Widening the Lens on Leadership

Hiya Curious Corporate Rebel,

It took me over a decade to realize that global leadership development programs - and even global MBA programs - aren’t actually global. They are factories that prioritize and package Global North ideals to be shipped around the world..? leaving the rest of the world's perspectives in the shadows.?

This isn’t something intentional from those working in leadership and learning development - and my colleagues in that work, please do not take this as me shitting on you. This is me pointing out what we have all - myself included - been unconsciously complicit in.?

It is simply how the system of the dominant caste works. And, like with all systems, most of us - including myself -? don’t even realize we’re doing its dirty work.?

The Global North Bias in Leadership Development

For too long,? the idea and practice of leadership has been wrapped up in a neat little Global North package—think glossy concepts, shiny theories, and neatly packaged models. But here's the thing: there’s nothing about leadership that is glossy, shiny or neatly packed.?

It’s also not some exclusive, Global North concept,? a gift bestowed solely upon those in Euro-centric societies. But, when we look at global leadership development programs - the research, the methods, the buzzwords - they all scream Global North supremacy: the idea that Western knowledge and value systems are the gold standard. Everything else? Meh, not so much.

So, leadership has somehow become synonymous with Global North —or global minority—perspectives. And in this grand narrative, the vast and varied wisdom from the global majority gets sidelined, or worse, completely overlooked. It's as if the rest of the world, with its rich and deep cultures and histories, hasn't contributed anything meaningful to the conversation about leadership.?

Why This Needs to Change

Folks, the rest of the world—from the indigenous societies across the "Americas" to the ancient cultures throughout Africa, Asia, and Oceania—have been around for millennia. Do you really think that in all that time, these communities haven't figured out effective ways of leading and working together? Spoiler alert: They have, and they've done it beautifully.

The West shouldn't have a monopoly on leadership. When we allow it to dominate, leadership development starts to feel like an exercise in Global North imperialism and propaganda.? And even within the “West” there’s a clear bias towards US centered topics, models, research, methods and measures of success. In short, there’s bias within the bias.

Now, don't get me wrong. There’s some great stuff in Global North philosophies—so what I’m saying is:?

1. They’re not the only, nor the best, philosophies (hint: there is no universal “best”)
2. Why do we just assume that they will be applicable and make sense outside the west?
3. A lot of us just don’t see ourselves reflected in the worlds of Brene Brown, Sheryl Sandberg, Timothy Clark and Simon Sinek.??

There's a lot of wisdom out there that just doesn't fit into these neat Global North boxes.

And a lot of global majority - or Global South - wisdom that the the Global North can learn and benefit from.?

How We Can Change It

So, where do we go from here? First, I can’t answer that. And I really hope you didn’t think I could or would even try.. Because no one person can answer questions like these and nor should they. But we’ll get back to that in a minute.?

For now, here is one small step that has helped ME to broaden my view of leadership: shifting my focus from the term "leadership" itself and start thinking in terms of "cultural wisdoms." This makes it not just about adding more voices to the table but more about fundamentally rethinking how I define and approach leadership. It's about recognizing that there's a wealth of knowledge and experience outside Global North paradigms that's been sidelined for too long.

Imagine a leadership development program that doesn't just pay lip service to diversity but genuinely integrates global majority perspectives. A program that respects, draws from, does not tamper with and clearly cites the wisdoms of different cultures, that values multiple ways of thinking, being, doing, and leading. That, my friends, is where I personally think the future of leadership development is.. At least that’s the present and near future of the programs I design and deliver. It's a future where we stop pretending that one size fits all and start celebrating the rich diversity of wisdoms - patterns of thinking and being -? that exists in our world.

Now back to my earlier point of not being able to answer the question because no one person can.. No one person can hold all the expertise, all the knowledge, all the ideas; we need the collective to create truth and experience. So you tell me - in your experience, in your imaginations - in what ways can we shift the Global North focus in leadership development? Drop your ideas below ????

In community and with a wide-open lens…

Your fellow #CuriousRebel, Shiva ??

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