Multicultural Leadership Starts from Within

Multicultural Leadership Starts from Within by Jevan Soo (HBR): http://t.co/B96F9ukx

Soo, who formerly managed McKinsey's Asia-Pacific recruiting across 12 countries, lists five things that MNC managers can do to contribute their part to build multicultural and transnational talent:

1. Focus recruiting efforts to bring diverse, multicultural candidates into the company. This might include adjusting employer branding messages, diversifying recruiting talent sources, or even adjusting selection criteria to reward multicultural experience and leadership capability. It may also entail hiring experts such as cultural anthropologists who can support a more targeted exploration of a specific culture.
2. Make multicultural experiences an explicit part of career path conversations and performance reviews so that young managers can begin to treat view multicultural skill development more seriously.
3. Build multicultural elements into management training programs, either by adjusting existing curricula or developing new materials.
4. Launch structured mobility programs that bring rising managers to different cultures and geographies on both short-term projects and medium-term rotations. This will ensure that multicultural leadership development is embedded throughout an organization's talent management processes.
5. Integrate multicultural insights into business decisions and strategy. After all, the above interventions mean little if managers do not actively harness the insights that only multicultural leaders can bring to the table.