Most Relevant Personal Features for an International Business Manager

1. Commitment and determination

Any process of business development requires time. The timing to develop and consolidate a business in a new country depends a lot on the specific product, the company and the target country, but usually two years are essential to start viewing the first results. Time is necessary to understand the culture and the new business context in order to undertake the right steps to develop and run the business in the new territory. Thus, without commitment and determination there are few chances to get results in international business. The International Business manager should always have a high commitment to lead the process and to involve his/her team, in particular when there are difficulties and the expected results have obstacles to arrive.

 

2. Initiative and Dynamism

A highly initiative and dynamism are essential features to start anything new. Thus, the will to get new challenges and the ability to solve problems represent the “salt” of business. Right risks and fast decisions are often taken thanks to a good initiative approach. In international contexts can be even more complicated because there are further issues which we must take into account.    

 

3. Curiosity

Curiosity is a crucial feature that a good International Business Manager should have. Curiosity means an open-mind person who is hungry to discover new cultures, new languages, and new economic and social environments. A person able to talk and evaluate various topics in a rational way. A person able to link and compare his or her habits and attitudes constantly and impersonally. Thus, a person able to enjoy staying with other new people in professional and non-professional contexts.

 

4. Availability and ability to travel

Any International Business Manager must travel. Depending on the type of company and sector and the expected results, this person should stay at least one week per month abroad in order to develop and consolidate partnerships and relationships. Despite the fact that we are living in a high-tech and virtual world, we are human being and the majority of the businesses are still based on personal networks. In particular for SMEs, which do not have a very high brand reputation, trust and reliability remain the most important elements that any international customer take into account to choose a new supplier. Availability and ability to travel, therefore, are essential features for this international professional profile.

 

5. Highly Communicative

Communication is a very broad feature which includes the personal ability to listen, to talk, to understand or transfer messages through our body language. A charismatic person is facilitate in this sense because he/she can exploit the ability to involve and convince other people. A high level of communication skill support the International Business Manager to “tell the story” and to transfer the quality and the advantages of his or her products to partners and international clients.  

 

6. Creative and Flexible

New markets can reserve us unknown situations or new challenges which we have never faced. Indeed, business varies depending on cultures, approaches, bureaucracies, habits, etc. For instance, contrary to the Anglo-Saxon culture, Asian people tend not to be direct and, even if they are not interested in cooperating or buying from us, they will never push us back. Creativity and flexibility are fundamental elements to always find new solutions and overcome unexpected situations or contexts.