One of the reasons my global advisory board has been as valuable as its been is because it is global. We have people from the U.S., Australia and Japan with experiences from all around the world, and we are supported by a wider community with people from almost every continent. Looking through a U.S. lens might seem expansive to someone who has spent his/her lifetime in one state or on the east coast or the west coast yet it is narrow as compared to global impacts surrounding business on a daily basis.
No matter what you think in terms of politics and the like, it is imperative that you understand global impacts. For example, with the China struggles going on earlier this year, manufacturers should be on high alert for future quality issues. Have you been considering that? When I was in Australia for my strategy session, we discussed the impact of the strong U.S. dollar. Certainly it made my trip less expensive; however, it has far reaching impacts. Which countries should companies source from? Should they hedge? Should they in-source? There are vast numbers of questions to think about.
Within the last week, Europe has certainly had a strong impact on not only the stock markets but the global economy. What will Brexit mean? What decisions should companies be making now for impacts that will occur within the next 1-5 years? How should they mitigate risk?
The Olympics is another global topic. The Zika virus has certainly impacted attendance. How will companies protect their employees? Are athletes willing to take the risk? Money was poured into preparation for the Olypmic games. What will happen if it falls short?
It doesn’t matter what you think about globalization. It is all around us. The only question is whether you’ll be prepared and thinking ahead on how to best prepare and leverage for likely global impacts.