The rise of private power: Why we need to enlist an army of corporate diplomats

March 12, 2012
Posted on Periscope Post

By: Cari E. Guittard

Corporate diplomacy involves a unique combination of critical skillsets that are essential for effective leadership in global business.

Bill Gates, Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, attends the opening session of the Millennium Development Goals Advocacy Group Meeting. 22 September 2010. Photo credit: United Nations, New York.

I was struck this week by a pair of featured articles in this month’s Foreign Policy magazine, Inside Power, Inc and Supercitizens & Semistates by David Rothkopf, which detailed how top companies on the Forbes Global 2000 list stack up against many countries around the globe.

The massive reach, resources, and influence of the private sector – including companies and NGOs – “dwarf all but the largest governments and even wealthy governments are struggling with overwhelmed bureaucracies, budget crises, and plummeting confidence in government,” noted Rothkopf, who used statistics to help frame the imbalance of public versus private power. Some were pretty astounding. Sales revenues of Wal-Mart, the world’s largest companyare higher than the GDPs of all but 25 countries; at 2.1 million, its employees outnumber the populations of nearly 100 nations. BlackRock, the world’s largest investment manager manages $3.5 trillion in assets – greater than the national reserves of any country on the planet. In 2010, The Gates Foundation, the $33.5 billion-endowed private philanthropic organisation, distributed more money to worldwide causes than the World Health Organization had in its annual budget.

Most large, multi-national companies have their own internal foreign policies and strategies, crafted in large part to help them address geopolitical challenges, respond to crises, and navigate the web of governments, NGOs and local influencers they come into contact on a daily basis. To be successful and competitive in the long run, the private sector must manage global issues with numerous geographic and geopolitical challenges with creativity and dexterity, re-defining traditional notions of global engagement and public diplomacy along the way. A hybrid form of Smart Power on steroids.

Few companies share these internal strategies and even fewer distill out and share lessons learned publicly. Most corporate diplomats who lead much of this work do so on an ad hoc basis, under the radar, with little or no resources, training, and development. Few business schools and executive education programs offer courses in corporate diplomacy even though the nature of global business is increasingly dependent upon working effectively across sectors. Corporate diplomacy involves a unique combination of critical skillsets that are essential for effective leadership in global business. If we are ever to achieve a balance between public and private power, as Rothkopf urges, we will need private sector leadership to collectively and openly come together, recognise the critical role of corporate diplomacy and tri-sector engagement, and begin enlisting and training an army of current and future corporate diplomats. Starting Now.

Book Review: I’d Rather be in Charge: A Legendary Business Leader’s Roadmap for Achieving Pride, Power, and Joy at Work by Charlotte Beers

Posted: February 27, 2012 in Periscope Post
By: Cari Guittard



Charlotte Beers’s new book, I’d Rather Be in Charge, offers up some important lessons for women in business.

One of the most profound, defining moments of my career was when I worked as a Special Assistant to Charlotte Beers during her tenure as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy & Public Affairs during the Bush Administration.

If you’ve seen the film The Devil Wears Prada, you’ve got an idea a sense of what working for her was like – she the driven, sharp, take-no-prisoners Diva, and I the lowly, unstylish staffer who had no idea what I was up against. Over time, though, I grew to appreciate and relish her toughness and tenacity. She seemed hardest on those who were closest to her, in an effort not to admonish, but to make you better. She was always about pushing people to excel and find their own potential even if it meant long days and nights, some of which ended in tears from exasperation and exhaustion.

So much of what Beers tried to accomplish at State post 9/11 has been misunderstood, distorted, and often inaccurately reported. Her distinguished advertising career – where she shattered one glass ceiling after the other – is often minimized and diminished by the media, and male journalists in particular, as seller of Uncle Ben’s Rice and Head & Shoulders. Really. Is that the best they can do when encapsulating a lifetime of leadership, taking risks, and performance in the corporate world over decades in traditionally male dominated industries?

I always wondered why she never fought back openly against her critics – but then she had bigger fish to fry, as we say in Texas. Which was why I was eager to read her recently published book, I’d Rather be in Charge. The book takes the reader into her world, the world of Mad Men and Women, and shares story after story of her growing up in the advertising industry. Throughout the stories, she weaves in lessons learned and practical insights for women mapping their careers and navigating leadership roles in business. She shares some exceptional, useful communications advice on how to be persuasive, engaging and learn to leverage influence – these tips alone are worth the price of the book.

Beers also spends considerable amounts of time on showing how to build a road-map for self-knowledge, which far too many of us spend too little time on. The book is geared towards mid-career women who are transitioning into or aspiring to leadership roles. The benefits however are much broader and I would recommend this to women at every career stage – even my graduate students who are just beginning their careers – as there are several critical insights we can all take to heart and utilize.

If there is one word to describe Beers – at least from my time working with her – it is “fearless”. A term I wish more women embodied and would wear proudly. I remember one example of this distinctly when I worked for her at the State Department: The White House called prior to a press conference with Beers, asking me to kindly ask the Under Secretary not to say certain things and then not to wear her trademark short leather mini-skirt and form-fitting sweaters.

Beers was never shy about speaking her mind – which more often than not threw many of the straight-laced career foreign service officers and political appointees off kilter. She was also never shy about being feminine and wearing exactly what she wanted to at State – a land where there is very little color, form-fitting attire, and creativity. I remember not even taking a pause and saying, “The Under Secretary will not be scripted, she will speak her mind and share her opinions. If the White House has a problem with this they can take it up with her directly. And on the point of the mini-skirt, if I had the Under Secretary’s legs I’d be wearing one myself.”

There are endless lessons I learned from my time working for Beers which have made all the difference in my career. I am thankful she has now put some of these lessons down for others to benefit from her wisdom, experience, and candor.

Cari E. Guittard, MPA is Adjunct Faculty for the Hult International Business School Dubai and the University of Southern California. Guittard specializes and teaches graduate courses in Corporate Diplomacy, Global Engagement, Negotiation, and Managing Geopolitical Risk. Guittard resides in San Francisco, CA.

