How global leaders develop

Purpose – Globalization is driving an increased need for leaders who possess global leadership competencies that enable them to lead effectively. The purpose of this paper is to explore the developmental experiences of global leaders in order to understand the experiences that they report to be developmental, to understand what they learned from their experiences, and to explore how the leaders learned and developed from the experiences. Design/methodology/approach – For this study, the researcher used Moustakas's phenomenological research method. Findings – Conclusions indicate that global leaders: develop through first-hand global leadership experience; learn the importance of cultural sensitivity, relationships and networks, and curiosity or desire to learn; require a unique set of global leadership competencies; are driven by curiosity, openness, and a desire to learn; and develop and learn intuitively. Originality/value – Utilizing a phenomenological research approach yielded new insight, from the perspective of the global leader, into how global leaders learn and develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes, motives or values, and mindsets that are important to their role, and suggested areas for further research. The findings of the study are useful in identifying implications for improving or adding to the methods, approaches, and tools organizations use to develop global leadership competencies.