Global Workplace Leadership: An Interview and Analysis Report

This report presents an analysis of an interview conducted with Patrick Schmidt, a global business leader at The Iconic, an Australian e-commerce chain. The interview explores his experiences in leading a diverse team, addressing questions about his leadership approach, effective and ineffective strategies, decision-making processes, rewarding and challenging experiences, and shifts in his leadership style over time. The report delves into key learnings, including the importance of emotional intelligence, trust-building, and adapting to various situations. It also examines areas of agreement and disagreement with the interviewee's perspectives, along with lingering questions that arose during the interview. The report references relevant leadership literature to support and contextualize the findings, providing a comprehensive overview of global leadership in practice and its associated challenges and opportunities.

Running head: LEADERSHIP IN GLOBAL WORKPLACE
Leadership in Global Workplace
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction:................................................................................................................................2
2. Significant Learning:...................................................................................................................3
2.1 Learning 1: Personal experience:...............................................................................................3
2.2 Learning 2: My Overall impression on the I.............................................................................4
2.3 Learning 3: The contexts that could have been highlighted......................................................5
3. Position of Agreement.................................................................................................................6
4. Position of disagreement..............................................................................................................7
5. Lingering questions:....................................................................................................................8
Conclusion:......................................................................................................................................9
Reference List:...............................................................................................................................10

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1. Introduction:
In order to conduct an effective face-to-face conversation I have chosen a leader of a
global business organization named The Iconic, one of the most prestigious supermarket
ecommerce chains of Australia. This individual has well experience in leading a team where the
team members are from diverse cultural backgrounds and attitudes. Patrick Schmidt is
interviewed in the study, who has ten years of experience as a global leader. The purpose of
choosing this leader as an is to gather data from the person regarding his experience on team
managing decision making and the necessary challenges he has to face at the workplace. The
questions that I have made to this leader are as follows:
1. What are your views about leading a workforce in the current global marketplace?
2. How do you describe your approach to leading globally?
3. Who are your leadership role models?
4. What approaches to leadership have you found effective? Why?
5. What approaches to leadership have you found ineffective? Why?
6. How do you determine which approach to leadership to use in a specific situation?
7. What was the most rewarding experience you had as a leader on the international stage?
8. What was the most difficult situation you faced as a leader, and how did you manage it?
9. In what ways has your approach to leading shifted over the years?
10. What messages do you have for the next generation who will lead the workforce in a global
context?

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2. Significant Learning:
2.1 Learning 1: Personal experience:
The primary perspective of me was to identify the role of a leader in achieving the
success of global business. While forming the question the primary perspective of me was to
identify the important leadership skills and qualities that a person needs to have for running a
team in global marketplace. My perception says that leaders need to be very much cordial and
flexible towards the employees so that the employees do not have to face challenges in
interacting with the leaders. In addition, I believe that leaders should have the competency of
accepting any kind of challenging situations. For example, in order to work on a global place the
business leaders may have to face challenges in dealing with the employees. In the article what’s
your ripple effect? The importance of building a signature voice, published by Jen Su, Amy &
Maignan Wilkins (2014, p.30), the study has evaluated that communication barrier is one of the
most significant issues due to which the leaders fail to interact with the employees of various
geographical backgrounds and cultural attitudes. However, as per situation, I opine that business
leaders need to change their leadership style and qualities in order to handle various situations.
Otherwise, one particular set of leadership style is not effective enough in achieving the success
of an organization. For an example, participative form of leadership style is effective in
convincing the employees for delivering their effective services. On the other hand, in order to
take an immediate business decisions the leaders have to focus on implementing autocratic form
of leadership.
As per the perspective of this business leader, it is observed that both emotional
intelligence skills as well as management skills both are equally important in order to become a