Hidden Power: Women who aspire to lead globally – the view from Dubai

Posted in Periscope Post
February 24, 2012


Hidden Power: Women who aspire to lead globally – the view from Dubai

By: Cari E. Guittard
February 24, 2012

Women in the Middle East are just beginning to realise their business potential.

Last December, I travelled to Dubai where I taught at the Hult Pocket MBA for Women Who Aspire to Lead seminar. The Hult Pocket MBA for Women was a 2-day intensive which brought 60 mid-career women from throughout the region to Hult International Business School’s Dubai campus for an extraordinary learning experiment.

The setting was an intimate, transformative and engaging platform, unlike any I’ve ever experienced. Demand for this seminar was overwhelming — nearly 300 were placed on a waiting list for the free seminar and others asked if we would reprise the course in Cairo, Tunis, Manama, Doha and Riyadh. Given the turmoil and upheaval over the past year in the region, it is gratifying to see the Middle East is hungry for programs that empower and advance women in business and women as leaders.

You Can’t Be What You Can’t See


The global faculty and presenters assembled to teach in the pocket MBA ranged from social and behavioral psychologists, to global management, communications, finance, and HR. Dr. Amanda Nimon-Peters, Managing Director and Founder of Sara Black International, led the course with an opening discussion of influences contributing to self-belief and self-doubt, factors that subconsciously affect performance in women. She guided us through experimental social psychology research which included a candid discussion of stereotypes, the negative effects they have on women in the workforce, and how they contribute to self-sabotage on a subconscious level.

She further underscored the importance of role models for women and noted that they increase a woman’s belief in her ability to succeed particularly when women have overcome relevant difficulties on their paths to success. Unfortunately, there are too few women in senior leadership identified and showcased for more junior women to emulate. When it comes to leadership role models, men dominate the headlines.

In my session on Global Skillsets, Global Mindsets, I shared research from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and the Thunderbird School of Global Management’s Global Mindset Institute. The research resonated with the class, as many women shared their difficulties in balancing what they felt were expected “masculine” traits with their innate “feminine” traits in the workplace. Finding balance and adapting while navigating a global career is the Holy Grail of success. Additionally, these are skillsets women, and in particular mothers, are incredibly adept at, though we are never taught to promote those traits and in many cases taught to diminish them early on. As women, we need to seek out more opportunities like the Hult Pocket MBA to better understand, develop and leverage these skillsets as well as nurture a network that supports our continued learning in this space.

The Hidden Power of Women in Business & The Men Who Get It

We ended the Pocket MBA with a powerful panel on Men Who Contribute to Boosting Women’s Careers, or what I like to call The Men Who Get It. Here were three educated, successful men married to equally sharp, successful women. They shared frank views on the balance of power in their relationships and the positive benefits they derived from having a working and succeeding spouse. One shared how he had sacrificed his career for his wife to pursue an expansive global corporate role and the fulfillment he obtained by looking after their children full-time. The panel’s sensitivity to work-life balance and deep appreciation for women’s contribution to and strengths in business was evident and applauded. It is also important to recognize that we were having such a discussion in the UAE which is leading the region when it comes to women’s rights and the empowerment of women.

There was nothing pocket-sized about the energy in the room during our Pocket MBA. When women get together like this, transformation occurs. We acknowledged that we spend so much of our lives focused on what we think we’re supposed to do, that we rarely discover what we’re meant to do. Many of the participants in the Pocket MBA shared that this two-day intensive sparked in them the confidence to seek out a new direction, an exploration into finding their true passions and to develop their unique talents and abilities.

Whether they know it or not, women yield a tremendous amount of power and influence in business globally. Unfortunately, more and more women in the mid to senior career levels – just when they are beginning to take the leadership reigns — are opting out. Much of this power is hidden, underestimated, and undervalued many times by women themselves.
It is important to reflect on the impact women have in business and to find a way to capture and hold up stories of relevant female role models, abolish stereotypes, and find new creative ways to support and empower them. Even the smallest of efforts can make an extraordinary impact.

I flew a very long way to inspire and leave an impact on a group of women who are just beginning to realize their own power in the global workforce. What I didn’t anticipate was how much I would learn from them and how I would be the one leaving inspired, optimistic and energized for the future.

FOUR KEY GLOBAL CORPORATE DIPLOMACY TRENDS FOR 2012

Water, Women, Entrepreneurs, Emerging Markets - Four Key Global Corporate Diplomacy Trends for 2012

Last summer I had the opportunity to lead a session on Corporate Diplomacy for the USC Center on Public Diplomacy’s Summer Institute. It is always a pleasure and humbling experience to engage with global public diplomacy practitioners and this summer’s group was no different. Participants hailed from every corner of the globe and I learned so much from my brief interactions with them. In preparation for my class, I compiled Key Corporate Diplomacy Trends that will lead corporate diplomacy efforts through the end of 2011 and well into 2012. This list is by no means exhaustive as there are dozens of efforts in the corporate diplomacy space within any given sector. The trends I selected reflect activity across sectors and regions and provide ample opportunity for public diplomacy practitioners and corporate diplomats alike to partner and have impact in the months and years to come. The Key Corporate Diplomacy Trends (in equal order of importance):


•Water


•Women


•Entrepreneurs


•Emerging Markets & Economic Development

Several of these, principally Women and Entrepreneurs, I’ve discussed in past blogs and both will continue to grow in prominence in the corporate diplomacy space, principally as areas for development and partnership in emerging and developed economies. I have also underscored the shift from CSR related efforts to an increased focus on economic development efforts by companies. In my next post I will delve deeper into emerging markets with a list of key countries to watch on the corporate diplomacy front. The one new trend that is gaining prominence and which I’ll focus this post on is the issue of water globally.


Water Diplomacy – A Thirsty World
I recently read The Big Thirst by Charles Fishman. For anyone seeking to understand water today this book is an essential. Fishman is best known for his previous work The Wal-Mart Effect which won him critical acclaim for his in-depth review of Wal-Mart’s business practices and impact on economies and our daily lives. The Big Thirst, in similar fashion, goes deep into understanding the origins of our relationship with water and calls for a better understanding, appreciation and respect for this precious natural resource. As Fishman writes, “Many civilizations have been crippled or destroyed by an inability to understand water or manage it. We have a huge advantage over the generations of people who have come before us, because we can understand water and we can use it smartly.” Some key insights Fishman draws out:

For Americans at home, flushing the toilet is the main way we use water, typical American flushes five times per day at home and uses 18.5 gallons; every day Americans flush 5.7 billion gallons of clean drinking water down the toilet.

