On this page:  Leadership Theme  |  Commercial Diplomacy

Leadership Theme
Great management gets things done; superior leadership makes things possible.

Executive leadership is a theme of the Global MBA program. Beginning at the initial orientation and continuing throughout the entire program, participants encounter the latest leadership principles and practices -- an area where Robinson also excels. But that's only one aspect of Robinson leadership.

Every member of the program will come face-to-face with CEOs and other executives of Fortune 500/Global Fortune companies, well-known and successful entrepreneurs, and high-ranking government leaders. The program's frequent and regularly scheduled leadership luncheons and evening leadership events assure that for everyone. Program members see and hear the strategies, tools and techniques of these executives, gaining unique and valuable knowledge and insight into best practices in the process. What do they think it takes to be an effective leader? Our Global MBA candidates have the opportunity to ask these leaders directly.

Today's leaders must also be skilled in global issues affecting business and commerce. For that reason, commercial diplomacy is an essential feature of the Global MBA leadership theme.

If you are thinking about joining the program, perhaps you already have global leadership aspirations. That's a start. Once in the program, you will have the opportunity to assess your personal strengths, create a leadership development plan, dramatically grow your skills and insights, and instill in yourself a keen ability for performance under pressure.

Like every good company, leaders must master the fundamentals: managing change, motivating and inspiring others, creating cross-cultural teams, adapting to diverse national business practices, and maintaining ethical standards within multinational enterprises. These are as fundamental to business as financial management, market development, and global supply chains. Want to know what it takes to create a market development plan in China, launch a high-tech product in Europe or determine a fair rate of return for a utility in Latin America? You'll be dealing with experts who do this and much more on a regular basis.

Members of the Global MBA program are guided, stimulated and coached by faculty seasoned in working globally with executives, public officials and others in senior leadership positions. You may find these faculty regularly engaged in the world's capitals: Paris, Beijing, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, London, Washington, D.C.…the list goes on.

At the end of this program, you will take away an enormous insight into global leadership, along with capabilities enabling you to:

• Understand and appreciate your unique personal leadership strengths and recognize ways to apply them effectively.
• Know how to draw on relationships to influence, inspire and develop collaboration.
• Perceive and build on the strengths of others to create powerful cross-border and cross-cultural alliances and achieve mutual goals.

When it comes to leadership, the Robinson Global Partners MBA is more than just an outstanding choice. It's a leadership experience!

Commercial Diplomacy:
An Integral Component of Robinson Leadership
When a company's economic engines are churning at high speed, there is often a strong push within the enterprise to open new markets, expand foreign trade and build international sales. All are understandably high priorities for the firm's executives. Yet, the lessons of global business reveal that these engines of commerce actually run at dramatically different speeds from country to country.

The companies of some nations are highly tuned and operating at maximum output. Often these nations are also the ones that welcome foreign investment and are eager to participate in global trade. Yet some countries want only their national firms to trade successfully throughout the world, so they erect barriers thwarting reciprocal trade. Still other countries are just beginning to gain momentum for commerce, even though the economic potential of enterprises in the region is very high. Add to each of these situations the vast array of local customs, cultures, policies and regulations in effect in the countries, and it is quickly evident that in reality, business practices vary dramatically from market to market.

At the heart of efforts to build business in these global settings is commercial diplomacy -- the creation and enhancement of commercial relations between companies, or their representatives, and the governments, policy-making bodies, regulators, and political agencies in established or developing global markets. Achieving global success today depends on the skillful interaction of leaders who seek to forge effective and beneficial bilateral commerce relationships.

Unfortunately, even seasoned business leaders come face-to-face with pivotal diplomatic issues in commerce for which they do not have adequate insights or experience. Knowingly or not, these leaders are often responsible for their company missing out on enormously valuable opportunities. Executives pursuing strategies that have proven to be successful in their familiar domestic markets may find that those same strategies spell disaster when applied in unfamiliar global markets or in the markets of emerging nations.

Commercial diplomacy is an integral component of the Robinson Global Partners MBA leadership theme. From the very start of the program, you will explore the essential principles and practices of commercial diplomacy. Even better… you will work with business experts and veterans who are masters of the diplomacy of world trade and market development.

For example, you will see and hear how the interaction between a company's senior management team and leaders in government, policy-making bodies, and regulatory or political agencies can open up opportunities in developing global business markets, or close them seemingly forever. You will witness how commercial diplomacy can play a pivotal role when firms seek to introduce new products and services in established markets, execute important mergers, or open foreign research and development and manufacturing facilities. And you'll understand why, in some countries, a handshake and mutual trust between individuals are more important than a legal contract.

World trade, coupled with the ever-greater search for ways to open new markets, is here to stay. So is the need for commercial diplomacy. For even though business is increasing globally, there is no doubt that commerce truly is…local.