Archive for the ‘Global Leadership’ Category

By Kannan Ramaswamy, Ph.D., and Bill Youngdahl, Ph.D.

Bad bosses don’t wake up in the morning and ask themselves: “How can I derail the corporate strategy today?” Our research, based on surveys and interviews with more than 250 managers in 37 countries, shows that most ineffective leaders remain blissfully unaware of the harm they do to their organizations. They chuckle with everyone else when they read “Dilbert” cartoons about the Pointy-Haired Boss. We credit the disconnect to a “hindrance trap” that lulls emerging leaders into a false sense of accomplishment over a period of years or even decades. At least three forces contribute to this trap. | Video: When Bosses Do Harm (2:29)
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By Paul Kinsinger and Karen Walch, Ph.D.

The concept of a VUCA world — one that is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous — was introduced by the U.S. military as the Cold War ended and as the United States looked out over the emergence of a multilateral global landscape. The VUCA concept was brought home to many Americans after 9/11 but really gained currency in the private sector with the onset of the financial crisis in 2008-09, when companies and organizations all over the world suddenly found themselves faced with similar turbulence in their business environments and, subsequently, in their business models. Leaders in the new world of “permanent whitewater” must master the VUCA antidotes: Vision, understanding, clarity and agility.
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Aspiring global leaders must challenge conventional wisdom, stay nimble and listen to diverse voices, PetSmart Chairman and CEO Robert Moran told graduates April 27, 2012, at Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Arizona. “Leadership is really about what your people are doing when you’re not around,” Moran said during his keynote speech to 316 graduates from 39 countries. Rallying people around a shared vision is not easy, but Moran has found success at Phoenix-based PetSmart by applying at least three lessons from his own leadership journey. | Video: Keynote speech by PetSmart CEO Bob Moran (9:14)
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By Ángel Cabrera, Ph.D., and Gregory Unruh, Ph.D.

Globalization has shaken up traditional leadership development. Language immersion, cultural etiquette tips and the like are wildly insufficient to prepare managers for the demands of today’s global marketplace. Likewise, worrying about expatriate culture shock or the risk that employees “go native” are concerns of a past era. Today’s global business needs truly global leaders. They can’t just act global. They have to be global. Real global leaders are a new breed with identifiable traits. | Video: Ángel Cabrera and Gregory Unruh on global leadership (2:07) | Amazon: Being Global: How to Think, Act and Lead in a Transformed World
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By Christine Pearson, Ph.D.

Business leaders who follow trends know about globalization, hyper-competition and time compression. We are all trying to do more with less in a world growing smaller, flatter and more dynamic. Below the waterline, however, I see another set of trends that many leaders overlook and fail to act upon. These include the diversification at the domestic level, loss of trust between employers and employees, hyper-specialization, decline in workplace satisfaction, and the merging of leadership art and science. | Video: Thunderbird Global Business Dialogue leadership panel with Dr. Christine Pearson (1:08:29) | Podcast: Incivility defined: What it looks like (04:22)
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Thunderbird’s October session of the Houston Professional Speaker Series, focused on competition in China, was such a success that we’re going back for more! In conjunction with Thunderbird’s Super First Tuesday event, the next rendition of the Houston Professional Speaker Series is March 6, 2012. This time the topic is “The Costs of Bad Behavior: What’s a Leader to Do?”, to be facilitated by Thunderbird Professor Christine Pearson, Ph.D. at the Junior League of Houston. Read on for a glimpse into what registrants will learn and discuss.
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Jan Bartscht says that 21st century leadership is about dealing with growth’s consequences. “Anything that grows becomes complex and complex things breed chaos,” Bartscht said Jan. 26, 2012, at Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Arizona. As director and co-founder of leadership training company, Adepicos, Ltd, based in the United Kingdom, Bartscht teaches people how to lead in today’s world, which he describes as “complex, chaotic and changing.” | Video: Creating Boundaries For Growth (2:47)
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Knowledge flowed from Glendale, Arizona, when more than 1,000 participants gathered to converse with 95 speakers from 79 organizations and 48 countries at the inaugural Thunderbird Global Business Dialogue. “The world needs global leaders,” Thunderbird School of Global Management President Ángel Cabrera, Ph.D., said during his welcoming remarks at the Renaissance Glendale Hotel & Spa near campus. “We need people who can seize opportunities created by globalization, who can create value and who can contribute to a more sustainable and more inclusive global economy—one that does not put at risk those who come behind us and does not leave people out.” Panelists and keynote speakers from government, business and social sector organizations shared ideas on everything from global finance to social media strategy during the two-day event Nov. 10-11, 2011. The following quotes represent a sampling from the event.
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Thunderbird School of Global Management launched an ongoing discussion about leadership in the 21st century with a signature business conference Nov. 10-11, 2011, at the Glendale Renaissance Hotel and Spa in Arizona. The inaugural Thunderbird Global Business Dialogue drew more than 1,000 business, government and social sector leaders from more than 50 countries to explore the theme, “Redefining Global Leadership.” | Video: Former Costa Rican President Jose Figueres (2:05) | Slideshow: Download Thunderbird Global Business Dialogue photos on Flickr
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(GLENDALE, Ariz.) November 11, 2011 —Thunderbird School of Global Management closed its first Global Business Dialogue, a keynote business conference which brought together a diverse lineup of speakers and attendees from all over the world. The theme of the event was “Redefining Global Leadership,” and was held at the Glendale Renaissance Hotel and Spa. The second day of the conference featured panels on energy, family business, global brands and private equity, as well as sessions on social networking and financial solutions. | Video: Mark Penn on Global Leadership (2:25) | Slideshow: Download Thunderbird Global Business Dialogue Day 2 photos on Flickr
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