The largest single consumer of water in the United States, 201 billion gallons each day…hydroelectric plants – coal, gas, and nuclear power plants for cooling and steam.

40 percent of the world’s 6.9 billion people don’t have easy access to water. By 2050 there will be 2.4 billion more people on the planet.


And according to Water.org, a non-profit dedicated to providing safe drinking water and sanitation to people in developing countries, lack of access to clean water is at a crisis point for over 1 billion people. With demand compounding and shrinking supplies, global water is big business. Many economists argue that water is not a public good, rather a rapidly developing commodity and growth market with some predicting it will eventually outpace the oil market. Citigroup is now recommending that investors purchase water companies given current global trends. And as noted in a recent WSJ article, China is investing heavily in water with 251 dam projects in 57 countries. The construction of dams remains a hotly debated and intensely scrutinized issue for the local communities it displaces as well as the potential environment damage that will result. Finding a balance between energy needs and conservation going forward will be key. The issue of water may be one of the most challenging public diplomacy efforts of our time. Governments, companies, NGOs and individuals will have to work together to address the compounding challenges surrounding global water.

Conquerors of the Useless

End of summer for me is always a time of reflection and renewal, taking time out for a mind and body detox from all the clutter and chaos in our daily lives. And yes, drink a ton of water. Just thinking about water now makes me thirsty. Flush the body, clear the mind. My focus on researching global water trends was punctuated recently by a film a family friend shared which left an indelible impression and homes in on many emerging corporate diplomacy themes in addition to water, 180◦ South.


180◦ South tracks one man’s trek to Patagonia re-tracing the journey from 40 years earlier of Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia and his friend Doug Tomkins, founder of North Face . The film’s tagline Conquerors of the Useless, actually threads in pressing issues of our time – depletion of natural resources, urbanization, consumerism, growing energy demands, cultural preservation and economic development.

The film at its core is all about seeking and finding balance. Balance with nature, balance within governments, companies and communities, balance within oneself. Finding balance has historically been incredibly difficult to achieve. To find balance however, one must first seek balance. Today I see too few examples of companies, governments, and individuals actively seeking balance. So much of modern life is lived in extremes and we’re paying the price.

There is a great line which became a running theme of the film where Chouinard, begins to address the concept of balance and progress, “If you approach the edge of a cliff, do you step forward? Or turn 180 degrees and then take a step? And which is considered progress?”

When it comes to water we are at the cliff’s edge. Where we go from there will have consequences for generations to come.


**Reposted from original post on Aug 5, 2011

Interview w/ The National, Dubai

Mothers lead the way

by Gillian Duncan

Dec 28, 2011


It took her more than two decades working within the company to reach the position of Pepsi-Cola president and chief executive for North America.

But Brenda Barnes, now 56, spent just one year in the role before stepping down.

Ms Barnes, who left to spend more time with her children, returned to the workplace seven years later in 2004 and joined Sara Lee as president and chief operating officer before later moving up to chief executive and chairwoman. She stepped down last year after suffering a stroke.

She may be one of the most high-profile examples of women who opt out at the top, but she is by no means alone.

"Most of them are mothers and they are trying to balance so many things. The workplace isn't exactly very adaptable to supporting their schedules and everything they have to do," says Cari Guittard, an adjunct faculty member of Hult International Business School, which has a campus in Dubai.

But companies could be missing out because women, and particularly mothers, can make good leaders.

Ms Guittard recently spoke at an event in Dubai about women in leadership organised by Stanton Chase, an executive search firm. She says a chief executive admitted to her that in a perfect world he would have women running his companies. "He said mothers in particular are able to deal with crises and chaos very quickly and they are also able to focus and get multiple things done," Ms Guittard recounts.

"He shared with me that women are fantastic multi-taskers and they think in a very circuitous fashion. He said in that sense in a leadership role they are fantastic."



Research by the Thunderbird School of Global Management that Ms Guittard has been involved in suggests women are also strong in three areas linked to successful global careers: intellectual, psychological and social capitals.

"Intellectual is when you study something, go to school or seminars; psychological is what you learn when you work with people cross culturally, it's more of an emotional intelligence area; and social capital is really building up an ability to listen, network and develop customer relationships," she adds.

But other research by Stanford University suggests that women who possess masculine qualities such as aggression received more promotions and had greater long-term success in their careers.

Ms Guittard, who is also senior associate at Global Strategic Partners and an adjunct faculty member at USC Annenberg School for Communication says there is a growing awareness that companies with female board members tend to be more successful. But the realisation is not yet translating into more women board members.



To make the most of their talents, workplaces should showcase women's talents alongside men's.

Governments also have a role to play in increasing women leaders in the workplace and many, including the UAE, are making significant effort in this regard, says Panos Manolopoulos, a vice chairman at Stanton Chase International. "But it is women themselves that will make the difference," he adds, saying women should put themselves at the forefront and allow themselves to shine.

Providing resources which allow women to maintain a work-life balance will also help. Companies in the West like Google and HP have that down to an art, but it seems that organisations in the Emirates have some catching up to do.

"In the UAE what we heard from almost every woman who was a mother, and many of them work for huge multinationals, they felt that there was an expectation that they had to be at the office 12 or 15 hour days," says Ms Guittard.

She says women who recently took part in a pocket MBA course in Dubai organised by Hult reported receiving no recognition for the fact that they are mothers who balance work with family life - despite the fact that some may be more efficient in work because of it.

