Tag Archives: Global

3 Critical Steps for Leading Your Business into New Markets

leadershipContributed article in our business series. Enjoy! – Kimberly

With the recession now said to be safely behind us, many businesses are venturing out into new markets. Some are expanding locally while others are spreading their wings farther afield to foreign lands where there is virgin territory for their products and services. If you are a company director charged with leading your business into new markets, the following three steps are critical.

1. Give Your Team a More Localised Insight

When branching out into a whole new market, some people on your team may not understand the differences in language and culture. Continue reading→

Making Your Message Memorable by Kimberly Wiefling (Wiefling Consulting)

KimberlyNikkeiAd-2010-1024x469(Originally posted on SVProjectManagement.com)

For years I’ve been using a rubber chicken in my consulting work to burn into people’s consciousness the concepts of personal accountability and a belief in an internal locus of control. Holding the chicken at shoulder height, I release it and ask why the chicken fell to the floor. Victims blame gravity. (Some people even blame the chicken!) Leaders say “Because you released it, Kimberly.” It’s a simple message, but an important one for leaders. No matter how tempting it may be, if we blame circumstances for our problems we give away our own power. Continue reading→

Becoming Global-Minded by Kimberly Wiefling (Wiefling Consulting)

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(This article is first published in Japan in the English Journal by my agent ALC Global Leadership and Talent Development Division.)

QUESTION:  “My subordinates are younger than me, but they seem much more global-minded. I know I need to change, but I’ve never worked abroad, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to change. How can I become more ‘global’ and continue to be a leader at our company when the world is changing so quickly?” Continue reading→

Changing the Cultural Cement in Which Your Company Swims

Originally posted on ProjectConnections.com

I was recently told by another smarty-pants consultant that, “As long as the team makes a logical proposal to the executives, they will support their recommendation.” My retort: “Then why do people smoke?” I mean, it’s not logical to smoke. There’s plenty of data to suggest it’s bad for your health. If logic alone were sufficient to change behavior we wouldn’t find ourselves staring at the hauntingly familiar “lessons not learned” at the end of every project. What keeps us locked into behaviors that don’t make sense, at least to other people?Continue reading→

7 Deadly Sins of Global Biz Leadership Development

black devil with curly hair and angel on background

Originally published in collaboration with Yuko Shibata, executive at ALC’s Global Leadership and Talent Development Group, in a series of articles in KIGYOU TO JINZAI 企業と人材  Magazine.

Thomas Friedman said The World is Flat, and I certainly feel that the business world is getting smaller.  Many companies today are looking overseas for new markets and new customers in order to sustain the profitable growth of their businesses.  New behaviors, skills and thinking are required to succeed globally, and companies must act strategically in order to secure the talented people required to fulfill their increasingly global vision.  This has led many HR departments to pursue what they often call global leadership “training” programs, but you don’t “train” humans to be global leaders.  You train dolphins to do tricks in a swimming pool to earn fish treats.  Continue reading→