The Global Leadership Cohort

“Inclusion is about what you share, diversity is what you don't share – and the difference is made by leadership,” Fons Trompenaars, 2022
With employees and students from over 150 countries, MC is identified as one of the most diverse colleges in the nation (Chronicle of Higher Education, 2018, 2019, 2020). While organizational diversity is beautiful it can also be dramatic if not managed well. For organizations that value and seek to leverage the benefits of diversity, leadership and leadership development is paramount in importance.
The GLC aims to develop competencies to work effectively in culturally dynamic organizations comprised of diverse teams, individuals and systems. The ability to lead and realize desired changes, motivate, resolve differences and coach others to greater performance and development are characteristics of today’s global leader.
The GLC draws from valuable research, theory, and diagnostic tools from world re-known experts in the field of leadership, organizational behavior, and culture. Classes are aimed at developing the knowledge and abilities to lead in organizations where cultural diversity (i.e., national, regional, ethnic, gender, generational, disciplinary) is high and the competing interests of people and organizational demands are complex enough that they are not resolved with traditional or ‘one best solution’ approaches.
Classes are a combination of in-person and Zoom sessions, and include assigned readings and assessments with regular feedback, dialogue and activities for reflection and testing of knowledge.
Admission to the cohort requires supervisory approval and is open to all MC employees—faculty, staff. The final class is for Project Presentations and a graduation ceremony.
Application new windowdeadline is October 27, 2023.
- 79% of employees will quit their job due to lack of appreciation from leaders.
- 69% of millennials believe there is a lack of leadership development in the workplace.
- Just 5% of companies have integrated leadership development in their organizations.
- 83% of enterprises believe it is important to develop leaders at all levels of a company.

"Thanks for teaching and leading. Please know that your training extends way beyond GLC. I learned from how you responded to last minutes calls for help, and how you inspire and allow trainers to fly and enjoy success (after you give all the needed tools). 👏🙏"
"GLC was one of the best experiences of my time at MC."
"I know that doing the workshops via Zoom was not ideal in some ways, but, I still found it to be one of the most engaging professional development experiences I’ve had (not just at MC)."
- October 31 (full-day): Intercultural Competency, Leadership and Dilemma Reconciliation
- November 14 (half day): Teams - Diversity and Sustainability
- December 12 (half-day): Values to Behaviors – Workshop
- February 6 (half day): Cross-Cultural Communications and Decision-Making
- February 13 (half day): Servant Leadership – Case studies
- March 5 (full-day): Organizational Culture and Change
- April 9 (full-day): Leadership and Coaching
- April 30 (half-day): Leading Meetings and Hybrid Teams
- May 14 or 15 (half-day): Synthesizing Workshops
- May 21 (full-day): Make-up day for cancelled class
- June 11 (full-day): Project Presentations – Graduation
Most classes occur on a Thursday and Friday, 8:45 a.m. – 4:15 p.m.
October 31, 2023, 8:45 am–4:15 pm, MK 122
Working with colleagues from different backgrounds is as simple as being willing to accommodate approaches that are new to your own routines and behaviors, the adage ‘Go along to get along’ can carry us far. However, when you move from brief interactions to working closely with individuals from different cultural backgrounds, we can experience tensions, misunderstandings and frustrations that impact performance and morale. Leading in a diverse workplace is the number one issue of importance for the global leader. What skills, knowledge and abilities do we need to work effectively in a multicultural, dynamic, professional organization?
The inability to recognize problems that stem from cultural differences AS cultural differences is central to the challenge of working in a multicultural environment. Reconciliation of differences is a process of creativity and new thinking that leads to innovation and desired change.
In this foundation class, we cover the core teachings of Trompenaars Hampden-Turner which provide the basis from which we can assess and develop our intercultural competency. We use a diagnostic to assess and compare cultural orientations, and gain awareness of ourselves, teams and organizational challenges. The class concludes with a THT Dilemma Reconciliation Process activity.
Upon completion of this class, you will be able to:
- Demonstrate awareness of the 4 Rs of intercultural competency:
- Recognition
- Respect
- Reconciliation
- Realizing
- Compare and contrast your Individual Cultural Profile (IAP surveys) with others
- Assess cultural orientation differences using Trompenaars’ 7 Dimensions of Culture
- Better understand how culture is involved in work issues and to resolve
- Practice the dilemma reconciliation process (DRP) in both theory and practice
Pre-Class Required Reading
- Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden Turner “Riding the Waves of Culture: Understanding Diversity in Global Business, 3rd Edition, 2012, Nicholas Berkely Publishing – Pages 1 – 16.
Suggested Reading
- Herb Stevenson, “Global Inclusion: the mandate for successful organizations” from Plummer: Handbook of Diversity Management 2nd edition (to be published).