"I think rewarding efficiency and providing flexibility is huge, but it is something that's not being recognised right now and it's forcing a lot of women to make a choice: do I continue or do I opt out?" she adds.

gduncan@thenational.ae

Welcome your comments and feedback on my latest blog post for Reuters, An African Spring...

http://blogs.reuters.com/trnewsmaker/2011/05/19/an-african-spring/

Recent CPD Blog Post -- The View from Abu Dhabi

I had the great fortune to be in Abu Dhabi two weeks ago leading a group of MBA students from USF as part of their Global Immersions study abroad program. Most of the students are executives pursuing their MBA part-time and this was for many their first visit to the region. At the beginning of our trip, I cautioned them as I do any group of Western executives new to the region about what I call the Three R’s for conducting business in the GCC:



•Respect – Your mindset should be I am a guest in their country, and at all times should be respectful of their customs, traditions, and modes of behavior


•Reaction – Be mindful of how you react to circumstances that are different from those at home; exercise patience and restraint in surfacing negative reactions and responses


•Relationships – The most important lesson to remember when conducting business in the GCC revolves around relationships. Relationships are everything. Exhaustive amounts of time and care should be devoted to fostering and nurturing relationships.



I also spent a good deal of time explaining the rich symbolism we witnessed at every turn even in the most urban settings. I asked the students to be consciously aware of these symbols during our trip as so much of our attention, naturally, was often pulled to the latest innovations and dazzling architectural achievements on display. We spent the first half of the week in Dubai meeting with business leaders from every sector. Dubai for me is as it has always been these past few years, vibrant, optimistic, and progressive. Even in the darkest days of the recession Dubai has exhibited these qualities and now they are back with a vengeance as more and more investment and development pushes ahead. We also had the distinct privilege of being in Dubai when Secretary Clinton was visiting, which always provides a unique window into a country’s and region’s view of US foreign policy and leadership. From all accounts the Secretary was well received, even embraced, by much of the UAE and Pan-Arab press. This in a week where Sudan and Tunisia dominated coverage, and the shootings in Tucson raised concerns about the levels of violence in the US. Geopolitically, we could not have picked a better week to be in Dubai.

Abu Dhabi, though, had the most lasting imprint on our delegation. In its quiet, elegant, thoughtful way it left an indelible impression even on those of us who had been before. Abu Dhabi is a unique case study in corporate and public diplomacy and one of myriad contradictions. The quote I captured from a display at Emirates Palace from His Highness Sheikh Zayed, former President of the UAE, sums up Abu Dhabi perfectly: “A country is not measured by the size of its area on a map. A country is truly measured by its heritage and culture.” The emphasis on and investment in heritage and culture was everywhere throughout the city juxtaposed to advertisements for the World Future Energy Summit this past week, and FerrariWorld. Abu Dhabi has historically been known primarily as an international financial powerhouse and source of immense oil and natural gas reserves. These elements of Abu Dhabi have only multiplied and matured over the years and those investment firms which were also historically very private and closed off from the world are now seeking to engage with the world.

One example of this shift to greater transparency and a distinctly corporate diplomacy point of view was our meeting with leadership at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA). ADIA was incredibly candid and open about their various investment approaches and what struck me was their focus on and commitment to building understanding with the broader international community. This from a firm who only recently added a website presence and began issuing press releases on their efforts. They see their move towards openness and engagement as something others will likely emulate in years to come.


Perhaps the most indelible impressions however came from our host the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA). Dear friends at ADTA planned most of our day and personally guided our visits in Abu Dhabi answering questions, sharing insights, and helping us understand the broader approach Abu Dhabi was taking towards its own development. ADTA’s hospitality was, in short, extraordinary. I am always inspired and humbled by Arab hospitality in general, and this was above and beyond any of our expectations. When we toured the Emirates Palace we were struck by the Saadiyat Island exhibition on planned cultural development. The emphasis on the arts and cultural projects coupled with unique living environments geared towards families was awe-inspiring and world-class. Unlike The Palm developments in Dubai which cater to the very wealthy and extensions of the hospitality sector, Abu Dhabi is focusing more on the families who live and work there. Throughout our day the presence of H.H. Sheikh Zayed was palpable. Whether through the many portraits displayed along the corniche or in his quotes placed strategically throughout the city, you could feel his presence guiding us. If you visit His Highness’ website you will feel some of what we felt on the ground.

We ended our day at the Grand Mosque with a private tour, guided by an Islamic scholar who exerted tremendous patience, answering every question we had over the course of more than two hours. It was fitting, after beginning the day with a business focus, to end the day in reflection. I reminded the students of the meaning of the term January. It derives from the Latin term Janus, the two-headed Roman god who could at once see both the past and the future. Here in Abu Dhabi, where we could vividly see the past and future, we left eager to return.

Link to Full Post: http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/corporate_diplomacy_perspectives_--_the_view_from_abu_dhabi/

Corporate Diplomacy Summer Reading List

BOOKS

-- The Next 100 Years, By George Friedman
-- The End of the Free Market, By Ian Bremmer
-- You've Only Got Three Seconds, By Camille Lavington
-- One Nation Under Contract: The Outsourcing of American Power and the Future of Foreign Policy, By Allison Stanger
-- Working with Americans, By Lanie Denslow & Allyson Stewart-Allen

WEBSITES

-- www.WatchingAmerica.com Free daily translations of global US coverage
-- www.drudgereport.com The One & Only Drudge
-- http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/ USC Center on Public Diplomacy
-- www.WorldCitizensGuide.org World Citizens Guides
-- www.Businessfordiplomaticaction.org Business for Diplomatic Action
-- www.traveltalkmedia.com/businesstravelradio.shtml Business Travel Radio
-- http://www.formsofaddress.info/faq.html Robert Hickey's Etiquette and Protocol Site

MAGAZINES: Harvard Business Review, The Week, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs

MUST HAVE DESK REFERENCES

-- Kiss, Bow, and Shake Hands: The Bestselling Guide to Doing Business in More Than 60 Countries, By Terri Morrison & Wayne Conaway
-- Honor & Respect: Titles & Forms of Address, By Robert Hickey
-- Routledge Handbook of Public Diplomacy, Edited By Nancy Snow

> an_learn_from_each_other/

> Would welcome any comments and feedback on my most recent blog post, http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/what_mpds_and_mbas_c

Mapping the Social Internet -- A Global Look

From the current issue of Harvard Business Review there is an excellent visual representation of how people in different countries utilize social networks.

