Becoming A Global Leader Analysis

" BECOMING A GLOBAL LEADER : What does it take ?" is a discussion which took place at the Diversity Leadership Forum & Award Ceremony, on June 10, 2016 in New York. As it can be inferred from its title, this presentation aims at drawing the attention to the key skills that global successful leaders should possess. At the beginning of the presentation Ms. Anne Lim O' Brien, the moderator, states that character and competence are the essential universal skills required in order to become a successful global leader. The speakers of this discussion are four leading executives: Philip Han, Managing Director, global head of Quantitative Prime Services, Goldman Sachs; Mahendra Nair, senior executive, business operations, GE Aviation; and

Furthermore, throughout their talks it comes out that in order to become a strong global leader you must be aware of who you are. You must understand yourself and know your purposes, your strengths as welll as your weaknesses. It goes without saying that you must cultivate a global perspective. Global leaders should get as much exposure to other cultures as they can. As the speakers state, global leaders should travel, live and work in different countries of the world so that, through practical experience, they can expand their knowledge in different areas, also in the ones that are not familiar to

They admit they all had to face pivotal moments before becoming leaders, risks and challenges included. However, they agree that the personal and professional rewards of developing an international outlook have been worthwhile to them. They also believe that, if nowadays they hold global leadership roles, it is because they have taken responsibility for their choices from the beginning. The three speakers also state that an effective leader should be aware of his or her limitations, while looking for counsel of others. Becoming a leader is an ongoing process throughout which mentorship and sponsorship programmes are a very efficient way to succeed.v In the presentation, the speakers argue that throughout their professional journeys they have been either guided by a mentor or sponsored. They agree that mentoring and sponsorship play a great role in a leadership career. They also think that while a true global leader needs to show the humility to learn new things every day, he or she should be clairvoyant in connecting these new learnings to business outcomesand being a risk-taker. This way he or she will ensure execution and delivery, even in difficult