discussion

Why an understanding of leadership roles in both global and local cultures is important. Why is it important that leaders have more than one style of leadership when conducting meetings in other cultures?

Leaders have had to work through diversity and inclusion in their workplaces in the last three decades, and in even the last decade even more when leading globally. There are more cross-cultural teams and cross-leading in organizations, and with it comes new needs and challenges for leaders. When a leader is inclusive and values, appreciates and leverages the talents of all the people they are leading they will find better morale and productivity (Kahn, 2015).  Leading through different languages, social norms, cultural difference can create a complexity that the leader must address and be aware of in addition to normal leadership roles. The leadership qualities they possess in their culture must be built upon and adapted as they acquire new competencies, so they are able to lead effectively in different cultures and with new challenges (Szu-Fang Chuang, 2013). The following are basic leadership roles in a global setting and what they mean:

· Managing Diversity – In any workplace there will be groups of diverse people. Different backgrounds, originations, or cultures can make up a team of people. In order to effectively manage each unique individual, the leader will need to be able to recognize the diversity, embrace it and manage what the individual’s unique skills and abilities are in order to develop talent. If the diversity of the group is ignored, it can make people feel uncomfortable for being themselves.

· Communication – A leader needs to have open and clear communication in the workplace. In the global workplace a leader needs to be able to communication openly, and effectively and navigate challenges of new languages, metaphors with different meanings, and even non-verbal communication differences (TEDx Talks, 2012). The leader needs to take the time to understand the language, potential barriers, and ways to make everyone feel comfortable so that they keep lines of communication open.

· Leading Virtually – Engagement is a necessary attribute for high performing teams and leading globally can create the need to for a leader to manage engagement without the face-to-face interactions. Being sensitive to the way other cultures connect will be important in person and virtually as well.

· Self-Awareness – A key for leaders to be able to self-assess and understand their own reactions in order to identify self-limitations or potential barriers they create. This is even more important globally as new situations that a leader has not experienced before can come up.

· Think Global – Leaders will need to understand what old thinking is but be able to reconsider and re-think strategy in order to get the team where they want them. They should not be there for their own agenda, rather the team’s agenda for successful cross-cultural production (Edleader21, 2011).

 

These roles are key drivers in creating a competent global leader, one that can manage the cross-cultural ambiguities with the understanding, drive, and compassion that global organizations need. Each role the leader plays in the global marketplace creates the environment that can either limit or expand innovation, change and productivity. In the local culture from Week 1, the leadership roles would be the same. The leader needs to exhibit sensitivity to all teammates, all individuals and be able to balance the needs of the organization while building trust and relationships that will unlock growth and potential.  

Part II:

A leader with self-awareness and respect can navigate with the right ambition and preparation in any culture. In the terms of leader, they need to be the one steering the course, setting the common goals, aligning individual strengths with strategic objectives in order to get the best productivity. The leader is the connection between the organization and the individual, they can be a filter of information and a navigator of next steps. They must understand their own roles in order to be able to encourage growth or manage opportunities of others. They must understand their role in cultural awareness, relationship building, and how to keep a global mindset to be successful in managing the roles of others.  Communication is a big part of leadership, they set the tone for the flow of information and the comfort of interactions. In meetings leaders can say a lot, but it is important that what they mean is understood, so in local or global communication they must be purposeful.

Leaders must develop good verbal and non-verbal communication skills and be aware of words and tone as they deliver message in their own language. This is true globally as well, especially if they are attempting to communicate in a different language or not. They should seek training, education, or guidance from different resources, and be able to adapt to the reactions in the room using self-awareness. This is the same leading locally or globally, a good leader needs to understand the impact of what they are saying, how they are saying it and what the reaction in the room is. In addition to the verbal communication, they need to develop nonverbal communication skills as well. In different cultures there are various perceptions of personal space, what is appropriate in terms of touching, and even for necessary eye contact and when to make eye contact (Szu-Fang Chuang, 2013). The leader should also understand what messages to send with meeting structure, and how they can be perceived. Locally they develop this during their interactions as they become a leader, so while the skill is still there it is one, they do not necessarily consciously know. For instance, it’s common to set an agenda locally for the meeting, and to allow in some instances an around the room moment so that if there are topics that others need to bring up they have a moment to do so. Globally this could be offensive to others who may assume you are putting them on the spot, or they are unprepared if you do not tell them ahead of time. The leader will need to study and understand meeting etiquette, and in addition how to best engage meeting attendees.