Raise your hand if you’ve got “global” in your title, or if you want a job that has it. It seems no matter where you look these days, going – and being — global is en vogue. I don’t mean the magazine or the Madonna kind. I’m talking about the career version, and it turns out that science can measure just how global you really are.
I recently spent the better part of a week at the Najafi Global Mindset Institute in Glendale, Arizona. I braved 105+-degree heat (okay, it was an air-conditioned conference room) to learn about an assessment tool that measures the psychological, social and intellectual capital owned by any user of the tool.
Poppycock, you say. There’s a 360-version of the tool as well, which paints an even bigger picture of how others see individuals. And, of course, there are plenty of action steps to bolster areas of weakness and further strengthen areas of expertise. It’s been administered to over 15,000 professionals all over the world, including global companies like Wal-Mart and Johnson & Johnson.
In my travels, I’ve spoken with leaders who recently have completed acquisitions and mergers that are propelling their companies from being domestic or international to truly global enterprises. And I work with global organizations trying to place their best bets on putting talent in bigger, broader roles. In either case, they want help moving their cultures, and their people toward a global mindset –fast. They know that the right solution isn’t found in a 4-CD set on “foreign culture” or learning a new language.
It’s about helping professionals discover what they know – and what they don’t – about connecting with other cultures, unique processes and complexities that come with crossing borders. It’s about investing time, energy and intellectual curiosity into filling the gaps. And, ultimately, it’s taking a developed global mindset, and putting it where it belongs….in a global job.
To learn more, feel free to contact me about the GMI, and how it’s administered. Or check out http://www.thunderbird.edu/knowledge_network/ctrs_excellence/global_mindset_leadership_institute/global_mindset_inventory/index.htm.
