People & Strategy Fall 2014 Teaser - 7

International assignments are inherently challenging. So what role do companies and HR
executives play in helping to facilitate acclimation to new business climates and cultures, and what
role does the individual in transition play? It turns out, learning from experience and the impact of
other people-rather than traditional human resources tools, processes, or programs-are more
effective in aiding the transition into an international assignment and ensuring future success.

hirty years of research on leadership
development, dating back to Lessons
of Experience (McCall, Lombardo &
Morrison, 1988), documents that challenging
job experiences are at the heart of leadership
development (see also McCauley, Ruderman,
Ohlott & Morrow, 1994). To prepare individuals for senior leadership roles, McCall
(1998) has recommended providing developing leaders with job experiences that will prepare them to meet the challenges dictated by
the organization's business strategy. For global
organizations, this includes learning to lead
across geographic and cultural boundaries.
Indeed, McCall and Hollenbeck (2002) found
that international assignments are the primary
(and sometimes only) place that future global
executives learn the lessons of culture.
Fortunately, "executives, whether international or domestic and regardless of nationality, learn from the same kinds of experiences:
challenging assignments, significant other
people, perspective changing events, and the
like." (McCall & Hollenbeck, 2002) This
means that learning from experience occurs
through the same processes and mechanisms
for both domestic and international assignments. But providing international assignments is notoriously expensive, in terms of
both direct costs (e.g., relocation, school, and
housing expenses) and potential indirect costs
(e.g., derailed or failed executives, lost or
missed business opportunities) are very high.
And despite the cost, there is no guarantee that
expatriates will succeed, much less learn the
lessons of their experiences. Recognizing this,
many organizations provide special support to
their expatriates, including preferred access to
training, 360 feedback, mentors, and so forth.
While this kind of support can be helpful, the
evidence from Lessons of Experience and
other research (McCall & Hollenbeck, 2002;
McCall & McHenry, 2014) indicates that the
boss has a much more powerful impact on
learning from experience than traditional
human resources tools, processes, or programs. Based on a study of 50 senior-level

Six Strategies Extraordinary Developers of
Leadership Talent Use
* Providing Opportunities for Growth. Enticing or sometimes forcing talented people to
take on bigger or unconventional assignments, while at the same time carefully
sequencing events, keeping an eye on what is happening, and not deserting the protégé
if or when (the boss is) promoted. Setting clear expectations for both performance and
learning, holding the protégé accountable, giving guidance and support, and providing
"air cover" so that mistakes do not prove fatal.
* Providing Exposure to Senior Executives; Making Connections and Opening Doors.
Exposing protégés to the "right" people (such as gatekeepers or mentors) who can
provide guidance or help achieve business objectives. Making the protégé known to
senior management, while appropriately tempering senior managers' expectations
regarding the protégé's capabilities and readiness.
* Developing Skills and Mitigating Flaws. Helping protégés develop needed skills or
better manage their flaws by giving feedback and offering guidance, and sticking with it
long enough to see the results.
* Inspiring. Raising the Bar. Demanding Excellence. Improving the performance of the
protégé by inspiring, setting high standards, and driving the protégé forward.
* Watch Me, Listen to Me. Leading by example. For instance, taking the time to really
listen to what their people have to say, giving credit, developing others, dealing with
performance issues, explaining their decisions, following up, and delivering on
promises.
* Offering Career Advice and Guidance. Offering career advice and support, including
arranging temporary or permanent assignments. Aware that mobility is often key to
career moves, paying attention to the protégé's family situation.

bosses identified by their organizations as
great talent developers (referred to simply as
"bosses" in this article), McCall and McHenry
described six ways that bosses can help developing leaders learn from experience (summarized in Figure 1).
None of the 50 bosses interviewed for this
study did all six things; almost all focused on
just one or two of them and did those very
well. Even so, their impact was enormous;
their protégés1 consistently reported that what
these bosses did was one of the most powerful
factors in their leadership development.
McCall and Hollenbeck's (2002) study of 101
1

Each of the 50 bosses interviewed for the study were asked
to identify at least one person he or she had developed. We
called these individuals protégés.

global executives validates the critical role that
the boss can play in learning from an international assignment. In fact, the most frequent
developmental event reported by their sample
of global executives was the impact of "other
people," the vast majority of whom were
bosses. McCall and Hollenbeck went on to
observe that, "Perhaps because of the uniqueness of expatriate assignments, one of the most
significant potential catalysts and one mentioned quite frequently by our executives is a
boss who understands international work and
is willing to spend time working with the person". The question, then, is what exceptional
bosses of individuals on international assignments do specifically to help them develop into
global leaders. Our analysis of interviews with
bosses and international protégés suggests that
great bosses play at least two roles. First, they
VOLUME 37/ISSUE 3 - 2014

People & Strategy Fall 2014 Teaser

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of People & Strategy Fall 2014 Teaser

People & Strategy Fall 2014 Teaser - 1
People & Strategy Fall 2014 Teaser - 2
People & Strategy Fall 2014 Teaser - 3
People & Strategy Fall 2014 Teaser - 4
People & Strategy Fall 2014 Teaser - 5
People & Strategy Fall 2014 Teaser - 6
People & Strategy Fall 2014 Teaser - 7
People & Strategy Fall 2014 Teaser - 8
People & Strategy Fall 2014 Teaser - 9
People & Strategy Fall 2014 Teaser - 10
People & Strategy Fall 2014 Teaser - 11
People & Strategy Fall 2014 Teaser - 12
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