Black MBA - Winter 2007/2008 - (Page 38) RELEVANCE Staying Current, Creative and Credible WEDNESDAY NBMBAA ® Futurist Dr. Nat Irvin hosted the Leadership Institute, stressing the importance of courage in leadership and sharing new data on how concepts of leadership are changing with a new generation of workers who are more globally driven and focused. “Adaptive advantage is important – what got you here will not necessarily get you there. Companies want individuals who are aware, sensitive, flexible, adaptive managers, capable of being molded into global executives, so this experience should be about challenging your fundamental assumptions about who’s in charge,” he said. “Did you know that only 16 percent of the U.S. population owns a passport?” asked Marilyn Johnson, VP of Market Development, IBM, and moderator for the Global Partnership Roundtable. This startling static confirms that we are not fully embracing the concept of globalization. Attendees had the opportunity to test their knowledge of the world and hear firsthand how global markets are opening up for entrepreneurs and changing the way we do business, from panelists with experience in China, Africa, Asia, South America and Europe. The group’s message was clear – today’s Black professionals can and must become more globally aware, and should think about global impact and extension at all times. AfricanAmerican entrepreneurs looking for open markets have a lot of opportunity overseas, the panelists noted, encouraging collaboration and partnership as a means of building the capital and influence that’s necessary to conduct business throughout the world. For more on global opportunities thanks to the falling dollar, see Exchange Rates, page 90. 1 2 3 38 BlackMBA • Winter 2007/2008 • www.nbmbaa.org http://www.nbmbaa.org
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