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Awaken Group has been surveying US executives as part of our Global Leadership and Innovation Survey (GLIS) to find out top priorities and challenges (current and next 3-5 years), strategies for innovation and new market entry, and how organizations are preparing for global growth. Over 200 executives have participated in GLIS since we first launched our research in 2010; our GLIS reports are based on key insights from survey responses in addition to in-depth interviews with 20% of participants.

Confidence dropped between 2010-2011 amidst a rapidly growing global competitive landscape as leaders feel less prepared to meet the challenges of global growth (see Exhibit 3).

We also saw a shift in US-specific leadership challenges—while leaders were more concerned with how to manage through downtime in 2010 in the aftermath of the economic crisis, in 2011, there was increased focus on global competition, the need for a paradigm shift, and education (see Exhibit 4). Executives suggested that the current US education system is not preparing people enough for global competition and there is a significant need for building greater cultural awareness and understanding of the world.

How are leaders currently preparing for global growth?

We found that the #1 strategy for preparing for global growth in 2011 was to find the right local partnerships to enter new markets (37% of respondents), as a VP of a $2 billion manufacturing company shared, “[Local partners] are critically important because the time and resources required to organically generate a positive reputation, especially in emerging markets, would require far more time than working with an established local partner.” Executives understand they cannot grow globally on their own; they need to seek and develop partnerships who understand local markets.

Innovation is another key theme of GLIS. Our research indicates that increasing employee empowerment and accountability are directly linked to innovation within organizations due to more engaged employees who contribute new ideas to drive change, improvements, and innovation.

As globalization continues, we want to know how this is impacting your organizations. What are you doing now to prepare and what are your top leadership and strategic priorities? What are challenges you anticipate and how will you address them? What do you consider as critical for success? If you are a CEO, C-level executive, President, Vice President, Director, Founder, Owner, or key decision maker in your organization, we invite you to participate this year in the 2012 GLIS surveys. Your participation is valuable and you will receive a complimentary copy of the final report once it is published this year, where you will learn from other leaders who share their perspectives. We will also select one survey participant at random to receive a complimentary executive coaching and assessment (US$15,000 value).

Please select the country closest to where your business is currently based (e.g., headquarters):

GLIS US 2012: click to participate

GLIS Singapore 2012: click to participate

2012 marks the third annual GLIS in the U.S., and we are excited to expand our research in Singapore this year.

Previous GLIS Reports:

GLIS 2011 U.S. Report (includes sample of report)
GLIS 2010 U.S. Report

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So-Young spoke at a TEDxSingaporeWomen event in December 2011. Please see below for the video of her talk, “What are the masks you wear?” She shared her personal journey of finding true meaning, joy, and beauty by choosing to be her authentic self. The road to uncovering her true self was not easy but the results made it worthwhile to, sometimes, relive painful memories in an effort to become more integrated and whole.

Please feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comment box below!