Do You Want to Become a Global Leader in the 21st Century?: Develop Your Own Global Perspective

Abstract

In the age of globalization and technological innovation, it is absolutely essential for students and scholars to develop a solid global perspective such that they can capture ever increasing global opportunities and prepare for formidable challenges spun by free flow of information and technological transfers across different countries. This paper shares my personal global perspective which has been developed throughout my whole lifetime by living in three different continents (i.e., Asia, America, and Europe). After briefly defining the concept of global perspective in global education literature, I discuss critical biases stemming from common lenses through which we tend to form our perspectives; namely temporal bias (“NOW”), geographical bias (“HERE”) and cultural bias (“MY WAY”). The proposed remedies towards those biases are futurization, globalization, and culturalization, respectively. More detailed descriptions of my perspectives on three continents (Asia, America, and Europe) are presented. The future role of Asia, particularly China, has been emphasized as an important takeaway out of the extended discussions. Various ways of developing each individual’s global perspective in a unique way are suggested along with the pathways of sustaining a critical global perspective throughout the lifetime of students and scholars.