21^st century management 

Introduction

If you want to succeed in today’s volatile global economy, you must be prepared to do business all around the world. International businesses have operations, partners, alliances and senior managers representing virtually every global region. Many have more than one “headquarters,” signaling the diversity of their thinking and perspective.

So, how do you learn to conduct international business effectively?

You acquire a set of skills that help you work across regional, national and subnational boundaries to propel your business forward. Those skills include the following:

Overseas experience

Deep self-awareness

Sensitivity to cultural diversity

Humility

Lifelong curiosity

Cautious honesty

Global strategic thinking

Patiently impatient

Well-spoken

Good negotiator

Presence

OVERSEAS EXPERIENCE

Many global executives understand what doing business in a flat world is like because they’ve lived overseas, sometimes for decades at a time. If you want to become a successful international business leader, transcending your own cultural perspective and learning how business is done in different contexts is essential.

DEEP SELF-AWARENESS

Understanding your beliefs and knowing where they might differ from others’ is critical to global executive success. Without this key characteristic, you will not be able to adapt to and tolerate the deep-seated beliefs of others — and business opportunities will evaporate. Beware of the “I’m right; you’re wrong” assumption.

SENSITIVITY TO CULTURAL DIVERSITY

Are you willing to eat raw fish? Snake? Raw monkey brains? Can you adjust your eating and sleeping habits to match the local executives’ routines and patterns? In other countries, seemingly minor things can be off-putting, such as sticking your chopsticks in your rice or touching someone with your left hand.

Much of this insight comes from experience. You must have an intense interest in the lives and cultures of others, recognizing that your culture and background are not inherently superior, to master the global business arena.

HUMILITY

Being interested in other cultures and how people in those cultures do things, especially with regard to business, implies a certain humility. Humility here means a belief that other lands and cultures have figured out very interesting answers to life’s problems. As a good international business person, you must be open to and fascinated by those answers. This trait requires a willingness and ability to listen well and with real intention.

LIFELONG CURIOSITY

The world is constantly evolving. Without an intense curiosity and a desire to learn, you will be left behind and increasingly unable to converse, much less keep up, with your peers. Staying abreast of new learning opportunities requires a humble awareness that what you know is not enough and that you always have more to learn.

CAUTIOUS HONESTY

Surprisingly, the definitions of “honesty” and “truth” vary widely in the business arena. People sometimes omit information or only tell the truth they think other people need to know. Design yours ethics and morality in your personal life, in global business settings, executives need to know they can count on you. If you don’t deliver on your business promises, your reputation will suffer. Effective global leaders can balance the need to be cautious in different contexts while demonstrating they can follow through.

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GLOBAL STRATEGIC THINKING

When you have a global perspective, you think strategically about managing business using the best people from around the planet. Much of your ability to do this comes from a lifetime of networking at the highest levels in global boardrooms and your aptitude for seeing how various pieces of global industries play out internationally. To make strategic decisions for your company, you need to understand how the business world works on a global scale.