How is Global Leadership Different? One-on-One with Dr. Rochelle Scheuermann about Global Leadership and Wheaton College’s New M.A.

We are integrated beings which means our faith is not separate from what we do.

Ed: What are some of the challenges for global leaders as they engage with different nations and cultures from their own? Some of the blessings?

Rochelle: In global spaces, leaders need to have the cultural skills to understand how cultural, social, and historical realities impact the ways in which they communicate with one another; the ways in which they think about leadership skills and traits; and how they approach organization, conflict resolution, strategy development and execution of goals.

In the past, we used to think that countries were fairly mono-cultural and that reading a book about the culture we were visiting was enough. In today’s globalized world, however, that’s not sufficient. We need skills that cross multiple cultures and connect multiple places simultaneously, and that takes a deeper understanding of leadership across cultures.

By addressing these considerations within a variety of topics, leaders navigate the challenges faced in multicultural, multigenerational, multinational organizations and maximize the blessings of global connection, corporation, and perspective.

Ed: We talk about the intersection of faith and leadership. Why do Chrisitan leaders need to learn how to lean into such global spaces.

Rochelle: We are integrated beings which means our faith is not separate from what we do. I believe that faith in Christ undergirds and infuses every aspect of our lives and so in whatever sphere I’m in, whether it’s in a faith-based setting or not, I want to pursue leadership from the conviction that my life and my work have kingdom purpose. That’s thinking christianly about leadership and the world around us.

We are not first Chinese or German. We are first Christian, but we are ...