Reexamining Global Leadership
As an executive vice president at General Motors, Mark Reuss leads engineering, purchasing, and R&D centers in most major markets around the world. Recognizing that his organization was going through unprecedented change, he wanted to hone his leadership skills in an increasingly demanding global marketplace. So, at the encouragement of his CEO, he attended the Leading Global Businesses program at Harvard Business School (HBS) Executive Education. In this interview, he discusses how the program has helped him take on new challenges and redefine the way he thinks about leadership.
How did you hear about this program and why did you decide to attend?
I learned about the Leading Global Businesses program from my CEO. She reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in attending this HBS program. I immediately responded that I would love to participate. I had not been in a classroom as a student since I completed my MBA at Duke in 1990, so I was nervous but also excited.
What are the biggest challenges facing your organization, and how has the program helped you to tackle them?
After decades of cutting costs and stripping its products, GM declared bankruptcy. Since the company went public, we have built a very good business at GM. However, many of the operations that were not profitable in some markets around the world are still with us, and we are now making the tough choices to either exit those markets or try to make them profitable. This program included many examples, through case studies and lectures, of how and why other companies have made similar decisions. Those examples reinforced and validated our approach but also shed light on some new ideas we can apply.
Were there any insights that particularly resonated with you?
Yes. The change-management discussion was a terrific way to consider issues in a large company like GM. I particularly appreciated learning about change as a function of dissatisfaction, which requires the model strategy, the process to get there, and some good old-fashioned luck. The notion of incremental versus radical change—and whether it's top-down or bottom-up–also stood out to me. I learned to think holistically about situations and the need for change as well as how to grow an organization and company that’s in a constant state of change and execution. I'm now confident my team can create that duality of change and execution at very high levels, which can build a sustainable winning advantage.
How has the program changed or influenced your approach to leadership?
The Leading Global Businesses program made time for studying in-class cases as well as sharing real-life experiences. Our well-organized living groups made sharing these experiences possible. The afternoons afforded me the opportunity to give and receive feedback among people who didn’t know me, my industry, my location, or anything else about my work performance. I found the input from colleagues of that caliber to be priceless. I typically spend almost all of my time focused on getting my job done, so a week spent with others opened my eyes to things I can improve, while also sharpening my listening skills.
How did the campus environment contribute to the experience?
Programs that do not use a campus location—away from work and everything else—cannot possibly provide the experience I had at HBS. I was able to bring a great amount of reflection and focus to our activities each day. Each meal and each session, both inside and outside the classroom, provided lessons about other companies and experiences, but we also had the time for personal exchanges. When I walked away, I appreciated how lucky I was to have had the opportunity to learn from the best teachers in the best place I could imagine. It was a very humbling experience.