Global Class: How the World's Fastest-Growing Companies Scale Globally by Focusing Locally

by Aaron McDaniel, Klaus Wehage

Overview

Wall Street Journal Bestseller

The playbook for a new era of global business.

The business world has changed, and to stay ahead, companies must think, operate, and scale differently. Companies need to adopt a new mindset and build distributed teams with a unique set of skills to succeed in global markets. A new strategic approach and revision of the agile methodology are necessary to better balance the need to localize with the complexity that localization creates.

To date, business leaders have had to learn how to scale globally the hard way—through trial, error, and failure—since no guidebook existed to light the way . . . until now.

Enter Global Class: the playbook that teaches you how to build teams, manage a diverse international footprint, and balance cultural differences to scale globally by focusing locally. Through case studies and insights from more than 250 of the world’s fastest-growing companies, Aaron McDaniel and Klaus Wehage illuminate what this new class of businesses (“Global Class Companies”) do to succeed, who are the catalysts of their growth, and how they do it. From market entry to international growth, Global Class introduces a comprehensive tool kit of practical frameworks that provide a blueprint for how to build and manage a global business.

Whether your company is just starting its growth journey, already has an established international footprint, or you are a globally minded professional looking to build an international career, Global Class is the essential playbook for reaching global scale for businesses of all sizes and stages.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781637742181
Publisher:	BenBella Books, Inc.
Publication date:	08/23/2022
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	1,061,549
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Aaron McDaniel is a corporate leader, entrepreneur, professional speaker, start-up advisor, and author. He is a faculty member at University of California Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, his alma mater. Aaron is a serial entrepreneur who cofounded global innovation ecosystem builder 10X Innovation Lab as well as three other ventures that were acquired. An alumnus of AT&T’s flagship Leadership Development Program, he was also an AT&T Diamond Club award winner (top 1 percent of sales managers worldwide). He is the author of The Young Professional’s Guide book series and has been featured in Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and Bloomberg Businessweek. Aaron is a sought-after speaker whose client list includes The Ritz-Carlton, Deloitte Consulting, Wells Fargo, UnitedHealth Group, and many more.

Klaus Wehage is an entrepreneur, start-up advisor, professional speaker, and author. He is commonly referred to as the “Silicon Valley Ambassador,” coaching corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and government leaders. Currently, he holds advisory positions with 3 reputable Asian ministries. Through his former role as the Head of International Relations at Silicon Valley Forum and now as the cofounder and CEO of 10X Innovation Lab, Klaus has trained more than 2,000 business leaders from more than 50 countries. Originally from Denmark, he has lived on 4 continents, speaks 5 languages, and holds degrees from Hult International Business School (MBA) and Copenhagen Business School (Bsc). Klaus is a sought-after speaker and has worked strategically with the top echelon of the Silicon Valley business community, including Google, Salesforce, LinkedIn, IBM, HP, and more.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Genesis of Global Class 1

Part 1 Evolve

The Global Class 17

1 Shift The World Has Changed 19

2 Lead The Global Class Company 35

3 Trailblazer The Interpreneur 63

Part 2 Scale

Effective International Growth 79

4 Align The Four Commitments for Successful Global Growth 81

5 Localization Global Agile Part 1: Discovery and Hypothesis Development 107

6 Complexity Global Agile Part 2: Preparation, Validation, and Implementation 137

7 Momentum How Global Class Companies Facilitate Rapid Growth 183

Part 3 Empower

The Three Pillars for Achieving Global Scale 211

8 People Building Global Class Teams 213

9 Management The Global Class Management Model 235

10 Culture Balancing the Three Layers of Culture 263

11 Conclusion The Global Class Company, Interpreneurs, and You 287

Epilogue: IMPACT: The Role of the Global Class in Society 291

Acknowledgments 297

Glossary/Frequently Used Terms 307

Index 313

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Global Class is not just a summary of company anecdotes. It is a call to action for businesses and their leaders to embrace a new approach when growing internationally . . . it provides a comprehensive playbook for how to navigate the challenges of going global."
—Financial Times (fDi Intelligence)

"Achieving global scale takes iteration while managing complexity. In Global Class, Aaron & Klaus provide the playbook you need to navigate these changes and reach global scale."
—Eric Ries, Author of The Lean Startup
 
