Episode 33: Think You Know What Leaders Need Most to Build Successful Global Organizations? Think Again

In this episode, we are excited to welcome Xavier Mufraggi, CEO of SVN International Corporation and Partner at Eloquem Consulting. Prior to his role at SVN, Xavier was the CEO at YPO where he achieved a new record of 34,000 members in 150 countries. He was also previously the President and CEO of Club Med Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

In this conversation, we talk about why speaking the same language as locals can increase your ability to develop an understanding of the culture that’s required to build a successful expansion strategy in that market, the power of the authentic self as an integral part of personal and professional success, why skills are overrated in building teams (and what is the more valuable metric to look for instead), and the power of stories in better communication and reinforcing organizational vision.

Listen, subscribe, and leave a review now on Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.

This episode is sponsored by our partner, ZEDRA. Learn more about how the ZEDRA team can support you in expanding to new markets at ⁠https://www.zedra.com ⁠

Get your copy of our Wall Street Journal Bestselling book, GLOBAL CLASS, a playbook on how to build a successful global business⁠. ⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/Global-Class-Fastest-Growing-Companies-Globally/dp/1637742185

SHOW NOTES:
1:10 - Video starts
2:42 - Xavier’s formative experience that started his interpreneurial career. His father was an executive at a big American company, so Xavier was able to travel around the world at a young age. For example, he lived in Africa as an 11-year old
7:54 - How he learned that understanding culture and people is a very important skill early on
13:54 - They key in turning around Club Med in North America (During his time as the CEO, the company achieved historical records every year from 2011 to 2019)
20:15 - Building trust and ensuring organizational alignment in YPO, the world's most influential global leadership community 21:45 - What Xavier, who was then the CEO of Club Med North America, learned from going undercover as in the CBS Series, “Undercover Boss”
29: 00 - How organizations and business leaders could impact millions of lives in a positive way
40:16 - Why skills are overrated in building teams (and what is the more valuable metric to look for instead)
47:37 - The power of stories in effective communication and reinforcing organizational vision 49:19 - The power of the authentic self as an integral part of personal and professional success