Young Australians urgently need to learn leadership skills for a global world

According to Shahid Majeed, founder and head of E-LEAD Global Centre of Excellence for Leadership, Engagement and Development (E-LEAD), young Australians urgently need to be taught leadership skills for the global world if they are to succeed in life as entrepreneurs or professionals.   

“Thanks to the internet and other emerging technologies, we now live in a global economy. We can sit at our computer and do business with countries across borders such as China or Japan,” Shahid Majeed said today. 

“Many businesses across Australia are now engaged in export activities.  More than 30 percent of what our country exports lands in China. Japan is our next biggest trading partner, followed by South Korea and the USA.

“The very nature of our business environment, economy and lifestyle, is globally diverse and involves engagement with and understanding of many different cultures.   

“This means that our leaders of the future need to understand the complexities of the global environment and have sound global leadership skills. They need to understand the culture, trading practices, values and activities of our country’s world trading partners if they are to succeed and contribute.

“Learning traditional leadership capabilities just isn’t enough anymore.  If we are to succeed as a nation, our leaders of the future need to be equipped with global leadership capabilities.

“This is why we developed and launched the ‘GLOBE 21’ Program for university students in 2017.   It focuses specifically on developing the leadership traits and characteristics required of our leaders in the global economy.”

The E-LEAD 21st Century Global Leadership Program (Globe 21) is a dynamic and contemporary initiative designed to provide students from leading Australian and International Universities with a gateway to international leadership, the business and cultural landscape and to develop life-long global networks. It is a highly immersive program comprising of leadership development workshops and panels, corporate and cultural immersion activities, experiential leadership challenges and real-time coaching and feedback sessions. 

“The program has proven to be highly successful and effective,” Shahid Majeed added.   

“Since launching, students have come from all over the world including China and Japan to undertake the program alongside Australian university students.  The need for global leadership is being recognised all over the world, not just in Australia. Many countries are identifying a clear need to equip their future leaders with global leadership capabilities.   

“Corporates recognise this too and are getting on board. As part of the 2017 program, we took students to leading organisations such as Oracle, HP, Nestle, Westpac, National Australia Bank, Solista, Shelston IP, NIDA, SMaRT Centre at UNSW, Channel 9 and Gallup so they can interact with leaders and professionals from these businesses. 

“Students also attend experiential leadership residential and participate in a wide variety of team-based leadership challenges and coaching and feedback sessions. There also undertake cultural immersion activities and social development events to develop inter-cultural awareness and to facilitate life-long global networks.”

E-LEAD is currently taking enrolments for the next Globe 21 program to be held from 15-28 July, 2018. 


Written by Tess Sanders Lazarus