 Today we live in a world that's enormously complex and much more interdependent than in any time in history. We are confronted with global issues that we've never faced before and that transcend geographical boundaries. Hi, I'm Wayne Cascio. The problems of today and of tomorrow demand a more wide-ranging interdisciplinary approach to finding solutions. Leaders of tomorrow will have to collaborate and operate in an environment where they can navigate cultural, regional, and political differences. This will be even more critical to achieving lasting success than it's ever been before. Founded in 1971, the purpose of the World Economic Forum is not to make decisions, but rather to act as a force for reflection, connecting ideas, stakeholders, countries, and cultures. Not only does the forum bring leaders together, it also recognized the need to develop a new generation of leaders whose goal is to improve the state of the world. This year, the Shurm Foundation traveled to Geneva, Switzerland, to learn firsthand about this new approach to leadership. We spoke with leaders in business, government, and academia to appreciate their perspectives and we focused special attention on a leadership incubator, the forum's global leadership fellows program that is helping to shape the next generation of world leaders. I think what we need today foremost is global leaders who really can act as a global community. The forum brings people together in order to share their understandings of what's going on in the world and in order to identify ways to improve it. All of us have opportunities to be global leaders and it needed to be in a large forum such as the United Nations or a multinational corporation. One can be a global leader even in a smaller outfit or in an NGO. My role is essentially to act as a liaison for a broad range of civil society organizations. I'm heading the university community for the World Economic Forum, which basically includes a group of university presidents. I work for the team that focuses on business solutions that address chronic hunger. My work is engaging foundation members from Chinese side to the World Economic Forum. I manage the logistics and transport community, so in other words I work with executives from that industry and with them I try and identify areas in which they can help improve the impact of their industry in terms of social and environmental goals. We help them to do their self-assessment as leaders. They get exposure in so-called retreats where they go on a global retreat in nations with global issues that we look at. They also have clear and regular exposure to leaders, not only in Davos or in regional meetings, but here literally weekly where they meet one of the top leaders of business, of government, religious leaders, social entrepreneurs, you name it. If you look at the challenges in our world, that's a problem. They cannot be solved by governments alone, by business alone or by civil society alone. What we need is cooperation, what we need is partnerships. There is a huge need for the global leaders to be aware and create awareness, to recognize the interdependencies and the complexity that is related with the global issues, but also the need for collaboration. There are numerous global challenges which cannot be solved by anyone global actor alone, be that poverty reduction, climate change, the global economic crisis. In many cases when one can leverage the strategies and resources of these different actors together, then probably we are in a better position to address those challenges. I think leaders of tomorrow have to be prepared to deal with a great deal of dynamic complexity. Today you have to act practically like a guerrilla fighter. You have to have of course a mission and you have to follow a vision, but you have to adapt constantly to the changes in your environment. So adaptability is today probably the key leadership factor, but adaptability based on a long term vision. People who ask for a job here or who have a chance of being offered a job really need to have this global understanding and we not only assess their professional or academic achievements, but particularly that kind of global mindset. You have so many angles that you can look at. It's really fascinating how people from different cultures look at a problem in so many different ways and can come up with so many solutions that you hadn't thought of. I think part of the value of the peer coaching is that you get to be both the coach and the coachee and so this opportunity to listen to somebody else's issues and sort of put on your advisor hat. You try and emulate what you see other people doing that appears to work very well and within the fellows program and within the forum at large there are a lot of people who I have high respect for and so obviously I try and learn from their example. Those coach each other so they have groups that are peer coaching groups. They have their coaching training and for two years they as a team meet and help each other to improve as leaders. The forum is a neutral platform and we think that honesty, transparency and integrity are key values. One of the things that I found most useful for me has been the level of honesty in the feedback that my peers provided me. I think the most important part of it is the dedication to a particular way of acting and to giving the space and with that the resources, the budget and everything that comes with it to helping young people understand what their strengths are and what their weaknesses are. So I think any organization can basically do that. It isn't all that difficult but it requires foresight, vision and it requires resources. The single most influencing experience that I've had in my life for three years in China. The last six, twelve months have shown that China or Asia is not somewhere far away. It's here. So I would recommend anybody if the chance is available to grab that chance and get exposed to Asia. Always be learning, always be curious. If you do learning just as a professional duty, it's not enough. You have to have a nature of curiosity which allows you to absorb and to enjoy learning. The world today is completely transparent. You cannot hide away. Whatever you do will be known. And if you want to be a leader, reputation is the key. Your ethics, they form your reputation so you cannot make any compromises. Today we are proud if we speak three or four western languages as I'm doing. But I think our children and particularly our grandchildren have to learn a language or at least one language which does not belong to our cultural sphere. In order to be really capable not only to speak the language but to deeply understand those different cultures. Here are five lessons from the World Economic Forum's experience in developing global leaders for tomorrow's organizations. Seize opportunities to learn about different cultures, values and perspectives so that you can navigate and bridge those differences. Get a coach and a mentor early in your career. If possible, work with a coach to help you recognize your personal strengths and weaknesses and to learn from your mistakes. Meet regularly with your mentor. Watch how he or she acts as a leader. Understand that to lead leaders you must be authentic and genuine, demonstrating strong moral and ethical values in all that you say and in all that you do. Recognize the interdependence among global issues, countries, communities and people. Use collaborative leadership. Make the effort to hear everyone's voice and actively seek input from all stakeholders. As the American humorist Will Rogers once said, even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. In today's fast-moving world, none of us can afford to just sit there, basking in the status quo. Through its global leadership fellows program, the World Economic Forum is showing all of us a new approach to global leadership for tomorrow's organizations. That train is leaving the station. Isn't it time that we all get on board?