Donald Trump, leadership and mindfulness

Many in Australia have been watching the US Presidential election race with bemusement.  Some have been watching with anxiety and fear. 

As a potential future leader of America, Donald Trump adds to many people’s increasing feelings of uncertainty.  News of Brexit, terrorism and the refugee crisis presents a world that appears more volatile and chaotic.   

Add in a changing job market (increasing use of artificial intelligence in the workplace, greater diversity in gender, age and ethnic background), and the constant demands that the 24/7 connected world brings - its no wonder the uncertainty increases. 

Volatility, uncertainty, chaos and ambiguity – the acronym VUCA describes what many people are experiencing.

There are excellent business models that help plan for business continuity through VUCA but what are the personal skills that can help take the focus from the apparently growing craziness, the constant overwhelm of tasks, or the complexities of managing in a diverse global world?

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Saved Webinar: Cultural Intelligence (CQ) and Global Leadership

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Global leadership - the challenge of the 21st Century. 

What does a leader need to be effective in a global organization?  Leading people from different countries, different cultures, with different languages, experiences and perceptions can be challenging.

Research shows that cultural intelligence can make a difference in successful global leadership.  What is cultural intelligence (CQ)?  How can leaders increase their cultural intelligence and how will it impact their leadership?

These are the questions we focused on in this webinar.

I interviewed an expert in the field of leadership and Learning and Development and one of my favourite facilitators.  Kerry Rosser has worked with leaders at all stages of their leadership journey.  She has designed and facilitated leadership training at senior levels for some of Australia’s largest businesses, and coached leaders in executive roles. Her leadership development experience also includes training and coaching leaders from government and academia. 

With a degree in adult education and postgraduate accreditations from the University of NSW and Harvard University Kerry can help you with leadership skill growth.  Together we looked at how CQ can enhance your leadership skills in the global arena.

What do we want to see in future leaders?

What are the skills, abilities and values we want to see in future leaders?

It’s a question I’ve been pondering this year as I’ve been coaching some potential future leaders from another country. 

It’s a question strong businesses regularly address.  They don’t just ask the question but identify the competencies they want to see

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The First 90 Days - Expat Style

Michael Watkins wrote the book on adapting to a new role, “The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter”.  In the Amazon advertising page he points out, “While transitions offer a chance to start fresh and make needed changes in an organization, they also place leaders in a position of acute vulnerability. Missteps made during the crucial first three months in a new role can jeopardize or even derail your success.”

If this is true for people transitioning into leadership roles at home, how much more vulnerable are those transitioning into expat roles where not just the role or the organization is different but also the background culture, underlying systems and unwritten rules of relationships? 

In any leadership role the new leader needs to prepare him / herself.  As Watkins says, adopt a learning approach, devise the most appropriate strategy, aim for early wins, build critical relationships with the new boss, new team and the new cohort and keep his / her balance while achieving results.  

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Can I trust you?

Recently in a coaching conversation I asked an expat to describe the leaders he had worked with since his arrival in Australia. His between coaching assignment (some might say “homework”) was to observe and reflect on the similarities and differences between leaders at home and the leaders he was currently working with in Australia. 

My coachee’s observations of his current manager were very positive.  He described a number of leadership behaviours he perceived as constructive and supporting effective team performance.  He ended with the observation, “I feel like I can trust him, you know?”

I do know, and it was a great reminder to me of the critical role of trust in multi-cultural teams.

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