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successful leader in the global workplace. Jen Su, Amy and Maignan Wilkins (2014, p. 45) have
again stated that with the help of emotional intelligence skill, the business leaders can take care
of the personal issues faced by the employees at the workplace. For an example, if an individual
employee is not flexible enough in communicating in English with proper dialect business leader
should give that person an opportunity of using non-verbal communication method so that they
can understand each other’s point of views and proceed for the next to achieve business goals
and objectives. Therefore, business leaders need to have effective intelligence skills for meeting
the needs and demands of the employees.
2.2 Learning 2: My Overall impression on leadership
After conducting the overall interview and the response of the interviewee, some of the
major situations have been created in building trusts. In the questions like leadership approaches
and leadership challenges, I have to give a genuine and trustworthy reply. It is however
undeniable that the business leaders have to face immense challenges in dealing with every
situations properly. At the same time, the article what to ask the person in the mirror depicted
by Kaplan (2007, p. 90) has stated that the business leaders may have to face immense
challenges in communicating with those people who are from different cultural and religious
backgrounds. Therefore, no such leaders are there in the global business world that does not have
to face any kind of difficulties at the workplace.
In addition, it has also been observed that questions like “ways of leading shifted over
the years” the interviewers have collected responses on how a leader has to shift his leadership
approach from one particular style to another. This specific question is very much trustworthy.
Based on the various business situations leaders have to change their leadership styles and

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qualities in accordingly. The article uncovering the blind spot of leadership published by
Scharmer (2008) pp. 54 has stated that in case of implementing a new business strategy for
rendering innovation on the overall operations the business experts have to implement
participative form of leadership style at the workplace. On the other hand, in case of handling
any kind of crisis, the business experts have to follow autocratic form of leadership. Scharmer
(2008, p. 58) has opined that autocratic leadership style is effective in imposing the decision of
leaders on the employees. In the form of autocratic style, the business leaders do not get enough
opportunities in sharing their views and opinions with the employees. In this kind of situation,
this kind of question is very much trustworthy and relevant in evaluating the roles and
responsibilities of a global business leader, which has to communicate with the people of diverse
cultural backgrounds and attitudes.
2.3 Learning 3: The contexts that could have been highlighted
While conducting an overall interview I have to compromise with several factors. At the
time of making questions, I have to follow proper ethics, values and beliefs. The business leader
may not be flexible in sharing in-depth information with the interviewer. Therefore, the
spontaneous response from the business leaders needs to be accepted. On the other hand, it has
also been observed that I have to make compromise in forming the question pattern as well. I
could have asked what specific drawbacks the business leaders have in being a successful
motivator for the employees. This particular question like “what was the most rewarding
experience you had as a leader on the international stage” was an indirect approach towards the
leaders. In this very specific question, I was about to ask what are the achievements the business
leader has gained on the span of working experience. This kind of direct question may hamper
the personal efficacy level of an individual. In order to avoid this kind of controversy I have

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decided to reform that question in this way so that the way of the achievements the business
leader can be highlighted in the form of sharing personal rewards.
3. Position of Agreement
The points where the interview has thrown some of the genuine and relevant questions to
the business leaders are as follows. In these very specific questions, the characteristics and
leadership qualities of the business leaders have been clearly identified. The points of agreements
are as follows:
 How do you determine which approach to leadership to use in a specific situation?
By asking this very specific question, I have gathered effective information on how the
business leader is competent in applying appropriate leadership style in various places, which
ultimately reflects on the competency level of the employees. In addition, in case of
implementing a new business strategy for rendering innovation on the overall operations the
business experts have to implement participative form of leadership style at the workplace. On
the other hand, in case of handling any kind of crisis, the business experts have to follow
autocratic form of leadership. Autocratic leadership style is effective in imposing the decision of
leaders on the employees.
 What was the most difficult situation you faced as a leader, and how did you manage it?
This very specific question is very much justified for an interviewer. With the help of this
specific question, the interview can decide on how the leader can handle crisis at his workplace.
The article why Every Great Leader needs to be a great perspective taker stated by Galinsky
and Schweitzer (2016, p. 33) evaluates that dealing with competency in crisis is the sign of a