November 14, 2023, 8:45 am–4:15 pm, MK 122
Teams have a greater problem-solving power potential than individuals alone. Teams made up of diverse individuals, cultures and backgrounds have even greater potential to tackle complex problems than homogeneous teams. However, attempting to lead and influence diverse teams without the right tools and knowledge can be a risky venture, leading to a range of disappointing outcomes, frustrations, and criticisms.
This class seeks to deepen our ability to use the 7 Dimensions of culture to recognize and reconcile diverse orientations in teams and problem solving.
We will use THT diagnostics to identify a range of work-place issues and dilemmas brought on by the diversity of our own group. From exploring this diversity, we will apply Trompenaars’ Dilemma Reconciliation Process which allows us to step outside of our biases and apply a balanced process in the effort to create a reconcilable solution.
At the end of this class participants will:
- Have a deep understanding of how group diversity leads to differences in shared problems
- Be able to formulate strategies to recognize differences in how shared problems exist and lead teams through a dilemma reconciliation process (DRP)
- Reflect on their own self-development needs in areas of global leadership competency
December 12, 2023, 8:45 am-Noon, MK 122
This half-day workshop focuses on how values are interpreted differently and what
leaders can do to create a sustaining in-tact team using a unique tool called the
V2B Team Charter.
In this class we identify values and define the behaviors that we want to see and
we don’t want to see from ourselves and colleagues in creating the charter. Through
this process we experience how to Root or Realize desired behaviors and changes in
our teams.
Our goal is to develop confidence for participants to introduce the Team Charter tool and method to their own work teams.
At the end of the class, participants will:
- Understand the process and purpose of defining values and behaviours
- Have created a team charter
- Recognize the potential use of the charter for sustaining desired behaviours and realizing desired change in their own team.
February 6, 2024, 8:45 am-Noon, via Zoom
Cross-cultural dynamics are often overlooked and misunderstood in the workplace. There are few organizations not comprised of multiple nationalities and therefore multiple cultures. However, most organizations (and therefore supervisors) do not delve into these diverse factors to discover the rewards of acknowledging and incorporating these dynamics into their supervisory skills. Moreover, we rarely understand how to engage the cultural differences that can be constructive instead of just accepting them as painful conflicts.
In this workshop, the focus is on how to develop constructive conversations through dialogic engagement. First, you examine conflict from a personal perspective by defining it as two opposing ideas attempting to occupy the same space at the same time, often however, without engaging each other. Second, you draw on concepts from crucial and difficult conversations to understand how to focus on the quality of engagement instead of our imaginary stories of what could go wrong. Third, you expand the conversation through understanding your personal intercultural conflict style, wherein the awareness of differences begins to shed new light on how to engage instead of how to make stories about each other that create disengagement. Combined, this process supports more effective feedback processes and performance evaluations.
Upon completion of this class, you will be able to:
- Understand most conflicts are polarized views that can be managed.
- Examine conflict as two opposing and competing logical views that fail to engage and understand the other
- Manage important conversations with greater confidence and effectiveness
- Explain where cultural differences in communications exist and improve engagement by combining effective feedback processes that are in-line with performance objectives.
Assessments Required to complete Intercultural Conflict Style (online or paper) prior to class
Supportive Reading
- Crucial Conversations, Grenny, et al.
- Change Your Questions, Change Your Life, 2016. Marilee Goldberg
- Stevenson, 2018. Global Inclusion: The Mandate for Successful Organizations http://www.clevelandconsultinggroup.com/articles/ladder-of-inference-how-we-tell-our-stories.php
February 13, 2024, 8:45 am–Noon, MK 122
Building on the Trompenaars Hampden-Turner model of framing ‘culture’ and examining the way in which the 7 dimensions affect behavior and business, we explore the Seven Meta Dilemmas of Leadership and practice reconciliation through case studies.
Through case studies we will examine multiple ways that leadership is involved in bridging the differences between cultures. While the dimensions give us insight to the ways in which cultures are different, this class focuses on the method to resolve issues through integrating how the different viewpoints strengthen and enhance yourself, your performance, your team and ultimately the group/organization.
By the end of the class, you will be able to:
- Clearly identify tensions involved in your dilemma and describe opposing positions from foreground and background perspective
- Demonstrate integrative thinking
- Gained ability to help others elicit dilemmas through various techniques
- Completed a Six Step DRP
- Identified a real dilemma pertaining to your role at work
March 5, 2024, 8:45 am–4:15 pm, MK 122
Change should not be brought forward for the sake of just making a change. Organizational Change is better understood from the perspective of recognizing where we are and identifying what we want to do differently or improve. The role of ‘corporate/organizational culture’ in the change process is integral to making change happen. How people react at times of change is strongly tied to organizational culture, which is an often overlooked (or weakly understood) dynamic that is firmly situated in the following:
- Power and control dynamics
- Tasks and relationships
- Vision and Mission behind the change the story
- Acceptance and Rejection forces
- Leadership
In this class, we will look at how values, (and associated behaviors) norms and expectations differ across an organization, and what that means when managing at a time of change.
