Explorer’s Blog 16: Unseen Collision Risks of International Leadership
From my first job out of college as a recruiter in Doha, Qatar hiring engineers from around the world to my last employed role as the Global Head of Employee Experience in Washington, D.C., my career has always included working across borders.
But it’s been nearly 4 years since I lead a global team and I was curious about what challenges leaders of international teams are facing today. So I asked. I had the opportunity to interview over 20 leaders of cross-border teams, professionals representing 12+ countries and 13+ industries. Interestingly, despite the diversity of input, the consistency in results is pretty compelling.
The interview findings speak to cultural disconnects, organizational silos, trust gaps across time zones, the friction between global strategy and local reality, and the compounding weight of volatility and complexity, all of which are magnified across physical and cultural distance. Some of the elements at play are structural - operational complications, regulatory restrictions, etc. - while others are more about team dynamics and still others are individual factors, focused on the leaders themselves.
In summary there were four common themes that keep high performing global leaders up at night.
The Distance Problem>> how to build connections without geographic proximity. This could also apply to distanced or remote teams, hybrid (virtual and in person) teams, and other team make ups that do not necessarily stretch beyond a national border but are rarely together in person. Getting distanced teams to feel cohesive is a material hurdle.
The Alignment Gap >> how to connect local and global priorities. There is often a disconnect between the approach being taken at a central headquarters and the reality “on the ground” in the local markets. Whether it’s goal setting, defining strategy, or marketing and communications, the need for alignment cannot be ignored.
The Trust Deficit >> how to get individual contributors to trust leaders, and vice versa. At a distance, trust is the hardest thing to build and the quickest thing to lose. Fostering trust takes continuous effort in managing one’s own emotional capacity and maintaining consistency for the team.
The Leadership Tax >> how to manage your own capacity. International teams are complex in nature. The time zone spread quickly leaks work demands into off hours, making time managing harder. Plus middle managers are stuck between managing up and translating down. The tax on leaders managing global teams is real. And you’re not able to do this work if you’re overwhelmed.
But - you might say - this doesn’t apply to me, I’m not a global leader. Even if that’s not part of your title, cross-border collaboration is increasingly the norm. Pre-COVID data suggests that, "89% of white-collar workers 'at least occasionally' complete projects in global virtual teams” and that number is expected to have increased with the adoption in recent years of Zoom and other virtual collaboration tools.
Even if you don’t live abroad, your brand’s ability to reflect local culture has an overwhelming influence on the company’s market value. Up to 63% of company market value is attributed to company reputation and 73% of consumers’ trust increases when a brand reflects local culture. So understanding your international stakeholders, their perceptions, etc. - coming back to The Distance Problem and The Alignment Gap - does matter for your business.
Much of my work takes on an exploration lens to leadership challenges, including my proprietary model Exploration Leadership(SM). Why? Because international leadership is complex and so the approach to international leadership must be adaptive. The landscape is changing fast - soon we’ll be talking about how to lead teams that comprise of humans + AI agents - and so prescriptive answers will quickly become obsolete.
You don’t need someone else’s solutions; you need multi-use tools that you can apply in a range of situations. That is what you get in working with me.
There are so many competing priorities right now, so many different demands on your time. Why focus now on international leadership? Frankly, because you cannot afford to ignore this any longer. Trust in leadership is dropping worldwide and costing you sales opportunities and regretted leavers. Your competitors who make cultural understanding a company priority have a 25% higher success rate in international markets. Miscommunication alone costs upward of $9,000 per employee per year plus millions in delayed strategic decisions working across time zones.
You are a high performer, you’re working hard to keep everything together, and it is. But at what cost? And how much better could things be - both business results, team cohesion, and your own satisfaction - if you had different tools, a different approach?
I’ve developed programs for teams based on global research and nearly 20 years of international experience. Specifically, The Trailhead addresses the 4 pain points listed above, the most common challenges facing leaders of international teams. It’s a quick sprint, a way to get some quick wins when you’re at the end of your tether. It’s built do you. The Leadership Compass℠ is for those craving more, leaders and teams seeking clarity, cohesion and confidence.
These are not basic execution plans that you’ll learn and then forget.
This is a new approach to leading. I introduce reflective, engaging, pragmatic tools to foster trust, build cohesion, and bring curiosity to the most challenging situations.
Now is the best time to explore what else is possible. Let’s talk.
⭐️ I am deeply invested in you being the best leader you can be, and I partner with clients on three things:
✅ Bringing calm to the chaos
✅ Having clarity in decision making
✅ Maintaining confidence in their leadership
That's what you get when you work with me — ✨ calm, clarity, and confidence. Interested? Curious? Know someone who might benefit? Let's explore, together.
Schedule a free introductory call: https://calendly.com/mcl_coach/30min
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