Responsibilities of an International Leadership Coach

It is important to understand the responsibilities of an international leadership coach. Leadership coaching for companies is one of the most highly promoted campaigns nowadays.  It is coaching amongst leaders for any organisation.  There currently is a role that exists for leadership coaching for large organisations that we call an ‘International Leadership Coach’.  From the title, “international” clearly denotes it deals with leaders of the organisation from more than one country, that is, it is a global role.  There are a lot of factors to consider when taking on this position.  The International Leadership Coach needs to go through briefing and learning and a lot of training to be able to propagate the company’s ideals globally.

In understanding the responsibilities of an international leadership coach, we must first know what the specific objectives of the role are. Some courses outline the tasks of an international leadership coach and there is a strict timeline attached to it.  This is the case when an international leadership coach is tasked to coach leaders globally, perhaps if there is a campaign being rolled out, or a new business opening, or a new protocol that will be cascaded.  It can be a campaign, a protocol or simply a new process.  Anything that the leaders, in remote offices, need to go through with their own workforce population, in their remote offices, is what the international leadership coach rallies.

Below are some of the major responsibilities of an international leadership coach:

1.  Learn and understand the diversity of the people in other countries

Outsourcing is prevalent in multinational companies and this is where international leadership coaches are usually needed.  Simply because a large percentage of the workforce comes from a foreign land, usually due to logistics and practicality purposes.  When a company opens opportunities in other countries, regardless of the justification of the decision to outsource opportunities, they are usually the first person sent to those countries.  He or she needs to research and understand not just the culture of the people but also, their work ethics, adaptability to change, acceptance of reform or rules, and most importantly, what’s important to them.  When an international leadership coach knows and understands the background of the people in that foreign country, he or she can then take his recommendations to the company, particularly regarding the working condition, the demands of the people and the timeline of achieving the organisations’ goals.  An international leadership coach acts as the middle man, the mediator, the connecting force between the leaders of the organisation and the leaders of the remote offices

2.  Identify, understand and counter obstacles

The international leadership coach, being the first person to come in contact with the leaders globally, needs to be able to identify, understand and counter obstacles present.  He or she also needs to be able to prepare for possible challenges that the company may encounter in a foreign land.  To do these, the international leadership coach needs the help of the leaders of the company in those countries.  Regular meetings, deliberations, and consultations should be attended, tackling most of what can be discussed daily.  This is due to the dynamic business world we are all in. 

3.  Open avenues for creativity and innovation

Globally, organisations rely on the international leadership coach to come up with ideas for innovation and creativity in achieving the company’s goals and objectives in the most efficient and most effective way.  This responsibility is on the international leadership coach because they are the ones who act as mediators between the home office and the remote offices.  This is of course, with the help of the other leaders in the company from both the home office and the remote offices.  This collaboration between the leaders of the organisation, can be as simple as plain effective information dissemination, to rolling out of new or revamped practices and protocols in the workplace.  They should be able to inspire the employees to communicate and come together to work up a proposal or plan that is aligned toward the achievement of the company’s goals.  The employees formulate tangible and executable plans, and then the international leadership coach communicates these proposals to the executive management and once approved, these proposals get executed and rolled out to the entire company – internally.

The international leadership coach specialises in coaching and training high-level executives globally.  The role requires an understanding of the culture of the other leaders, the workforce, the values and principles important to them.  The international leadership coach does not only deal with high-level executives but also the workforce in general.  They act as the connecting factor between offices globally.  Not all companies have this, usually only multinational and multicultural companies do.  This position brings together cultures and people in meeting one goal…. the company’s mission and vision and delivering the best possible output inside and outside the company.

International Leadership coaching is my speciality and if you or your organisation need a speaker for your conference, send me a message today.