Some of the Key Take-Aways

* Asia is the Most Social -- BRIC and other developing countries show the most engagement overall
* Fewer than 15% of Americans say they've written a blog
* European, North American, and Australian users tend to use social platforms in essentially the same ways. More active than Eastern users when it comes to photo sharing and managing a social network profile but less active on broadcast behaviors. Microblogging is much lower.
* Chinese and Indian users, are three times as likely as Westerners to microblog, or tweet, as American users.
* Emerging Markets have much more room to grow their internet populations and encourage experimentation whereas behaviors in the West are well established

Full Article & Map:
SOURCE -- www.hbr.org

EMPIRE OF THE SUN -- Recent USC CPD Post

July 2010

Film Clip:
http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/empire_of_the_sun/

I’m finally cleaning out and catching up with my Netflix queue, working on a relationship I’ve neglected for far, far too long. As a foreign and political film junkie, I may be one of the few people my age who has only just watched Empire of the Sun , the 1987 Spielberg film initially set in 1940s Shanghai, where a group of privileged and protected Westerners have built their lives in China since the British first arrived in the early 19th Century.

Based on J. G. Ballard's autobiographical novel, the film follows a British boy, Jim “Jamie” Graham, who, after being separated from his parents, is captured by the Japanese and taken to the Soo Chow confinement camp. Stripped of every comfort and surrounded by sickness, disease, and death, Jim attempts to rebuild his former life, while bringing hope and dignity to those around him. The film is ultimately about survival, the enduring strength of the human spirit, and the idea that even in times of war, we all have more things in common than the ones which separate us.

I was profoundly and deeply moved by this film. In part, I was drawn in by Spielberg’s visual imagery and layering. At every turn I felt as though I were there, witnessing history unfold. The underlying themes and cross-cultural nuances throughout, though, are what truly left an indelible impression.

From the very beginning, I was struck by the excellent manners young Jim possessed. He was composed, observant, sensitive to others needs, incredibly self aware, and treated everyone with dignity and respect. Let me repeat that – he treated everyone with dignity and respect. His most outward displays of sensitivity, deference and respect are shown in several poignant scenes with his Japanese captors. He takes several tense, potentially violent moments and diffuses them with the flair of a seasoned diplomat when he smiles broadly and genuinely, speaks in Japanese, and bows to the ground. He stays bowing until the Japanese give him instruction to rise. At another particularly moving point, while observing the Kamikaze rituals, he salutes and begins singing with the pilots.

The timing of watching Empire of the Sun is rather appropriate, as I am due to deliver remarks at the International Protocol Officers Annual Education Conference in Long Beach, CA at the end of this month. It is always an intimidating thing to be surrounded by an audience of protocol and etiquette professionals, especially for a native Texan. But I never miss a chance to be with them, as I love the energy of this group and their almost evangelical approach to their craft. I wish more were aware of the power of protocol and etiquette – traditional vestiges of diplomacy, and an area many consider to be within the soft power realm. I touched on this in my prior post, ' The Five Tool Corporate Diplomat', but I feel compelled to underscore the importance of protocol and etiquette as essential global skills, which are absolutely critical to building trust and operating effective cross-culturally.

Which brings me back to young Jim in the film. Jim was born into a privileged, global elite, which was well versed and schooled in the ways of the world and how to operate within the echelons of power. Many will look at that film and even at modern practitioners of diplomacy, etiquette and protocol, and say that understanding such cross-cultural nuance and learning how to deftly navigate oneself in a global environment is passé in a world where technology, access and speed are pre-eminent.

If one delves deeper, though, in any environment – whether government, corporate, or societal – where power and influence are concentrated, successful relationships develop slowly over time and are carefully crafted by how one positions and maneuvers within such structures. Access is granted and influence developed by those who are able to operate effectively, with sensitivity, respect, and acute awareness of those around them. This is where etiquette and protocol, or in plain English, good old fashioned manners, make all the difference. Why then are so few young people, especially Americans, educated systematically in the art and craft of protocol and etiquette? In a globalized world where we are all increasingly competing with the world for jobs, positioning and influence, these skills should be part of every child’s basic education.

“Amatus sum, amatus es, amatus est”

Towards the end of the film we hear Jim reciting the Latin phrase “Amatus sum, amatus es, amatus est." Translated, it means: I am loved, you are loved, he/she is loved. The phrase (and more broadly, the film) speaks to the universality of the human condition and how each of us possesses the capacity to bring grace, humility, courage, and hope to those we engage with every day. It’s a lesson we should all embrace.


For additional related research, resources and insights, visit: http://thefivetoolexecutive.blogspot.com/

Current Research of Note -- July 2010

There are several recent studies that The Five Tool Executive should take note of and I will periodically post key take-aways, resources and insights.

This month, I'm focused on the McKinsey Global Institute's findings from their recent Competitiveness Report. There are several warning signs for the US that US multi-nationals in particular and the USG should take note of principally in the FDI, K-12 Education, Talent Recruitment & Retention, and Infrastructure.

McKinsey Global Institute Competitiveness Report 2009-2010

Key Take-Aways

OTHER COUNTRIES ARE CATCHING UP IN THE COMPETITION FOR US MULTINATIONAL CORPORATE INVESTMENT
The United States remains an attractive location for multinational economic activity. The US economy is the largest in the world, with strong patent protection, stable government institutions, high-quality transportation and communications systems, and an abundance of skilled and highly productive workers. But the world is changing. Today, countries in both the developed and developing world are also attractive investment locations, eroding the United States’ advantage (Exhibit 31). Many countries now provide large and growing markets, innovation, and talent that match or exceed those in the United States.

Countries’ competitiveness in attracting investment generally depends on four groups of attributes: economic fundamentals, business climate, human capital, and infrastructure.37 Historically, the developed economies, and the United States in particular, have performed best across these measures of country attractiveness, and it is these countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that are home to the bulk of US multinationals’ foreign activity.

Top ten most attractive economies for location of FDI, 2009–10 -- BRIC Countries lead the top five

US infrastructure was graded a “D”in 2009 and needs over $2 trillion in investment

The ability of the United States to sustain some of its advantages will depend in part on its relative performance in K-12 education. A report by the McKinsey & Company Social Sector Office found that the United States faces a significant international achievement gap in primary and secondary education.43 Among the report’s findings:

*In cross-country comparisons of fourth-grade reading, math, and science, US students scored in the top quarter or top half of advanced nations. By age 15, US students ranked in the bottom half.

