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Global leaders are not defined just by their mindsets or by the entrepreneurial opportunities they seek out and create, but by how they contribute to the improvement of the context in which they operate. An individual may leverage his global mindset to build a hugely profitable organization that captures divergent value across borders, but if it exploits local people, destroys indigenous resources, or engages in corrupt practices, that individual is not a global leader. Global leaders act as citizens of the world, pursuing challenges and opportunities in a way that brings benefits to everyone involved.

Global citizenship is probably the most difficult leadership characteristic to master because the business environment often encourages leaders to put private gain ahead of personal integrity. Business leaders in particular are under so much pressure to deliver results for shareholders that they often find themselves able to justify all forms of behavior, such as paying bribes to win contracts, cutting corners in employee safety, or loosely interpreting environmental standards.

Global leaders do not play on the edge of the law. They are moved instead by a true desire to make a positive contribution. Some even pursue a social mission as part of their business. Rangina Hamidi, for instance, describes her textile handcraft company, Kandahar Treasure, as employing “women artisans from the Kandahar area in order to develop an economic base for the province and support the advancement of women throughout Afghanistan.” Shai Agassi calls his company Better Place to embody a vision of sustainable personal transportation. Daniel Lubetzky, an entrepreneur who created Kind Healthy Snacks and PeaceWorks Foods, feels so strongly about the social purpose of his ventures that he has registered the phrase “not-only-for-profit.” Business for these leaders is not a zero-sum game with winners and losers. Profit is an outcome from contribution and service.

Even companies that do not have an overt social mission still play a part in transmitting a set of values. Sam Palmisano, chairman of the board and former CEO of IBM, describes his company as a “globally integrated enterprise” in which specific types of work gravitate to where they can be done best, in terms of quality, speed, or cost. In order to coordinate this web of processes, IBM, like other multinationals, promotes a set of core values and standards that hold across geographies. It may globally ban a practice that it considers offensive or unacceptable in one location. While it may seek the path of least resistance in order to minimize costs, it raises levels globally when it comes to values. The idea that one's responsibilities transcend geography or political borders is at the heart of global citizenship.¹⁴