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Immigration as a Leadership Crucible among Global Leaders

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Marco Aponte-Moreno’s analysis of press interviews and articles related to the twenty prominent global leaders shows that most of them consider immigration a defining leadership crucible.

Image courtesy of interviewee. May 1, 2024

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This video video discusses the concept of "leadership crucibles," which are transformative experiences that shape a leader's identity and leadership style. These experiences can be intense and challenging, leading leaders to reassess their values and beliefs. The study focuses on immigration as a significant crucible, highlighting its impact on leadership, particularly in the context of globalization.

The research indicates that nearly 50% of Fortune 500 companies in the United States are founded by immigrants or their children. However, immigration's role in leadership studies is often overlooked. By examining the experiences of 20 prominent global leaders who immigrated to the U.S., the study aims to illuminate how immigration influences leadership styles.

Qualitative analysis of interviews revealed that most leaders viewed their immigration experiences as crucial to their leadership development. Three types of narratives emerged: 1) challenges faced during immigration, 2) positive outcomes from the experience, and 3) the transformative role of the U.S. in shaping their leadership.

The study identified three key themes in the leaders’ narratives: humility, benevolence, and egalitarianism, which were enhanced by their immigration experiences. The conclusion emphasizes the need for more research on immigration's significant role in shaping global leadership and its effects on identity and effectiveness. The findings suggest a new perspective on leadership studies, advocating for deeper exploration into how immigration influences leadership styles.

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X-TIMESTAMP-MAP:LOCAL=00:00:00.000,MPEGTS=900000

00:00.305 --> 00:03.565
So, leadership crucibles are transformative

00:03.955 --> 00:07.205
experiences that leaders go through in their lives

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that shape their identities and styles.

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Uh, it shapes the way they lead, basically.

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Uh, crucibles can be intense

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and challenging experiences,

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that make leaders question

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and possibly redefine their values and beliefs.

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So, some examples

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of leadership crucibles could be overcoming a personal

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tragedy, a loss in,

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in somebody's family facing a professional crisis.

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And in the context of, the study is immigration,

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the experience of immigrating, of going from one country

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to a new country and adapting to that country, as an,

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as an immi, as a leadership crucible.

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So the context of the study is, is basically in,

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in, in, in, it's in a, it's, it's about globalization.

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It's about, it's about how, globalization has

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produced, these movements of people

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and how immigration, is, has been,

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to a certain extent, underestimated when it comes

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to studying leadership.

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Um, if you look at the, for example, in the United States,

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almost 50% of the Fortune 500 companies

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have been founded either by immigrants or by their children.

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Yet when we study leadership,

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we don't really talk about immigration as a force

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that shapes the way these people lead.

01:42.105 --> 01:46.445
So, the study basically is trying to fill that gap

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and, shedding some light on why immigration is

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so important when it comes to studying leadership.

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Sure. So the,

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the literature on global leadership primarily focuses on

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how leaders can navigate cultural settings.

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So we have a lot of, cultural comparisons,

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or intercultural communication studies,

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how leaders can communicate better when they are in,

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cross-cultural situations,

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or how can leaders manage, global teams.

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And there are also a lot of studies on expatriation,

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but there is a new trend now, that is looking at,

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the, how the context in general

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and globalization in particular impacts the relationship

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between the leader and the followers.

02:34.985 --> 02:39.125
And this is where this study, is situated,

02:39.265 --> 02:41.765
by looking at how immigration has impacted

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that relationship.

02:43.585 --> 02:47.365
The study utilized a qualitative approach, meaning

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that we were analyzing press articles

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and also, video interviews of 20

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prominent global leaders

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who immigrated to the United States. Uh,

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In addition to that, we had,

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we conducted eight face-to-face, semi-structured interviews

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with, also other global leaders in the United States,

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to delve deeper into their experiences

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and, also their leadership styles.

03:16.425 --> 03:19.685
Um, the criteria that we used to select the leaders

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were first the leader had

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to have immigrated to the United States.

03:24.865 --> 03:27.885
And the second, criterion was, the leader had

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to be considered a global leader, meaning they, they,

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lead in a global context

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and interact with,

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followers from multiple cultural backgrounds.

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Um, the resulting sample comprised 20 immigrant leaders from

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16 different countries.

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Um, most of them were CEOs working across various

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industries, including technology, publishing, finance,

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and, and many others.

03:55.905 --> 03:59.885
Um, the study also included, of course, women

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who are underrepresented in,

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as CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.

04:07.385 --> 04:09.405
Uh, but the study included a little bit more than,

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than than the actual percentage that we find.

04:12.665 --> 04:16.525
So we had leaders like, Madeline Albright,

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who from the Czech Republic who immigrated

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to the United States and was the former Secretary of State

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or Ariana Huffington, who from Greece originally,

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founder of h Huffington Post,

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and CEO of Thrive Global here in the United States.