*In 2006, the United States ranked 25th of 30 nations in math and 24th of 30 in science when the achievement of 15-year-old students was measured in OECD countries. The United States has among the smallest proportions of 15-year-olds performing at the highest levels of proficiency in math.

*Forty years ago, the United States was a leader in high school graduation rates; today, it ranks 18th out of 24 industrialized nations.

THE FIVE TOOL CORPORATE DIPLOMAT

THE FIVE TOOL CORPORATE DIPLOMAT
JUNE 2010
Posted to the USC CPD Blog
by Cari Guittard



The conversation began innocently enough - sitting on a porch in Half Moon Bay, overlooking, ironically, The Mavericks - where only the best come to surf and conquer the monster waves.

“Cari, you’re a Five Tool Wife,” remarked one of my husband’s friends.

At first, I wasn’t sure whether to be offended or complimented. When I asked for an explanation, he offered the analogy of the Five Tool Player, a term used in baseball to describe a player that has it all and succeeds in every critical skill necessary to excel over the long-term. The Five Tool player, he clarified, “hits for Power, hits for Average, has Skills & Speed, exceptional Throwing and Fielding skills.”

As he shared some names of famous Five-Toolers in baseball, outlining each area in detail, I started thinking about the global skill sets that make for a Five Tool Executive and Diplomat. As I am immersed day to day through my Business for Diplomatic Action role in engaging and guiding corporate executives in public diplomacy efforts, it got me thinking about those incredible Five Tool Diplomats and Executives I’ve had the opportunity to work with and learn from over the past decade. And then I wondered, what do they all have in common that has helped guide their success internationally? What are the critical skill sets that comprise a Five Tool Corporate Diplomat?

In my mind, the foundation upon which a Five Tool Corporate Diplomat concept should be based begins with an acknowledgment at the outset that a global mindset is a critical component upon which all other skill sets are formed. Seasoned successful diplomats and global executives have this in spades; however it is hardly a uniform skill set and many acknowledge it is a difficult area to teach, especially in the business world where diplomacy has never been seen until very recently as a critical skill set.

Few MBA schools dare to delve into this area, yet Thunderbird, the #1 ranked international MBA program in the US, is leading the way with their GLOBE research efforts and Global Mindset diagnostic tools. The Global Mindset, as Thunderbird defines it, is encapsulated below and comprises the first three or my five tools: Psychological Capital, Intellectual Capital, and Social Capital. In a nutshell they mean: we must know ourselves and the environment extremely well, be open and constantly learning, and finally, know how to build and leverage trusting relationships.

The Thunderbird approach echoes attributes and traits that other global executive development experts have been espousing for decades. As Camille Lavington, (noted personal executive marketing authority and author of You’ve Only Got Three Seconds) recently shared, “In my work with executives who reach the pinnacle of their careers and then go further and farther in their success, their ability to harness and leverage a combination of powerful global skills to develop their own unique brand of influence and power makes all the difference. How they do what they do and why are the keys to un-locking the mystery of what makes a Five Tool Executive.”

The final tools, Passion and Discretion, round out what I would define as a Five Tool Corporate Diplomat, and are derived from my experience working globally with successful global execs and diplomats. All of the global mindset capital in the world cannot make for success unless it is paired with passion and discretion.

The Five Tool Corporate Diplomat:

Psychological Capital – Enthusiasm for diversity; Self-assurance, self-confidence, and willingness to challenge oneself; Involves leveraging intellectual capital; Toughest to develop, takes a long time, based on experience.

Intellectual Capital – Knowledge of industry, market, competitors, cultures, world events; Easiest to develop

Social Capital – Ability to build trusting relationships with people from different parts of the world; Involves excellence in networking, listening, and negotiating

Passion – Powerful and enduring enthusiasm for working globally, with people from different from parts of the world.

Discretion -- Ability to make decisions and choices with prudence; the quality of being discreet, or careful about what one does and says


When taken as a whole, the Five Tools require an individual to have a high sense of self-awareness and the ability to understand and then implement changes in their behaviors as the environment and situation dictates. As great athletes (and particularly Five Tool players) know, you identify and focus on where you are weak, then work daily to build improvement. To some extent, improvement in any sport is easy to track - you simply follow stats and can readily measure improvement. Similarly, successful diplomats know that they have to, in their own way, constantly practice and hone their craft. With executives this is a difficult area to measure, especially since so much of this work is impacted by cognitive abilities, personalities and experiences. What is important to recognize about the Five Tools outlined above is that they are universal, and can be applied to anyone working anywhere, in any field, in any sector, including governments and non-profits. There is much we can all learn from Five Tool Executives and Diplomats that can help guide anyone who plans to pursue a global career.

In light of venerable journalist Helen Thomas’ outburst and prompt retirement last week, I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to emphasize the last tool, Discretion. This day and age of instant and ubiquitous communication, where seemingly every detail of one’s life and every thought is regularly posted, tweeted, and blurted out (and everyone is obsessed with social media as a preferred message platform) has me longing for the days when discretion was seen as a virtue. Discretion, after all is a key component for building and leveraging trust, influence, and power.

Discretion demands wise conduct and management, cautious discernment, and self-control. Thomas Jefferson, when reflecting on the power of society, spoke of a “wholesome discretion” and Scottish novelist Walter Scott eloquently offered, “Discretion is the perfection of reason, and a guide to us in all the duties of life.” Helen Thomas’ blatant disregard for the impact of her words, especially from someone who has built her life’s work on informing the public of current events, is not only irresponsible - it is one more example of how we’ve lost the art and skill of discretion in American society. However, I take comfort in thinking of all the Five Tool Executives and Diplomats I’ve had the pleasure of observing or working with, like Keith Reinhard and Ambassador Marc Grossman, who in their own way epitomize not only a global mindset but a grace, elegance, and quiet thoughtfulness that I wish more Americans sought to emulate.

