solutions.  That’s the heart of Thunderbird’s new vision.

A letter to my colleagues at Thunderbird

Dear colleague,

I’m writing from NYC, where I am participating in the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative. CGI brings together heads of state, CEOs, philanthropists and social entrepreneurs from around the world to discuss solutions to the world’s most complex development challenges and to commit to specific solutions.  The central belief of CGI is that businesses and entrepreneurs must play a central role in any real solution to the world’s most complex challenges (one of the tennets also of Thunderbird since its inception).

Our colleagues Frank Neville, Kellie Kreiser, and I have worked this year as topic leaders coordinating one of the four tracks of the conference “Harnessing Human Potential”.   Our sessions will take place tomorrow afternoon and will showcase, among others, Laura Bush, Shakira, Alibaba’s CEO Jack Ma, NIIT’s founder Rajendra Pawar and IDB President (& TBird alum and fellow) Luis Alberto Moreno.

In addition to the three of us, Prof. Finney was invited to participate by Exxon Mobil, with whom we’re launching a partnership to provide consulting assistance via our TEM Lab trough their “change makers” program focusing on women.  Our colleague TBird alum Charles Reeves is also participating in a number of side events with Exxon Mobil and Ashoka.

Tomorrow Profs. Bowen and Pearson will join us to coordinate sessions on empowerment of youth, democratizing access to higher education, creating jobs beyond microfinance, and engaging employees in corporate citizenship initiatives. Thunderbird friend and Chairman of First Solar Mike Ahearn is also joining our team. Tomorrow also Prof. Unruh will be moderating a session on Green Jobs.  And Thursday I will moderate a session on bringing connectivity to rural areas to foster entrepreneurship and job creation.

I hope this unprecedented presence of Thunderbird in one of the world’s most influential platforms dedicated to global economic and human development makes you as proud as it makes me.

I leave you with a video which was just released a few minutes ago, during a plenary dedicating to empowering women and girls (one of the four central topics).  Thunderbird has been committed to the economic empowerment of women in Afghanistan, Jordan and Peru, before any other business school did and before the topic reached the center stage of platforms like this one.  This video explains why.

http://www.girleffect.org/video

Best regards from NYC.

–Ángel Cabrera

PS. Kellie Kreiser (@KellieK) and I (@CabreraAngel) are tweeting live if you are interested to follow.