- BUSINESS SKlllS INTERNATIONAllEADERSHIP
LEARNIN& TO LEAD
Internationale FÜhrungskräfte sehen sich von versch iedenen Herausforderungen konfrontiert. Um
welche es sich im Einzelnen handelt und wie man ihnen begegnen kann, erkl ärt BOB DIGNEN, hdiliin'eadership is a eomplex phenomenon th.n
means different things tO differcnt pcople, Ir in-
volves a wide range of competencies: stratcgie,
teehnical, communicative and emotional, none
of wh ich alone is sufflcte nt for sueeess, The
meaning of "i nternationallcadcrship" is arnbjguous, Ir
could refer to so meone working in their own country
and managing a team madc up of different nationalities.
Or, the team could be spread around the globe. Vet an-
other case is that of the manager who is sent abroad to
lead a bysiness ynit and who then [epous to a manag-
er o f a different nationality in a headaua rters located in
a [hird country,
Leaders who take on an international role nccd to
pr epare themselves for four key cha!le!l~es. wh ich we
look at in the following seetions.- Uncertainty
International Icaders havc tO work with people they
don't know weil, often in countries or business units
they have never visited, The lIse of foreign languages
ean also cause misunderstandings, [n other words,
leaders have to deal with a great deal of uneertainty,
This erea tes two contradicrory demands. On thc one
h.an.d, th ere is a need to build ce rrainty, This can mean
transferring the correet knowledge to get things done
and establishing elear goals, roles, rules and rewards. A
a.chieve sth. [;)'tfi:v) etw. erreichen
adapt [;)'d:epl ) (SIch) anpassen
ambilUOUS la-m'bl!jjl,l;)S] mehr-, vleldeutis,
appl~ 5 th. I;)'plal] etw. anwenden -
business unit I 'bJ:l;n~SJu:nlll GeSChaItSbere~;'~hc----
challenee l'tfll'hnd 31 Herausforder~, Au!eabe
contradictory im Widerspruch zueinander
I.kontr3'dlk[;)ri) stehend
deliver on slh.[di'hv)r on] --hier: etw, erfOlien
empowet: - sb. to do 5 th, ~- jmdn. ermachtieen, etw, zu
[lm'p8u:J] 1I.In
ensure 5th. Im'J;,:1 ------etW. Sicherstellen
entrepreneurial: be - [, Dnlr3pn'n3:ri,)IJ unternehmerisch denken
hand: on the onelother - [iii:iidl einer-landere~lts
fieadquarters [,hcd'kw~:t,)z] Zentrale
inaction Iln'a:kf'nl --- Talenlosigkeit, Unt3tiekelt
line mal\llger ~linlenmanaeer(inl,
['Iam ,-nlll'nl~')] UK direl!;te(r) VoreesetEle{r)
objective [ .. b'd3CkllV! -----zle1(setzunL
proactive: be - [pr.x>'ll'kllv] die Inill<ltive ergreifen
report to sb. an jmdn. berichten, jmdrn.
Iri'p", 'u] unterstellt sein
resoorces Iri 'z:>:sIz] Mttlel
scope Isbup] Umfane
target I'co:yu) --zieilVOfeabel
Ihe bie piCture [OJ 'blg ,plktJ.>] das große Ganze
wotkäround {'W3:k .. ,raond I (Zwischen-fLOSung
36 .... ""'Spoilighl
major risk of uneertainty is ioaCljoo, International
lea ders are paid [Q.tn..5..J.l.ß:. rhat action takes plaee, To do
th is, they should empower other managers and projeet
teams to deliver results, while they rhemseIves take ca re
o f the bigger pjcrure.
Bur strong organization and fast delivery are not
enough. The ability [Q Stay calm and relaxed, and to tol-
erate uncertainry and lac k o f action at times, is essen-
tial. Intern ational leaders need Ta be able to work with
loose and flexible goals and with strucrures that ca n
a.d.am over time, as priorities change OT if ir becomcs
dear that defined goals cannOT be achjeved, Effective
leaders learn quickly what is possible and what is not ,
and i!.I.!l2h their knowledge creari\'ely und adaptively,Tips for managing uncertai nty:- Ask questions ro learn abour th e people and contexts
you are working with, - Make sure peopre have the information aod resources
they need tO do their jobs. - Build teams that are entrepreneurjal and proactjve.
- Keep people focused to deli ver on .taI&lli:.
- Create and get aecepranee for struetures that can be
adapted quickly. - Check whether a nything is still uncertain or missing, •
Uncertainty: test yourself
Read thls telephone conversation between Jon Dyson, a project
team leader, and Fiona May, a team member, Match each of
the six ti ps above to the highlighted text that shows the com-
munication tip in action. For the answers, see page 42.Jon:Fiona:Jon:Flona:Jon:
Fiona:
Joo:Fiona:Jon:
Fiona:F.ona. (al do you have everything you need to get started
with the pilot project?
Yes, I think so. I' m just waiting for Pilar 10 give me her fi -
nal pre-pilo! da!a,
OK, good. (bl Just 10 remind you, the pilot should be lin-
ished in t hree weeks.
I know the objectjve. Oon't worry. We'U deliver. I'm just
concerned that we might lose one or two 01 the team, as
they are under pressure from their liDe managers,
OK, but that's life. (cl Try 10 f ind a workaround if you can,
Sure, we'U manage.
Good_ Remember: I said right at the beginning of the proj-
ect that the team would change a 101 as th ings developed.
(d) But we have 10 be flexible.
Absolutely. In fact, the ~ of the project has been re-
duced so we probably don't need everyone fuU-time.
Exactly, (el Anything else? Anything I need to know?
(I ) I have a few quest ions about t he Spanish side of t he
project, but 1' 11 put these into an email.