What does it mean to be a transnational leader? As the business world becomes increasingly borderless, leaders and managers of all cultures are being called upon with greater frequency to assume leadership roles in other countries or with diverse multicultural teams in their own countries. Whatever culture of origin, each person leading across another culture has to learn new ways of understanding themselves and experiencing difference, all the while maintaining a willingness to keep learning and deepening their knowledge of the present context.
Designed for trainers—and introducing a well researched model for developing more effective global leaders in multi-national organizations—TRANSNATIONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT: Preparing the Next Generation for the Borderless Business World by Beth Fisher-Yoshida, Ph.D. and Kathy D. Geller, Ph.D. (AMACOM; March 31, 2009; $29.95 Hardcover) acquaints readers with the paradoxes and mental processes leaders need to relate successfully to people with different backgrounds, cultures, and societal identities.
Written by two authors who have 25 years of experience living and working globally, this useful book helps companies develop the truly international leaders needed by today’s worldwide and culturally-diverse businesses. The book includes case studies, a sample training program outline, and a questionnaire to help leaders assess how skilled they are on the eight practices key to transnational leadership. The book advises readers on how leaders may learn to see, feel, and experience the world with different lenses; take the necessary amount of time to reflect on what they know and what they need to know; find new ways to communicate; and be resilient in the face of this unique challenge.
As the authors observe, "As we embrace difference, we come to realize that while we are all 'human beings,' our way of being is in fact influenced by the cultural experiences that create our frames of reference and our beliefs. While the external trappings of the global world (dress, transport, homes, entertainment) are increasingly the same, it becomes ever more important to value different points of view and ways of experiencing the world."
A frank and thought-provoking analysis of the cross-cultural business landscape, but also a practical and precise instrument with which to prepare an organization’s future global leaders, TRANSNATIONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT is a powerful guide for those seeking to develop their people’s proficiency in leading globally.
About the Authors:
Beth Fisher-Yoshida, Ph.D., is the Founder of Fisher-Yoshida International, LLC, consulting globally on organizational development and intercultural competence and diversity. She lives in Teaneck, New Jersey. Kathy D. Geller, Ph.D. is Director of Organizational Effectiveness at Stanford University, after having served five years as Managing Director of Areté Leadership International Limited, an international consultancy working with Fortune 500 leaders in Asia. She lives in Palo Alto, California.