3 Must Read HBR Articles About Becoming a Better Business Leader

“The skills that help you climb to the top won’t suffice once you get there”

A recent study from PwC highlights that 93% of CEO’s recognize the need to develop a leadership development strategy, while less than 1/3 actually do. While it might be a while until your company has a fully optimized leadership development program for you, the best leaders continue to grow on their own.

However, how leaders grow today is different from the leaders of yesterday. Globalization has put an increasing pressure on business leaders to be international. In fact, even small companies are likely to have a culturally diverse workforce, and “Managers need to understand cultural differences and adjust their styles, communications, and rewards to fit within each culture.“¹

If you are pursuing your own leadership development, the following 3 articles from HBR are well worth a read.

1. Be a Better Manager: Live Abroad

Travel and living abroad have long been seen as good for the soul. What’s perhaps less well-known is that they’re also good for the company. People who have international experience or identify with more than one nationality are better problem solvers and display more creativity, our research suggests. What’s more, we found that people with this international experience are more likely to create new businesses and products and to be promoted… READ MORE >

2. The Seven Skills You Need to Thrive in the C-Suite

 The first clear theme that emerged is the importance of a global outlook and meaningful international experience. Already the foremost emerging skill over the past decade, a global orientation is apt to become even more dominant going forward… READ MORE >

3. Join the Global Elite

You can’t rely on your company to expand your global horizons, though. Only a third of companies responding to an American Management Association survey in 2011 reported having programs in global leadership development. We know from our own experiences and those of the executives we’ve studied that a do-it-yourself mind-set is key. You need to push for assignments that deepen your international knowledge, and often you will have to migrate from company to company to round out your experience… READ MORE >

You’ll quickly notice how globalization trends have changed the conversation about leadership. Increasingly, the best leaders are the ones with diverse experiences, including international living and volunteering.

Did I miss any of your favorite HBR articles on the topic of Leadership? If so, please leave a comment below…

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