04:31.025 --> 04:34.525
And people like Elon Musk, Satya, Nutella, Nui,

04:34.625 --> 04:35.765
and Sundar Phai.

04:36.305 --> 04:41.125
So our analysis revealed that the majority of the leaders

04:41.705 --> 04:45.605
in the sample, not all, but the majority viewed immigration

04:45.825 --> 04:49.245
or their immigration experience as a leadership crucible

04:49.595 --> 04:53.285
that profoundly impacted the way they lead.

04:54.185 --> 04:58.245
Um, there were three types of narratives that emerged.

04:59.185 --> 05:03.285
Uh, first there were the leaders who focused on, in,

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when they were talking about immigration

05:04.665 --> 05:07.085
and how immigration impacted their leadership styles,

05:07.235 --> 05:10.245
they focused on adversities that they faced

05:10.245 --> 05:13.925
during the immigration experience and how hard it was

05:14.705 --> 05:18.325
and, how it, not only in terms of,

05:19.605 --> 05:21.245
physical labor for some of them,

05:21.305 --> 05:23.605
but also how hard you were psychologically,

05:23.625 --> 05:26.125
how difficult it was to deal with,

05:26.205 --> 05:28.565
a new language when they had to learn a new language.

05:28.945 --> 05:31.445
Um, and especially how, how difficult it was

05:31.445 --> 05:33.605
to adapt, to the new culture.

05:34.505 --> 05:36.405
The second, narrative

05:36.405 --> 05:39.885
that we found were those leaders emphasizing the positive

05:40.035 --> 05:42.205
outcome of, immigration.

05:42.265 --> 05:44.005
So they will talk about their leadership

05:44.225 --> 05:47.045
and then how the leadership was, how,

05:47.105 --> 05:49.565
how the immigration impacted positively the

05:49.565 --> 05:50.725
way they lead today.

05:51.465 --> 05:53.965
Um, and then we had a third, narrative

05:54.515 --> 05:59.405
were those leaders highlighting how the United States,

05:59.545 --> 06:04.405
became a transformative, element in the way they lead.

06:04.745 --> 06:08.605
So it was almost, they were, very,

06:09.805 --> 06:13.205
grateful for having come to the United States specifically

06:13.425 --> 06:16.205
and how the United States, it,

06:16.545 --> 06:18.205
it is playing has played

06:18.205 --> 06:19.325
and is still playing a,

06:19.525 --> 06:22.925
a very important role in the way, they lead.

06:23.705 --> 06:28.165
We also found that there were three themes that,

06:28.475 --> 06:31.165
that, that were important to them,

06:31.165 --> 06:32.365
about their leadership.

06:32.545 --> 06:35.845
And it's almost like how the leader, the,

06:35.845 --> 06:39.485
the leadership was changed, by the immigration

06:39.665 --> 06:42.685
and Beco became these three themes.

06:43.425 --> 06:45.525
The first one was humility.

06:46.275 --> 06:49.125
They felt that the immigration experience made them more

06:49.425 --> 06:50.965
humble in general.

06:51.825 --> 06:54.285
Um, the second one was benevolence.

06:54.385 --> 06:58.045
It they, again, it, it, it, the, the fact that they went

06:58.045 --> 06:59.925
through a, for many of them

07:00.475 --> 07:03.445
through a very difficult immigration experience, made them,

07:04.305 --> 07:06.405
to be more like better people.

07:07.225 --> 07:09.885
And then the final one was egalitarianism.

07:10.625 --> 07:13.885
Um, they emphasized the fact that,

07:14.945 --> 07:17.205
we are all equal, we're all the same,

07:17.345 --> 07:20.725
and they related that to their immigration experience.

07:21.345 --> 07:25.365
So, well the, the main conclusion is that we,

07:25.515 --> 07:29.525
immigration acts as the leadership crucible,

07:29.525 --> 07:30.525
for global leaders

07:30.595 --> 07:34.605
that shapes their leadership styles in unique ways that,

07:34.755 --> 07:38.005
reflect humility, benevolence and egalitarianism.

07:38.625 --> 07:43.045
Um, this is, again, immigration being so important in,

07:43.385 --> 07:47.845
in leaders, identities is something that,

07:47.845 --> 07:49.845
that deserves to be studied more.

07:49.865 --> 07:53.005
And this is, this is why the study I, I feel it's important.

07:53.785 --> 07:58.525
Um, so it contributes not only to, broader understanding

07:58.585 --> 08:02.325
of global leadership highlighting the importance of,

08:02.325 --> 08:03.725
immigration,

08:04.145 --> 08:08.405
but it, also gives very specific examples that, that,

08:08.405 --> 08:11.725
that know and how immigration, impact leadership,

08:12.265 --> 08:13.645
among global leaders.

08:13.745 --> 08:16.485
And, and, and of course for future research,

08:16.725 --> 08:20.685
I think the study encourages, expanding the findings

08:20.685 --> 08:24.445
and then going beyond what we found, to

08:25.555 --> 08:29.085
explore more the impact of immigration on leadership styles

08:29.085 --> 08:29.805
and effectiveness.

