RESOURCES


The Institute's Insights feature brings you periodic interviews with well known experts in the field of executive development.

Ed Cohen

Bio in brief:
Senior VP, School of Leadership at Satyam Computer Services in India

Former head of Booz Allen Hamilton’s Corporate University

Author of “Leadership Without Borders"

Insights with Ed Cohen

1. A phrase you use and the title of your book is leadership without borders. What does this mean?

Let’s start with what leadership without borders does not mean. The phrase is not used to imply that we should eliminate all the borders, around the world, that define each country, nor does it imply that we should head towards a single super culture.


Leadership without borders refers to leaders who are capable of being successful in any paradigm, whether it be working in a country other than that of their origin or working with people from around the world. It is about being able to adapt rapidly to the changing landscape. It is about listening and learning.

2. Many people have done work to define the key characteristics of great leaders. What is different about being a global leader? Are there really distinct characteristics and behaviors required of global leaders?

The traits identified in the global leadership study include adapt rapidly, ask questions, creative, curiosity, enthusiasm, listen & learn, results-oriented, and self-assurance. I would say these same traits are important for all leaders. They become critical for global leaders. The traits need to be nurtured and manifested at higher levels for global leaders than others. Let’s take as an example, self-assurance. As a global leader, this is an extremely important trait. Not only do I need to express myself confidently, I need to demonstrate this trait matched to the culture(s) where I am leading. Demonstrating self-assurance the way it is expected in the United States could be seen as too aggressive for Asia. Demonstrating self-assurance the way it is expected in Asia could be seen as too passive for the United States.

3. The business challenges of running global organizations and managing business operations in different geographies are enormous. What’s it really take to be successful in today’s global business environment?

The global leaders study, sponsored by ASTD and Satyam, included surveys and interviews with hundreds of senior leaders who have lived and worked in more than 60 countries. The information distilled down to five key areas for leaders.

  • The personal characteristics required to ensure success as a global leader. This breaks down into traits (who you are) and core values (how you are).

  • The business acumen needed to thrive as a global leader, which includes regional and global economics, global operations, and six other areas.

  • Methods for expanding global awareness or worldview

  • The people leadership skills and attributes needed to succeed in any environment

  • Business leadership skills and attributes that will enhance global leadership ability

4. Can you comment on what you think it takes to lead a big company in North America vs a company in Asia?

Within Asia, leaders are high accessible. In North America, the more senior you are, the less accessible you become because your time and schedule demands tend to take over. In Asia, there is an expectation of accessibility that actually increases as you become more senior. That is one key difference. Another difference happens in how people develop relationships. In Asia and for that matter, the Latin world as well, basically, there are three questions asked to determine whether to do business with someone. They are:
  • Do I know you?

  • Do you know someone who knows me?

  • Do I know someone who knows you?

If the answer to all three questions is no then the chances of doing business with that person is extremely low. Contrast this to how business is conducted in United States, Canada and most of Europe, where organizations goes through proposal responses and where you might not even meet your customer until and unless you win the deal.
Market dynamics in Asia are such that businesses are growing rates greater than 30% a year. In the states, this would be seen by most organizations as uncontrolled growth. Here, in Asia, it is considered necessary to keep up with the competition. Growth at this pace requires a different skillset. You cannot hire leaders who are going to lead small businesses because they are all growing so fast. You have to be able to hire for potential to lead large. This means, some leaders may be placed in roles where, for a period of time, they are doing more than leading. This may not match to their strengths. If the organization is aware of this, then those leaders can be assisted by performance consultants and coaches during the transition phases.

5. Given the challenges that managers face when managing employees in different countries and regions, what are some of the mistakes that managers in the US make when managing Asian teams? And what do you think can help them be more effective?