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good leader. Therefore, the every business leader needs to have the capability in handing any
kind of challenging situation in future. Therefore, this particular question is very justified to give
character portraiture of a global business leader working in the market of Australia.
Communication barrier is one of the most significant issues due to which the leaders fail to
interact with the employees of various geographical backgrounds and cultural attitudes (Dhiman,
2011, p.72). However, as per situation, I opine that business leaders need to change their
leadership style and qualities in order to handle various situations. On the other hand, in order to
take an immediate business decisions the leaders have to focus on implementing autocratic form
of leadership. With the help of emotional intelligence skill, the business leaders can take care of
the personal issues faced by the employees at the workplace.
4. Position of disagreement
Some of the points are there where the interview has thrown some of the irreverent
questions to the business leaders are as follows. In these very specific questions, the I am unable
to portray the actual characteristics and leadership qualities of the business leaders. The points of
agreements are as follows:
 What was the most rewarding experience you had as a leader on the international
stage?
This particular question is not that much relevant which can prove the competency of a
business leader in that way. In this very specific question, I am interested in knowing the
achievements in the life of a business leader. But, it is however undeniable that one achievement
or one rewarding experience cannot judge the performance level of leader for entire span of life.
 What are your views about leading a workforce in the current global marketplace?

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This very specific question is general and signifies wide range of values. In this very
specific question, the business leader would have to cover in-depth broad areas to define on how
to lead the workforces in the global market place. This particular questions need to be broken in
several segments by mentioning the approach of leadership, leadership styles and qualities.
5. Lingering questions:
Before lingering some of the relevant questions, it can be stated that leaders need to be
very much cordial and flexible towards the employees so that the employees do not have to face
challenges in interacting with the leaders. In the very specific article, The authenticity paradox
published by Ibarra (2015, p. 55) the author has stated that with the help of emotional
intelligence skill, the business leaders can take care of the personal issues faced by the
employees at the workplace. At the same time, the overall interview says the fact that one
achievement or one rewarding experience cannot judge the performance level of leader for entire
span of life. However, the questions that can be added in this interview session and context are as
follows:
 What kinds of challenges have you faced so far while dealing with the employees of diverse
cultural backgrounds and attitudes?
 What are the most effective implemented strategies you applied for overcoming those
 challenges?
 What suggestions do you have for the next generation of business leaders in global market
place in future?
 What kinds of improvements do you need to have in your leadership skills and qualities for
becoming more successful leaders?

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Conclusion:
This very specific interview is very much inspiring for building a character of an
individual. The study has evaluated that the purpose of choosing this leader as I have to gather
data from the person regarding his experience on team managing decision making and the
necessary challenges he has to face at the workplace. I have learnt on how leaders need to be
very much cordial and flexible towards the employees so that the employees do not have to face
challenges in interacting with the leaders. In addition, I believe that leaders should have the
competency of accepting any kind of challenging situations. With the help of emotional
intelligence skill, the business leaders can take care of the personal issues faced by the
employees at the workplace. I have also gone through that the business leaders have to face
immense challenges in dealing with every situation properly. At the same time, the business
leaders may have to face immense challenges in communicating with those people who are from
different cultural and religious backgrounds. I have observed that autocratic leadership style is
effective in imposing the decision of leaders on the employees. In the form of autocratic style,
the business leaders do not get enough opportunities in sharing their views and opinions with the
employees. However, I have understood in which situation the business leaders need to adopt
appropriate form of leadership at the workplace.

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Reference List:
Dhiman, S. (2011). Personal mastery and authentic leadership. Organization Development
Journal, 29(2), 69-83.
Galinsky, A., & Schweitzer, M. (2016). Why Every Great Leader needs to be a great
perspective taker. Leader to Leader, 2016(80), 32-37.
Ibarra, H. (2015). The authenticity paradox. Harvard Business Review, 93(1/2), 53-59.
Jen Su, Amy & Maignan Wilkins, M. (2014, Spring). What’s your ripple effect? The
importance of building a signature voice. Leader to Leader, 72, 27-52.
Kaplan, R. (2007, January). What to ask the person in the mirror. Harvard Business Review,
85(1), 86-95.
Scharmer, C. O. (2008). Uncovering the blind spot of leadership. Leader to Leader, 2008(47),
52-59.