00:00 - So, leadership crucibles are transformative experiences that leaders go through in their lives that shape their identities and styles. it shapes the way they lead, basically. crucibles can be intense and challenging experiences,

00:19 - that make leaders question and possibly redefine their values and beliefs. So, some examples of leadership crucibles could be overcoming a personal tragedy, a loss in, in somebody's family facing a professional crisis. And in the context of, the study is immigration, the experience of immigrating, of going from one country to a new country and adapting to that country, as an, as an immi, as a leadership crucible.

00:51 - So the context of the study is, is basically in, in, in, in, it's in a, it's, it's about globalization. It's about, it's about how, globalization has produced, these movements of people and how immigration, is, has been, to a certain extent, underestimated when it comes to studying leadership. if you look at the, for example, in the United States, almost 50% of the Fortune 500 companies have been founded either by immigrants or by their children.

01:33 - Yet when we study leadership, we don't really talk about immigration as a force that shapes the way these people lead. So, the study basically is trying to fill that gap and, shedding some light on why immigration is so important when it comes to studying leadership. Sure. So the, the literature on global leadership primarily focuses on how leaders can navigate cultural settings. So we have a lot of, cultural comparisons,

02:07 - or intercultural communication studies, how leaders can communicate better when they are in, cross-cultural situations, or how can leaders manage, global teams. And there are also a lot of studies on expatriation, but there is a new trend now, that is looking at, the, how the context in general and globalization in particular impacts the relationship between the leader and the followers. And this is where this study, is situated,

02:39 - by looking at how immigration has impacted that relationship. The study utilized a qualitative approach, meaning that we were analyzing press articles and also, video interviews of 20 prominent global leaders who immigrated to the United States. In addition to that, we had, we conducted eight face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with, also other global leaders in the United States,

03:09 - to delve deeper into their experiences and, also their leadership styles. the criteria that we used to select the leaders were first the leader had to have immigrated to the United States. And the second, criterion was, the leader had to be considered a global leader, meaning they, they, lead in a global context and interact with, followers from multiple cultural backgrounds.

03:39 - the resulting sample comprised 20 immigrant leaders from 16 different countries. most of them were CEOs working across various industries, including technology, publishing, finance, and, and many others. the study also included, of course, women who are underrepresented in, as CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. but the study included a little bit more than, than than the actual percentage that we find.

04:12 - So we had leaders like, Madeline Albright, who from the Czech Republic who immigrated to the United States and was the former Secretary of State or Ariana Huffington, who from Greece originally, founder of h Huffington Post, and CEO of Thrive Global here in the United States. And people like Elon Musk, Satya, Nutella, Nui, and Sundar Phai. So our analysis revealed that the majority of the leaders in the sample, not all, but the majority viewed immigration

04:45 - or their immigration experience as a leadership crucible that profoundly impacted the way they lead. there were three types of narratives that emerged. first there were the leaders who focused on, in, when they were talking about immigration and how immigration impacted their leadership styles, they focused on adversities that they faced during the immigration experience and how hard it was and, how it, not only in terms of, physical labor for some of them,

05:21 - but also how hard you were psychologically, how difficult it was to deal with, a new language when they had to learn a new language. and especially how, how difficult it was to adapt, to the new culture. The second, narrative that we found were those leaders emphasizing the positive outcome of, immigration. So they will talk about their leadership and then how the leadership was, how,

05:47 - how the immigration impacted positively the way they lead today. and then we had a third, narrative were those leaders highlighting how the United States, became a transformative, element in the way they lead. So it was almost, they were, very, grateful for having come to the United States specifically and how the United States, it, it is playing has played and is still playing a,

06:19 - a very important role in the way, they lead. We also found that there were three themes that, that, that were important to them, about their leadership. And it's almost like how the leader, the, the leadership was changed, by the immigration and Beco became these three themes. The first one was humility. They felt that the immigration experience made them more humble in general.

06:51 - the second one was benevolence. It they, again, it, it, it, the, the fact that they went through a, for many of them through a very difficult immigration experience, made them, to be more like better people. And then the final one was egalitarianism. they emphasized the fact that, we are all equal, we're all the same, and they related that to their immigration experience. So, well the, the main conclusion is that we,

07:25 - immigration acts as the leadership crucible, for global leaders that shapes their leadership styles in unique ways that, reflect humility, benevolence and egalitarianism. this is, again, immigration being so important in, in leaders, identities is something that, that deserves to be studied more. And this is, this is why the study I, I feel it's important. so it contributes not only to, broader understanding of global leadership highlighting the importance of,

08:02 - immigration, but it, also gives very specific examples that, that, that know and how immigration, impact leadership, among global leaders. And, and, and of course for future research, I think the study encourages, expanding the findings and then going beyond what we found, to explore more the impact of immigration on leadership styles and effectiveness.

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