Press Release
For Immediate Release
13 June 2007
An interview with Ed Cohen
-- Leadership Without Borders: Successful Strategies from World Class Leaders
Businesses in today's borderless global marketplace face unprecedented challenges. The emergence of the knowledge economy has demanded that business leaders become global leaders. Successful global leaders are those with strategies for guiding and empowering a diversified workforce operating in different countries, cultures, and time zones so that they can maximize the returns from trading in a worldwide market with distinct local needs.
This fast-paced session distills practical insights provided by global business leaders and provides a look inside three global firms: Standard Chartered Bank, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Vodafone Group.
KP: Which sector of business in the world today do you think is in the greatest need for value-creation most desperately needed?
EC: To say that one sector of business has a more desperate need for value-creation than another would oversimplify the need. Value creation is necessary for all companies today and this especially impacts the services industry which has increasing competition due to the flattening of our world and the ability to conduct business both physically and virtually.
KP: In your opinion which yields more influence on definitions value-definitions; a market trend or a corporations’ inventive flair?
EC: I would have to say “inventive” flair has more influence on value-definitions than market trends. “Inventive” flair or innovation, as I call it, is one of the key ways that companies distinguish themselves. Look at companies like Google, Vodafone, The Ritz Carlton, and what you will find is that innovation is built into the organization’s DNA. These organizations are continuously coming out with innovative products and services. On the other hand, companies that utilize the innovations of others, and I would prefer not to name them but we know who they are, might be growing from a revenue perspective but investors know, understand and respond by their stock remaining flat. That said, market trends can and do have a short-term impact but I do not believe that is sustainable.
KP: What is the biggest missing part separating where a company is and where it should be to highly valuable to its customer?
EC: The missing part separating where a company is, and where it should be to be highly valuable to its customer, is solid customer engagement skills. Customer engagement skills include having a broad understanding of customers and customers’ customers. It also includes the ability to adapt to cultural differences and economic business models. Finally, solid customer engagement comes from always providing world-class service, service that goes far beyond what is being requested, service that anticipates need, service that proactively aligns to them.
KP: Where would Asian corporations be on this continuum against world standards?
EC: That’s a difficult question to respond to…many corporations throughout Asia are younger in terms of their actual age and their global strategies. That said, Asian companies are experiencing phenomenal growth. In the U.S. when a company grows at 30-40% year over year (Google, Yahoo, eBay), books are written about them. In Asia, this has become the standard for growth. Companies are expected to grow rapidly to keep pace with the competition across Asia. Building solid infrastructures, to manage this growth, having a solid leadership pipeline and the right processes in place is vital. Proper training is also important because the workforce is demographically younger and therefore less experienced.
KP: You spent almost two years conducting research on the skills leaders need to be successful today. What were some of your findings?
EC: After surveying several hundred senior leaders and interviews with fifty leaders who have lived and worked in 60 different countries, the data was analyzed and distilled into five key areas for leaders. As a starting point, we really wanted to understand how some leaders are able to be more successful than others as global leaders. We found that these leaders shared common traits, core values, global business skills, a broader worldview and understood the additional people and business leadership complexities. I spent a significant amount of time learning about the journeys of several major organizations including Booz Allen Hamilton, Standard Chartered Bank, and Vodafone Group. I am looking forward to sharing their stories at the conference.
ABOUT ED COHEN
Ed Cohen is the Senior Vice President for Satyam Computer Service’s School of Leadership. Considered a statesman in this learning profession, Ed continuously explores and develops new methodologies and programs in tune with customer expectations. He has been directing organizational, training and employee development services for almost a quarter century. He conducts extensive research on leadership in the global paradigm and is the author of Leadership Without Borders published by John Wiley and Sons.
Ed Cohen is also a contributing author to “Next Generation Corporate Universities” and many articles including “What Business Needs from Business Schools”, published in Strategy & Business magazine.
Prior to Satyam, Ed Cohen was eight years with Booz Allen Hamilton where he founder and strategic leader of their corporate university - the Center for Performance Excellence. During his tenure, Booz Allen’s corporate university grew from a startup in 1998 to become one of the most widely recognized corporate universities. Under Ed’s leadership, in 2006, Booz Allen was named to the number one spot on Training Magazine’s global ranking and to the number one spot by ASTD. During Ed’s tenure, Booz Allen also received more than 30 Excellence in Practice recognitions from ASTD (American Society for Training & Development).
Ed Cohen has been Director of Customer Training for Seer Technologies, Vice President Publishing for Courseware Development Group and founder of his own training company, Innovative Resources. He had taught with Elliot Masie in the 1980’s as well as at Pace University in New York and Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.
Ed Cohen earned a Master of Science degree in education from Nova Southeastern University and a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Florida.
Ed, his wife Priscilla, their daughter MacKenzie (17) and Jasper (the Schnoodle) live in Hyderabad, India.
For more information, contact:
Kenneth Phua
ACTE Regional Director, Asia-Pacific
t/f: +65-6440-9169
e: [email protected]
Julia Jufri
ACTE Regional Manager, Asia-Pacific
t/f: +65-6764-4579
e: [email protected]
For more information, contact:
Debbie Flynn
CEO
Brighter Group
The Pod, London's Vertical Gateway
Bridges Wharf, Battersea
London SW11 3BE England
T: 020 7326 9880
F: 020 7326 9890
E: [email protected]
W: www.brightergroup.com