Initiategloballeadership ~ Future of CIO

 Generally speaking, global leaders need to be diverse by mindsets, industry background, knowledge, expertise, experience level, and perspective for bridging a variety of gaps and improving global leadership effectiveness and maturity. In practice, what are emergent traits and how to shape the new breed of world class leaders to harmonize and advance human society?

Insightful global leaders can see the world with fresh eyes, open mind, to make sound judgment: Global society is complex and diverse, today’s global business leaders and professionals need to increase their cognitive agility, cross-disciplinary interpretations, cultivate a discerning mind that allows you to be objective, make sound judgment. Being objective means you are not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or unconscious bias; but make sound judgments based on knowledge savvy, dispassionate examination, and logical reasoning. Contemporary global leaders need to educate themselves by listening to different views about the organization, its global ecosystem, set strategic alternatives, and clarify the business vision in order to move the business forward steadfastly.

Insightful global leaders are cool headed to perceive global issues that eliminate unconscious biases, break down conventional wisdom by gaining fresh global knowledge and constructive feedback, etc. They are able to make cross-boundary interactions to create thresholds of possibilities that can result and expand into innovative thinking and creative leadership, to generate the art of difference and make a significant impact on societal evolution. They can think globally and holistically, communicate effectively across global organizations, and take systematic approaches to solve business problems skillfully.

Influential global leaders develop global talent and build global intellectual/social capital for their organization: Global leaders demonstrate high integrity, thoughtfulness, empathy, respect, understanding global issues, managing diverse interests etc, in the hyperconnected world smoothly. As a global leader, understanding the values of your staff will facilitate your ability to develop cohesion and strategic alliance across boundaries, abstracting various perspectives into world class insight based on an updated global view, and build global intellectual/social capital for their organization.

Human capital and potentiality exploration is a critical step in creating synergy and leading global transformative changes. An essential aspect of unleashing human potential, both at the individual or group level, is the ability to challenge different assumptions, develop talents, competencies, and experiences of people based on cognitive competencies, behavioral styles and patterns; motivational drivers and passions, etc, in order to manage global talent strategically, convey a clear vision for running an organic global organization.

Interdisciplinary global leaders enhance gap-minding leadership practices: Global leaders have a solid grasp of the business goals and objectives, as well as how to bridge gaps, and accelerate performance at the global scope. Gap-minding leadership practices are important because if you are not taking steps now to shrink those leadership gaps, you will not be prepared to lead global business in the future. Besides being brilliant, with professional expertise, global leaders must be strategic thinkers and influential communicators, and know how to collaborate with stakeholders of all stripes.

Consider the abundance of global knowledge, diversity of worldwide cultures & traditions, and perhaps some overlapping functions in global organizations that create complexity, global leaders today should apply interdisciplinary knowledge, learn how to think paradoxically, bring in-depth understanding across the spectrum of a “local”/”specific” to “global”/ “holistic”/ “systemic” perspectives, in order to bridge understanding and capability gaps, realize the implications of their decisions, in order to solve problems collaboratively.

Thanks to digital technologies, now we can share knowledge, brainstorm, and co-create ideas with “similar-minded,” or “complementary-minded” talented people in the global space. We are experiencing the paradigm shift from knowledge economy to creative economy, from diversity to inclusiveness; from division to integration. The substances of leadership are about vision, positive influence, and progressive changes. Global leadership is complex, the future of leaders have to deal with opposing views, cultures, constraints, and competition insightfully. They need to be positive, energetic, creative, influential, in order to lead human society up to the next level of advancement.