"Aaron & Klaus have literally written the book on international go-to-market. Their observations and rubrics are very powerful for our business. This is the book I wish I had 15 years ago!"
—Abe Smith, Head of International, ZOOM
 
"Trust is the number one value when expanding your business internationally.  It goes hand in hand with customer success. Global Class is a blueprint for how to achieve both and have YOUR business be a platform (catalyst) for change in every market and community you enter and embrace."
—Polly Sumner, Chief Adoption Officer, SALESFORCE
 
"Aaron and Klaus provide structure, process, and clarity where there once was only mystery and complexity - Global Class is the perfect guidebook for navigating the challenges of global expansion."
—John Brandon, Fmr. Vice President of International, APPLE
 
"Global Class helps solve the puzzle for how to globalize and expand internationally in today's competitive and dynamic business environment." 
—Elise Rubin, Global Head of Program Management, Internationalization & Product Launch, GOOGLE NEST
 
"Global Class has built a vocabulary for business leaders like myself to effectively get organizational alignment around international growth initiatives." 
—Troy Malone, Vice President of International Operations, DRATA (Fmr. GM of International Expansion, EVERNOTE)
 
"Localizing a business is challenging. Through Global Class, Aaron & Klaus cracked the code on how to do it by showcasing some of the world's best success stories and focusing on important factors like language and culture, something that, as a computational linguist, I have seen is crucial to success at global scale." 
—Kathryn Hymes, Fmr. Head of International Product Expansion, SLACK
 
"Building a global business takes focus and hard work. Insights from Global Class will help you with the goals and strategies to expand internationally."
—Scott Coleman, Fmr. Head of Growth & International Product, PINTEREST
 
"To succeed as a global business in today's ultra-competitive environment, you have to act fast and hyperscale. In Global Class, Aaron & Klaus show you how to create the speed and momentum needed to succeed in that environment." 
—Emil Michael, Fmr. Chief Business Officer, UBER
 
"This book should be required reading for any business leader with an eye on international markets."
—Steve Blank, The Father of Modern Entrepreneurship
 
"Entering new global markets is hard. Global Class, helps you bridge the chasm between local market success and global-market fit."
—Alex Osterwalder, CEO Strategyzer and inventor of the Business Model Canvas
 
"Global Class celebrates the uniqueness of cultures across the world and how to bridge the differences, so businesses are able to be a force for good."
—Jennifer Yuen, Fmr. Head of Americas Marketing, AIRBNB
 
"The way Aaron & Klaus describe a Global-Class Company is the exact model we aspire to at Flexport - culturally curious, localized, and strong in our core company values."
—Ryan Petersen, Founder & CEO, FLEXPORT
 
"Just like agile unlocked innovation, the strategies and tactics captured in Global Class unlock the secrets to successful global expansion...the companies that leverage this book will be the top global companies of tomorrow."
—Whitney Bouck, Managing Director, INSIGHT PARTNERS
 
"Excellent! Learning to become a global company that stays agile through changing markets, cultures, and legislations can feel like an overwhelming task. Global Class will focus your priorities and walk you step-by-step through the methodology to take your company to the next level."
—Dr. Marshall Goldsmith is the Thinkers50 #1 Executive Coach and New York Times bestselling author of Triggers, Mojo, and What Got You Here Won't Get You There

Editorial Reviews

★ 07/15/2022

The expansion of companies globally is often challenging due to cultural differences, local obstacles, and unforeseen risks. Mistakes are costly in terms of time and money. In this well-organized guide, entrepreneurs and start-up advisors McDaniel ("The Young Professional's Guide" series) and Wehage (co-founder and CEO, of10x Innovation Lab) explain in detail how to do business on a global playing field. They use the term interpreneur to describe key individuals who are successful at international expansions. Human resource professionals and business leaders can use this book to identify interpreneurs; their characteristics are discussed in detail, based on the authors' extensive research and interviews. Case studies focus on the successes and failures of more than 250 companies, including Airbnb, Amazon, Apple, Canva, Docusign, Flexport, Google, Slack, Zendesk, and Zoom. The 11 chapters are uniform in format: key insights appear in bold, and each chapter ends with a case study, a summary, and three reflection and action questions. VERDICT Business readers will enjoy learning more about how their favorite companies operate on a global scale. Recommended as a first purchase for all public and academic library collections.—Caroline Geck

Library Journal