Author: Harry Kraemer

From a rise in nationalism to tariff policies that threaten trade wars, running a global organization has never been more challenging. And yet, it is a reality for leaders around the world who need to understand themselves, their own culture and practices, and the many countries where their teams live and work.

This was the backdrop as I recently spent more than a week in Asia, teaching for the tenth consecutive year in the joint Executive MBA program of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Executives from China, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Russia came together for my class on “Leading a Global Organization.”

First of all, there is the sheer size of this region. Asia spans about 5,300 miles in length and 6,000 miles in width, accounting for nearly a quarter of the world’s land mass. With 36 countries in the region, there is an incredible range of cultures, languages, histories, and economies. Given that diversity from one country to the next, it was no surprise to encounter fascinating differences in leadership and management styles among the executive MBA students (such as in giving and receiving feedback, as we’ll discuss).

Importantly, there were also telling similarities—not only among this cohort, but also with the students I teach in the U.S., South America, and Europe. The biggest commonality is wanting to learn more about my four principles of values-based leadership.

I hope everyone is doing well! I had the opportunity this weekend to participate in the Pragati: India’s Golden Decade Conference in New Delhi, India.

I have not been to India for many years and I am very impressed at the progress India is making in almost all areas. As discussed at the conference, India is poised to double its GDP in the next 10 years and will become the third largest economy in the world after the US and China.

One of their many advantages is that the average age of India’s 1.4 billion population is only 29 years old, compared to 38 in China and 48 in Japan.

The conference attracted more than 200 participants, including Indian Chairman and CEOs (Roshi Nadar, Shri Subrahmanyam and Akash Ambani), entrepreneurs, Kellogg students, and alums. It was fantastic to spend time with many former students whom I had not seen in many years.