Becoming Global managers

We have started the phase where Indian companies are globalising. To succeed, they need to be led by global leaders and managers, people who are comfortable with viewpoints and cultures not their own. What are the characteristics of a global manager? Abhijit Bhaduri, head of HR at Frito Lay, himself a global manager, having worked with Colgate Palmolive in Malaysia and the US, has some thoughts:

Being a global manager means being comfortable holding almost two opposing thoughts and not allowing either one to overwhelm. Being able to flex one's style to address different business and people needs means that such individuals are a rare breed. They learn to manage change. Not in others or in other corporations but starting first of all within themselves.

If one has to succeed in the future, this is a skill one has to learn and build at the outset. Right now one can be leading global teams, because the going is good. However, when business goes through a cycle down, the ones that will be left standing will be the people who fit the definition of a global manager.