Referring back to how relationships work in Asia, even when two people work for the same company, a formal introduction from someone who knows the person goes a long way towards establishing a solid working relationship. When you have to build your relationships from scratch, as I did, when we first moved to India, then you must go slowly and carefully. If you push too fast, you lose trust and credibility. Once established, trust and credibility are easy to maintain. I spent a tremendous amount of time asking questions from my own personal network. I relied on the information from people who are from or had lived in India to grasp quickly the protocol and to slowly build relationships.
Here are a few tips for U.S. managers:
  • Most will not disagree with you in public, so you must take time to meet privately with people to really know what they might be thinking.

  • It is considered disrespectful to say no to someone in a higher position (age, tenure, position) which means there can be a very sophisticated way of saying no that you may not hear.

  • Build relationship slowly, establish trust and credibility, then build on that

6. You have led very successful leadership development organizations at Satyam and at Booz Allen. What have you found to be most effective to help leadership development practitioners expand their own global mindset and capabilities?

I believe as experts in learning and leadership, we need to expand our skill set to become experts in the business of business. When you meet with executives across the organization, don’t place everything you hear into the context of learning. Think about the business the same way you would if you were the CEO. Get to know the business that your organization is in including the competitive landscape. Speak the same language as your leaders. Learning professionals must be fluent in the business of business. I cannot stress this enough.

7. What did you learn that surprised you while doing the research?

Good question. I think what surprised me most was how willing senior leaders throughout the world were to share their insights with me. Beyond that, there were many, what I will call, epiphanies.

I realized there are successful leaders who should not be global leaders. Whether it be from lack of desire, lack of information, or lack of skills, organizations need to be aware of who are they sending to different parts of the world. One leader told me, You have to like working with people from different places. While that seems like a simple piece of advice, I actually do know people who are frustrated by language differences, work style differences and the changes in environment.

Another epiphany --- when most people travel to new places they make every attempt to stay within their comfort zones. They stay in hotels owned and operated by those from their country of origin, live in expatriate neighborhoods and literally try to recreate their home country lives wherever they may be. This is a huge mistake. The faster you immerse yourself into a new place, the culture, the music, the food, the news, the easier it will be to be a successful business leader.

8. How can HR and executive development professionals help prepare executives and emerging leaders to lead in a global environment? What can be done to enhance on-the-job and structured development activities?

Download and have your leaders complete the Global Readiness Assessment which is available at http://leadershipwithoutborders.com. Build your learning programs around the outcomes from that and alignment to the needs of your organization. Don’t wait until your organization goes global to build global leaders. Do it now. As V Shanker of Standard Chartered Bank says in his chapter on Transitioning to a Global Mindset, Think Global from Day One, or Today.

On the job, more creativity is required. At Satyam, we have a crossover program. Anywhere from 500-1000, young professionals reside in India for 12-18 months working side by side with our teams. This provides exposure and greater awareness of different cultures for everyone. In addition, look across your leadership pipeline. It is no longer enough to have a few leaders who speak multiple languages, have done business internationally, or have a background in global business. Today, everyone must expand his or her perspective. Companies should build in rotations throughout the world, not just where people are but where the work takes place. A company can be headquartered in the states and their systems can be, efficiently and effectively, built in India. We live in an interconnected world, where we can have instant contact with more people than ever in our history.

9. What would you say has had the most impact for you personally in becoming the global leader that you are?

The most impact in helping me on my global leadership journey, which I am still on, would have to be the many mentors I have had throughout my career. Mentors, in my life, exist from all dimensions. From previous leaders I work for and who were role models, to colleagues inside and outside my profession. I have also been lucky enough to have what I call social mentors. I grew up in the 70’s. No one in my family had ever completed college before me. My father worked in a gas station and was an alcoholic. My mother struggled to keep us afloat, with odd jobs including conducting phone surveys. To this day, I always participate in phone surveys. I had no context for what the corporate world was all about. Through my social mentors I learned how to conduct myself in the corporate world (sure I made many mistakes as well) and I expanded my knowledge of the world around me. Maybe that is where I manifested my keen observation skills.

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