There’s been an explosion of global leadership programs in organizations and universities – but how can you tell if they are really effective?
A quick internet search yields dozens of programs, so here’s what to look for.
- Make sure programs are not existing programs repackaged with a global leadership title.
- Global leaders work in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world, have followers from multiple countries, and are change agents with global responsibility. A training program’s competency model, assessments, readings, and exercises should all reflect what global leaders actually do and the complex global context in which they work.
- Global leadership development always requires personal transformation. Look for features that promote this: assessments, personal development plans, self-reflection, coaching, peer mentors, multicultural team projects, experiential learning, high context/high challenge international experiences, and extensive feedback on behavior and developmental progress.
- The best programs have challenging experiences like action learning team projects, international service learning trips, and exciting simulations that approximate real-life challenges of global leaders.
- Lastly, find programs that attract multicultural participants and go the extra mile to help them interact effectively and learn from one another and expose them to real global leaders.
If you are interested in learning more about what makes a great leadership program, check out the Kozai Group and our assessments by clicking here.