And on that note, it is time for America to take a candid look inward, assess our global mindset and skills sets, and begin the hard work of preparing us all for engaging effectively with the world. Subsequent generations of Americans will be increasingly interconnected and global and it is incumbent upon all of us to do our part to prepare those generations to compete and lead on a global scale.

As we hurtle closer to the November elections, with crisis after crisis unfolding on a domestic and geopolitical scale, it is important to keep a global, long-term perspective. I don’t know about you, but I could also really go for a “wholesome discretion” movement right about now. The Five Tools can be a guide for success in our daily lives here at home and for those of us pursuing careers abroad.

If you know any five tool corporate diplomats you wish to recognize, please feel free to acknowledge them in the comments below.

GLOBAL PULSE 2010

Worth Checking Out & Participating

About Global Pulse 2010

Global Pulse 2010 is a 3-day, online collaboration event that will bring together socially-engaged participants and organizations from around the world. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is sponsoring the event, in partnership with the U.S. Departments of State, Education, Commerce, and Health and Human Services.

As the name implies, Global Pulse 2010 will take the pulse of thousands of participants on key issues facing communities around the world. The goals of the event are to connect and engage participants who are champions for the same challenges to help build new, or strengthen existing relationships, and to inform U.S. foreign assistance and diplomatic strategies on major themes emerge from the course of conversation.

During Global Pulse 2010 participants will choose from a list of challenges facing the global community within the fields of science and technology, economic development, and human development. Each challenge will have a number of recognized thought leaders and subject matter experts who will help to facilitate the discussion.

As a truly unique event Global Pulse 2010 will enable participants to influence a global conversation that helps to build partnerships across borders, strengthen understanding among cultures, and unite the human race in an effort to create innovative solutions to the most pressing social issues of our time.



https://www.collaborationjam.com/minijam3/jam/index.do?jamId=57

Harvard Business Review - Three Steps to Make Your Next Speech Your Best

Three Steps to Make Your Next Speech Your Best
3:28 PM Friday March 12, 2010
HBR Blog

In my experience of over two decades of coaching executives in their public speaking, I rarely run across one who has both the time and the inclination to do what it takes to deliver a great speech. Most of them are satisfied with average, which is partly why there are so many bad speeches given. The bar is set very low, and most executives are content to clear the bar, just.

What's to be done about this sorry state of rhetorical affairs? Here, I offer three quick steps leaders can take right now to improve their next speech. The steps are conceptually sophisticated but relatively easy to implement, thus fitting the busy executive lifestyle and addressing the natural objections of time and inclination.

First, step out from behind the podium and choreograph your relationship to the audience.

Our unconscious minds constantly monitor four zones of space between us and other people. We've evolved this incredibly sophisticated, unconscious radar to keep us safe, and it has important implications for public speaking. Twelve feet or more is public space, and it is the coolest category. We're not very interested in anyone, in survival terms, who's more than twelve feet away from us. So we don't pay much attention.

Twelve feet to four feet is social space. Here, we're paying about as much attention as you do to someone standing in the next circle at a cocktail party. You note them, but you're OK to keep talking to someone else.

Four feet to a foot and a half is personal space, and now we're paying close attention. In fact, we want to keep our eyes on anyone in that space all the time. Again, it's a safety issue. That person is close enough to us to do us harm, so we're going to stay focused.

Finally, a foot and a half to zero is intimate space, and at this level we only are comfortable letting in people that we trust a good deal. Spouses, family members, close friends, the attractive person you just met at that party after downing seven beers — these are the people we let into intimate space.

What are the implications for public speaking? Standing behind a podium means that you're almost guaranteed to be more than twelve feet from everyone. That means that no one is very interested in you, at the unconscious level. So one of the easiest ways to up the ante on your performance is to warm up the connections between you and your audience by leaving the podium and entering into carefully chosen audience member's personal space.

Thanks to comfort monitors and hanging screens, you don't even have to leave your speech behind, but it does help to know the speech well, so that you don't forget what you're doing when you try to walk and talk at the same time.

Move toward your audience, and particular audience members, when you're making an important point, and away when you want to signal a break or a change of subject. This choreography is a simple, easy way to enormously improve the connection you make with your audience, without even raising your voice.

Second, listen to your audience.

This may sound a bit odd — isn't the audience supposed to listen to you? — but all successful communication is two-way, and listening to your audience is a great way to increase your charisma. It will get the folks in the seats basking in your attention.

So how do you listen to the audience? The best way is to put regular breaks into your speech — at least every twenty minutes, and preferably every ten — where you stop and take the audience's temperature. Ask if it has questions, ask for reactions, ask for it to relate its own experience relative to what you're talking about.

You can save Q and A until the end, but it's less effective. People forget questions they may have had ten minutes ago.

Now, here's the important part. When you ask the audience something, you must wait for a response. If you wait a nanosecond or two, because you're in adrenaline mode, and then decide that no one is going to speak up, and go on with your speech, you will be telling the audience never to respond. The speaker sets the rules.

And here's the other important part. When you do listen, listen with your whole body. That means stopping whatever you're doing physically, and turning your whole body to the questioner and holding still. That's surprisingly hard to do for busy speakers on the go, but it's essential if you're to reap the advantages of listening in charisma. Many speakers get the gist of the question half way through and start to move on before the questioner has finished. That's not charismatic. That's dismissive.

Finally, focus on your emotional intentions for approximately three minutes before important meetings and speeches.

Many executives mistakenly think that leadership means not being emotional. That's a big mistake. Think about successful, charismatic leaders, like Steve Jobs, or your favorite politician. People respond to them because of their passion for their subject, their cause, or their products. Charisma comes from the focus of powerful, contagious emotions — like joy, enthusiasm, anger — so spend a few minutes living that emotion as strongly as you can before you go out to speak or go into a meeting. If you practice this, you will show up with greatly enhanced charisma and energy, and people will be drawn to you.

How do you focus? Identify the emotion first, and then think of a time when you naturally experienced it. Recall that time as powerfully as you can, invoking each of the five senses, for several minutes just before your speech or meeting. What did the experience taste like? Smell like? Sound like? Feel like? Look like? Run through these sensory cues, put yourself back into the moment, and bring the emotion to life. Then go out and knock 'em dead.