Using the results of our Corporate Culture Profile diagnostic we will examine the four archetypes of organizational culture to understand how differences in hierarchy, tasks and relationships impact our behaviors and expectations.
By the end of this class, you will be able to:
- Distinguish your ideal organizational culture in the context of your existing work culture
- Examine the importance of Values and Leadership in creating organizational culture
- Apply the four Quadrant Model to understand differences in organizational culture and systems
- Recognize sources of organizational cultural tension in the context of differing values and behavior expectations
April 9, 2024, 8:45 am–4:30 pm, MK 122
High performing organizations have traditionally used coaching to support key individuals and teams at times of major change. Increasingly, the practice of ‘coaching at work’ has become an effective leadership practice to help others develop and improve how we lead in business. In this class we will learn essential coaching skills, practice have coaching conversations, and engage in activities to build our leadership coaching skills.
Upon completion of this class, you will be able to:
- Follow a process of ‘coaching at work’ that supports thinking through goals, obstacles, and options can lead to desired change.
- Differentiate between managing for performance and coaching for performance, and when to use the different approaches.
- Be introduced and practice essential coaching skills of ‘embodying a coach mindset’, Listening and communicating effectively, and evoking awareness in coaching conversations.
- Experience a number of coaching sessions as ‘coach’ and ‘coachee’.
Supportive Reading
- The Extraordinary Leader (2009) John H Zenger and Joseph Folkman McGraw Hill
- Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change, Second Edition Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, et al.
- What you need to know about coaching, Stevenson http://www.clevelandconsultinggroup.com/articles/coaching-services
- Ladder of Inference Stevenson, http://www.clevelandconsultinggroup.com/articles/ladder-of-inference-how-we-tell-our-stories.php
April 30, 2024, 8:45 am–Noon, via Zoom
In a virtual world, the rules of engagement have changed. It is common to have meetings with offsite attendees in multiple locations and multiple countries. In the past, these meetings occurred as teleconferences, which prevented participants the ability to develop face value. In addition, meetings were often reporting of data instead of engaging all participants. The rise of cost-effective video conferencing has altered this process such that virtual meetings can be as effective as in-person meetings. Moreover, enhancing meeting effectiveness occurs when participants understand the purpose/intent of the meeting, and know how to focus their attention on each agenda item.
In this workshop, you apply learning from the Intercultural Conflict Style Assessments.
In this way, you deepen the understanding of cross-cultural dynamics that need to
be included in your awareness of virtual meetings. You participate in a conversation
of how to engage individually and cross culturally while in a virtual setting. You
determine how to focus the meetings through indicating your intent (i.e. meeting-leader-intent)
for the agenda items: Decision! Consultation! Operating Execution Update! Informative!
The final focus is on how to maintain face value by reaching out to touch virtually.
Acknowledging that the lack of face-to-face communication has affected the quality
of relationships, you explore how to maintain face time value virtually.
Upon completion of this class, you will be able to:
- Describe the essential elements needed for a successful virtual meeting
- Differentiate meetings in terms of their purpose and intent, allowing you to plan for certain outcomes in terms of participation and follow-up.
- Point-out cross-cultural insights that aid us in having a meaningful and engaging on-line meeting
- Discover ways to use a more high touch approach with high tech communications aimed at improving the face to face virtual experience.
Supportive Readings.
- Ladder of Inference. Stevenson, http://www.clevelandconsultinggroup.com/articles/ladder-of-inference-how-we-tell-our-stories.php
- Behavioral Elements of Trust http://www.clevelandconsultinggroup.com/articles/behavioral-elements-of-trust-distrust.php
- No More Pointless Meetings: Breakthrough Sessions That Will Revolutionize the Way You Work Martin Murphy (2013) AMACOM
May 14 or 15, 2024 (Participants sign up and attend three hours of time in one of the dates), 8:45 am – 4:15 pm, via Zoom
Participants attend a one three-hour synthesizing workshop from which they present well defined drafts of their final projects with their peers for purposes of feedback and refinement. Preparation and explanation of this workshop will be discussed in previous classes and communications.
At the end of this class, participants will:
- Analyze their final project and thesis with feedback from peers
- Judge the state of readiness for final presentation
- Be better prepared for presentation of the final project.
May 21, 2024, 8:45 am–4:15 pm, MK 122
June 11, 2024, 10:00 am–4:15 pm, MK 122
Information and explanation of Final Projects for GLC will be introduced in the “Values and Behavior” class 3
Questions?
If you have questions about GLC, please contact Richard Forrest.