I recently returned from my first around-the-world trip – a childhood dream – where I had the opportunity to experience hands-on my leadership competences in China, India, the Middle East and Singapore. There is no doubt in my mind that the "expatriate" model, where companies rely on talent from their headquarters sent abroad, to drive organizational success is over. The new world requires new leadership skills, and global organizations need to rely on local leaders to drive performance.
My family has been in the travel industry for three generations, and as a kid I always had a world map in my bedroom. I traveled quite a bit from an early stage on and used to be intrigued by the fact that cities on the same latitude in the northern and southern hemispheres had very different climates.
Today, I run a global professional services organization with offices in Argentina, Asia, Europe, India and the Middle East. Last June, I planned to visit all my offices outside of Europe within a two-week timeframe. It was intense, but this allowed me to experience the contrasts and characteristics of culture, business practices and human capital development of a global economy.
As I now reflect on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure, I am enlightened in knowing that it takes very different leadership skills to drive human capital and organizational success in these "new" mass-consumption and capitalistic economies.
When comparing my recent global leadership experience with my knowledge of Europe—where I developed most of my career—the contrast is strong and comes in three forms.
The sense of urgency to grow one’s career is greater. Talent in the new world has no time to waste. They have been on the sidelines too long, watching the growth of the traditional economic powerhouses. They are now part of the global game and want to be at par with (if not "richer" than) their peers abroad.
The decision-making approach is credible when it is collaborative and participatory. Culturally, business practices are very different in every country. Even in Europe, I see a lot of contrast.
Validating knowledge is capital. I was fascinated to see how inclined to learning and development the talent base is. Recognized degrees (diplomas and certificates) at every level and for every "process" of a profession are highly valued to validate one’s knowledge. Talents in the new world are hungry for knowledge and invest significant time and resources in training.
In essence, I would say that anyone looking at growing a successful global organization will have to adapt its leadership skills and focus on leading talent on a fast pace with a cooperative approach to decision making, and make learning and development opportunities a priority. ONE+
SEBASTIEN TONDEUR is CEO of MCI Group Holding SA in Geneva and vice chairman of finance on the MPI Board of Directors. He can be reached at sebastien.tondeur@mci-group.com.
