Geography, language, customs, values, traditions, laws, ethics, and national psychology are all considerations to whether someone is a global leader. Based on the reading, I would feel comfortable considering myself a global leader in context of the Caribbean and Latin America. With regard to other countries I would consider myself a global explorer as defined in Black, Morrison, and Gregersen (1999) Global Explorer as someone who is open to new experiences and understands that they don’t know what they don’t know (p. 54).
Having grown up in a predominantly Hispanic community in southern Florida, I have an understanding of many customs, values, traditions and language of the Latin community. I consider Black, et.al, (1999) encouragement to create an emotional connection with the people through sincere interests and skillful listening (p 121). This is done through an understanding of their psychology as it relates to views on time and relationships (Rosen, 2000, p 45). For example, Time is more fluid in the Latin culture with punctuality more forgiving than their American counterparts. They are also keen on loyalty in their relationships of friends and family.
My experience with Latin culture begins and ends with food. Many important meetings I’ve attended have revolved around Cuban Coffee and other Latin Cuisine. Once trust is secured, my Latin colleagues have been the most loyal friends and business partners I have ever had. In my experience It has always been about building trust that creates a lasting loyalty.
References:
Black, J.S., Morrison, A.J. and Gregersen, H.B. (1999). Global Explorers. The Next Generation of Leaders. New York, NY: Routledge.
Rosen, Robert (2000). Global Literacies. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
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Philip A Foster, MA is Founder/CEO of Maximum Change Inc. Elevating leaders and their organizations to the next level since 2005. Master Certified Coach, Philip A Foster, MA and his associates facilitate effective positive change by helping organizations, leaders and individuals in high demand — design and implement strategies that maximize focus and deliver results. Specializing in Organization and Strategic Leadership.