Thus, simply placing the term, “global” in front of “leadership” on the surface makes
sense given the existence of globalization (however one chooses to define it!); however, we find
the term has a counterintuitive effect on global leadership development efforts — everyone
thinks they know what they want to develop, but as time passes, nuances, paradoxes, confusion,
and disagreements ensue. Researchers have been wrestling with what “global” means as it
applies to leadership as well, and we feel the following framework can bring some clarity to the
chaos.