Developing Globally Responsible Leaders*

Abstract

Thirty years ago, business executives were not expected to concern themselves with community welfare, the natural environment, the heightened aspirations of employees, and human rights in global supply chains, among numerous other issues. These matters were delegated to staff functions and specialists—or ignored. No more. Today, executives face socially conscious investors, customers, employees, and a public that expect businesses to take a larger and more responsible role in society. Accordingly, they need to understand and calibrate social and environmental issues that affect their firms and devise strategies that respond to challenges as varied as climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, the rich–poor gap, and increased workforce diversity. They must also be prepared to deal with activist groups, the threat of protest, calls for greater transparency, and the dramatic increase in exposure provided by the internet and social media. Amid all these changes, business leaders still have to do what they have always had to do: produce growth, deliver results, develop relationships with people, and innovate to meet marketplace needs and beat competitors. What does it take for leaders to be successful in the business world today?