The perfect leader is outspoken, bold, voices opinions, and is a people person right? Not necessarily. Whether we realize it or not, we often associate many extroverted traits with strong business leaders and assume that those who are introverted will not be as successful. This is not always true. There are several characteristics that introverts possess that businesses could benefit from that are probably being overlooked.
When was the last time your employer told you to play a video game on the job? For many, the answer may be never, up until now. Recently, some top French companies, including Paribas, Orange, and Alcatel-Lucent, have been using role playing games to teach crucial management teamwork, and sales skills to their sales staff and managers; a very important skill to have in the competitive world marketplace.
In a survey on globalization conducted by Ernst & Young, the majority of companies responded that diversity of gender, ethnicity, and experience are important components of a successful management team. These respondents stated that financial performance and overall reputation would be improved by incorporating diversity throughout an organization. Despite their own advice, many upper management teams are composed exclusively of people from one country. In order to capitalize on opportunities in emerging markets, it seems beneficial to have managers with first-hand knowledge of business around the world.
Although hiring of MBA graduates has suffered during the recent recession, it appears that the tides of good fortune are returning. As consulting firms, investment banks and other top employers commit to aggressive hiring targets, many graduates are gaining confidence in their ability to land an ideal position. While some of this wave may be attributable to an improving economy, innovative new outreach programs are also finding desirable jobs where they have never been found before.
A recent article from The Economist describes the renewed emphasis that global businesses have put on hiring the best and brightest recruits. Business leaders support the “Pareto” philosophy that a very slim portion of the world’s workforce is responsible for the vast majority of actual progress. One influential corporate leader can have more impact on a company’s direction than an entire department of lower-level employees. For this reason, companies such as General Electric (GE) and Procter and Gamble (P&G) have invested disproportionate resources toward finding and keeping “the vital few.” In today’s global economy, an important aspect of developing such prominent leaders includes exposure to international knowledge and opportunities.
One of the critical factors of having a large, successful international operation is having “feet on the street” in the country where multinational companies do business. Recently, an article from ChinaDaily.com featured some staggering statistics about expatriates and the duration of their stay in the country. Although business demands often dictate relocation by executives and their families, is this the most efficient use of resources?