Global leadership requires a different skill set than leadership in general. Assess the roles of the contextual elements of complexity, flow, and presence in defining global leadership.

Answers will vary. Three contextual elements make global leadership different from leadership in general: (1) complexity, (2) flow, and (3) presence.
Global leaders need to influence others in a world that is significantly more complex than a solely domestic setting. Complexity arises because managers are operating in multiple countries, dealing with various cultures, and, most important, recognizing that optimal solutions will vary across different countries. Global leaders must have knowledge of the different markets in which they work and must be able to deal with this complexity by adapting and adjusting to different demands.
Flow is the movement of information and relationships across countries and business units. Global leaders must be able to span boundaries by encouraging flow, that is, by getting people and business units to trust and communicate with one another and take on different perspectives.
The final dimension that global leaders must manage is presence. Presence is the degree to which an individual is required to move physically across geographic, cultural, and national boundaries, and not just communicate across those through the use of technology.
Combined, the three dimensions of complexity, flow, and presence represent the contextual demands of global leadership. By influencing others within this global context, leaders understand that they play a role in transforming not only their companies but also the societies in which they operate.
The section "The Global Context of Leadership" on page 292 explains the roles of the contextual elements that make global leadership different from leadership in general. Students can use this section to make their own interpretation and answer this question.