Practice these three shortcuts to effective leadership communications and watch the bar go up — way up — on your performances.

Nick Morgan is President of Public Words Inc, a communications consulting firm, and author of Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma.

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/03/three_steps_to_make_your_next.html

Nancy Snow's Recent Blog on Huffington Post

Excellent piece this week by Nancy Snow on the Huffington Post:

A Surfeit of America: Engaging the World in a Time of Excess
Full Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancy-snow/a-surfeit-of-america-enga_b_498516.html#comments

My Comments:
I am in violent agreement with Nancy's entire post, especially in light of the latest public diplomacy strategy report released last week. Two critical areas that I hope people take note of: 1) the need for further engagement and partnership with the private sector and 2) her call for a Ministry of Culture or some similar equivalent.

The whole of the private sector -- business, NGOs, academic institutions -- should be engaged and leveraged for public diplomacy goals in EVERY region of the world. They should also be brought into public diplomacy planning and strategizing at the outset so that their lessons learned, market research and insight can be part of the process from day one.

The Ministry of Culture concept is one that I also think deserves some deep consideration. Nancy's point about Chinese public diplomacy efforts should not go unnoticed. The Chinese have been investing heavily and strategically in public diplomacy efforts over the past several years and their focus on culture is one that is having resonance as more and more people around the globe are not only learning Mandarin but also the Chinese heritage and mindset. This is critical ground the US should be competing on.

USC CPD Blog Post...Simple is Smart

March 2010
Cari E. Guittard

I’m obsessed this month with simplicity.

Maybe it was Iranian Foreign Minister Mottaki’s call last week for all of Iran’s Ambassadors to be “innovative and focused on action,” that struck a nerve. Perhaps it was the endless re-hashing of the healthcare debate that I still can’t make any sense of. Perhaps it was the FT reporting recently on the immense loss of confidence publics around the world have in their governments. Or maybe it all began when one of my board members, Alan Siegel (Founder & Chairman of the branding powerhouse Siegel + Gale), shared that he would be delivering a TED talk on the theme of America’s Crisis of Complexity earlier this month. Regardless, I can’t stop wishing, hoping, praying that our political and foreign policy leadership finally get the message (and, ironically, Siegel + Gale’s tagline): Simple is Smart.

Which brings me to this week’s release of Under Secretary Judith McHale’s new Public Diplomacy Strategic Approach for the 21st Century. There have been countless reports, hearings, strategies, and recommendations for public diplomacy efforts since 9/11. I’m afraid to even ask how much all of this introspection has cost the US taxpayer - but I digress. For all of the deep thinking on public diplomacy it is astonishing how, to this day, the goals, priorities and calls to action fail to move beyond sweeping rhetoric and endless org charts. To a certain extent, this is to be expected. After having served in the federal government at the State Department, notably in Diplomatic Security and then in the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy’s Office, I was confounded by the layers of complexity that shroud the halls of Foggy Bottom. While there was no shortage of bright, heavily credentialed foreign policy experts, finding anyone who would be willing, in a simple, clear way to explain what, why and how they engage in diplomatic efforts was next to impossible. And don’t even get me started on public diplomacy. You’d be hard pressed to find two senior officials in the Department who can agree on a clear definition of just what exactly ‘public diplomacy’ is, let alone what it means to the foreign policy making process.

On the surface, the latest strategic review of Public Diplomacy covers the bases. The sweeping rhetoric is all there – engaging, informing and influencing foreign publics while combating extremism, re-shaping the policy-making process, and pressing for new technologies to help our posts better engage and influence narratives in real time. It all seems to make the case for why State’s Public Diplomacy efforts desperately need exponentially expanded resources. The reality, of course, is that with so many priorities and so few current resources, the basic tasks outlined in the report will be next to impossible to deliver on. The strategy, while ambitious, over-reaches - and once again, as with many previous strategies, builds further layers of complexity which only serve to paralyze core public diplomacy efforts.

It is also striking to me that there was no mention of tapping into and leveraging the tremendous diplomatic assets we currently have overseas. We could start, as China does, with our diasporas, by proactively assembling and engaging American ex-pats abroad. Further, we could amass and regularly tap into our global network of Foreign Service Nationals, locals who are employed in our embassies and consulates supporting our diplomats abroad. I would have hoped, amongst all the discussion of people-to-people efforts and emphasis on building trust and support for our foreign policy abroad, there would have been some mention of engaging and informing the American public more deeply on these issues. With the United States engaged in ever more expansive and costly efforts abroad, the American public should have a clear notion of our foreign policy goals and why they matter, as well as a solid understating of what our diplomats are doing about it.

And finally, I agree with Phil Seib’s opinion that State must move beyond a Middle-East and Muslim-Community focused public diplomacy to a more balanced global view. I would only add to this that in order to pursue such a directive, State must also abandon any notion that its public diplomacy efforts should attempt to Combat Violent Extremism. Maybe I am being too naïve and simplistic in my view on the subject, but it would seem to me that undermining violent extremism is a massive effort in and of itself and one best undertaken by experts in our intelligence, security and military apparatus working in concert. Those elements within our federal government are not only trained to understand the extremist mindset but work day to day in some of the most hostile environments and are best equipped and resourced to develop strategies and tactics to respond.

Which brings me back to Alan Siegel’s TED talk. As always, Siegel has a way of brilliantly cutting through all the clutter and chaos, providing a clear directive for our policy makers and political leadership…if they would only listen. The key, of course, to delivering on Siegel’s premise is one of execution and accountability, two words that strike fear into any bureaucracy. Siegel’s call for clarity and simplicity is one that I hope Washington will finally take note of:


Simplicity is not simple-minded or simplistic.

Now is the time to make clarity, transparency, and empathy national priorities. Americans are desperate for communications from government and business that help them make informed decisions. In turn, these will help restore their trust in our public and private institutions. We have only ourselves to blame if we continue tolerating outrageously complex and confusing practices. It’s time to replace this crisis of complexity with a covenant of clarity.



He ended his remarks with a quote from Thomas Jefferson which really says it all: “When the subject is strong, simplicity is the only way to treat it.”

Is Washington listening? Simple really is smart.



http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/simple_is_smart/