From unexpected tariffs disrupting supply chains to shifting geopolitical dynamics impacting customer relationships, the global landscape is demanding a new kind of leadership.

The old leadership playbook – focused on vertical ascent and functional mastery – is failing. In this fractured world, leaders must go beyond traditional approaches and embrace human respect, empathy, humility, and a truly global perspective.

At ProjectNext Leadership, we’ve been thinking deeply about what this means for today’s leaders. We recently sat down with David Everhart, one of our Associates and an expert in helping multinational organizations build inclusive teams and navigate intercultural complexities, to explore what this means and why it’s important.

Why Now? The Urgency is Real.

The need for globally connected leaders has never been greater. Navigating volatility, geopolitical tensions, and shifting trade policies, all while trying to drive growth in an interconnected global economy, is exceptionally challenging. As national policies may trend toward protectionism, global organizations and their leaders cannot afford to follow suit. Why? Because the challenges businesses face today cannot be solved within silos, whether they are functional, organizational, or national.

“The world economy has been globalizing for centuries. This process has accelerated in the past twenty years," Everhart notes. Companies meticulously built global supply chains for maximum efficiency... And now, all of a sudden, that supply chain is being attacked by policy changes. Unraveling these supply chains is like trying to untie a Gordian Knot. It would take many years and decrease productivity.”

The reality is that global organizations operate in an environment of interdependence. Supply chains stretch across continents. Customer bases span diverse markets. Talent pools are increasingly international. Leaders need to think beyond their own borders—physical or functional—and adopt a mindset that prioritizes collaboration and connection.

This is where Lateral Agility comes into play—a capability that sits at the very heart of modern leadership. Lateral agility is about moving beyond your designated function to collaborate meaningfully with others, solve enterprise-wide problems, and flexibly adapt to the needs of the moment. It’s about building relationships that extend beyond hierarchy to create shared solutions.

But here’s the critical next step: Lateral Agility must evolve into what we call Lateral Agility with Global Humanity. Building bridges and influencing outcomes without authority is only truly effective when paired with a global mindset.

As Everhart notes from his work with leaders, "leaders in the U.S. , Europe, and China see an urgent need to improve cross-border communication and strengthen mutual understanding and alignment. The potential for miscommunication leading to catastrophic mistakes is high. The next generation of global leaders must be better prepared than their current bosses.”

Meet the Globally Connective Leader: A New Archetype

But what does that look like in practice? It's more than just understanding global markets; it's about embodying a new leadership archetype that prioritizes connection, empathy, and a deep understanding of cultural nuances. This is what we call the Globally Connective Leader. Globally Connective Leaders exhibit the following:

1. Integrative Mindset: They view the world through multiple lenses, understanding that culture shapes contracts, leadership styles, and even how teams define success. They value difference not just as a checkbox, but as a real advantage, and strive to push their teams to think beyond themselves.
   

2. Lateral Agility: These leaders move fluidly across organizational lines. They don’t just influence—they mobilize. They solve enterprise-wide challenges by building trust and consensus, not by pulling rank.
   

3. Connective Skills: They bring more than empathy. They’re curious, humble, and adaptable. These leaders build intentional and meaningful relationships, not transactional ones. As one executive told us, “I don’t need to know all your problems, but I do need to understand your reality.”
   

4. Value-Driven Humility: They’re not in it for the personal win. They prioritize the enterprise, admit when they don’t have all the answers, and create the psychological safety their teams need to take smart risks.

   
   

In the next post, we will take a deeper dive into how to unleash the power of Connective Skills, one of the critical capabilities required to lead with global humanity.