Shaking the Globe: Courageous Decision-Making in a Changing World

By Blythe J. McGarvie

Book Overview

We live in a highly interdependent world where 95 percent of the world's consumers live outside the U.S. Two-thirds of the world's purchasing power is also outside the U.S. Shaking the Globe guides everyone on how to absorb the world's diversity and to build upon his or her global citizenship by using the FISO Factor? skills to transform themselves from a conventional leader into a courageous one.The new dynamics of global leadership--developing different competencies, curiosity and caring--must be learned. Shaking the Globe introduces the newly developed FISO Factor? Assessment Tool that can be used to evaluate a leader's ability to both Fit In and Stand Out - the ingredients necessary for leaders to make differences in their lives. Globalization is happening with or without you. To be a leader, you must learn how to take advantage of this opportunity. In this book, you will learn: How to transcend any existing biases and prepare for the new world in order to keep your business growing; Strategies to develop transformational global leadership skills in order to establish beachheads for future growth opportunities; and How to stimulate coordination and cooperation across national borders in order to create a lasting and rewarding relationship with people with whom you will be connected.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0470411570
• ISBN13: 9780470411575
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Length: 230 Pages
• Weight: 0.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Shaking Our Point of View

Blythe J. McGarvie is a global citizen, who just happens to call the U.S. home. She inspires us to change our point of view in "Shaking the Globe: Courageous Decision-Making in a Changing World." Inspired by Tom Friedman's "The World is Flat," she moves beyond his insights to share her experiences in diverse businesses all over the world. It's new. It's different. Give up your old world views and be part of it. What a way to lead change!

The courage to speak the truth.

McGarvie says "one of the purposes of this book is to encourage Westerners, and Americans in particular, to embrace the new globalization joyfully." She makes the case passionately throughout this book. McGarvie clearly describes the realities of an interconnected globe from the unique perspective of a seasoned executive and board member who has traveled and conducted business all over the world. Even more, McGarvie gives strategies to successfully embrace a new world where "95% of the world's consumers, constituting two-thirds of its purchasing power, reside outside the United States." I found myself turning down the corners of many pages as I read through this thought-provoking book. In a chapter entitled "Women Working" she presents a fresh approach to describing the critical contributions of women in the workplace, including evidence that "companies with several women board members report better financial results." This book is well worth the time to read and surprisingly relevant in light of the fast-changing economic turmoil we're in. It encourages us to embrace global realities and resist looking for answers in protectionism and isolation.

Quick read with good tips for global perspectives

In her new book, the author covers a lot of ground on an immense subject - doing business globally - providing a good read for newcomers to the subject. Any business book coming to print since Q4 2008, through the first part of 2009, is bound to suffer at least modestly from sounding a bit out of step from any financial/trend data and implied projections cited, due to the rapid decline in the world economic picture. And, this one is not immune, with certain figures projecting global workforce and economic growth already likely to be in need of re-casting. Fortunately, such material makes up a small part of the book's content and value. The real strength is 3-fold: 1-the authors' personal international experiences - the book is peppered with multiple first-hand stories the author recounts of her global career, that infuse the book with an authenticity that comes from one who has "been there done that." In these, she introduces people, places, and particular events with a clear eye and occasional wry humor that are good life lessons for anyone dealing with a global challenge 2-unique perspective as a successful, female financial executive - the author's content is especially strong in chapters on "financial realities" "women working" and "shareholder interests." This is no doubt a direct reflection on her personal experience, having been an early one to crack the glass ceiling, especially in the male-dominated finance and accounting roles she led during her Fortune 500 run. 3-her ability to draw upon a wide array of existing sources and models (including her own) that help the book serve as a quick reference for multiple - chapter 3 on leadership is a quick synopsis of the author's Fit In Stand Out model, described and illustrated in depth in her prior book "The FISO Factor." But not having an academic turf to protect, the author cites a number of models, frameworks, and favorite lists, building a portfolio of reference material from great professors and practitioners alike. Taking a highlighter to the book for that aspect alone makes it a handy quick reference guide. In summary, the book more than achieves what one would hope to get from an investment of $21.95 USD and a couple of hours of free-time reading for the modern, busy professional. It pays back the investment manyfold with stories, research, and suggestions from McGarvies' "voice of experience" that makes "Shaking the Globe" one for adding to the reading list of any modern manager considering global business - which means everyone.