Five Global Leadership Factors

In today's complex global business environment, no single model of leadership fits the broad range of situations that leaders encounter daily. However, there are certain qualities of leadership that were important 100 years ago and will still be important 1,000 years from today. Elements such as demonstrating integrity, leading by example, creating a vision, motivating people, developing talent, ensuring customer satisfaction, and maintaining a competitive advantage were important in the past and will be important as long as businesses exist.

What are some of the emerging trends of global leaders? A few years ago, my co-authors—Cathy Greenberg, Alastair Robertson, and Maya Hu-Chan—and I did a research study that asked 200 high-potential managers from organizations around the world how leadership has changed and is changing. We published the results of our study in Global Leadership: The Next Generation (FT Press, 2003).