Lessons in global business leadership of a female executive managing teams on continents – Young Upstarts

By Nashay Naeve, President of the Engineered Plastic Components Business Unit at Tsubaki-nakashima

It is 22:00 the house is quiet, my children sleep and I jump into a video call with my colleagues in Asia. Only twelve hours earlier I was deep in joint strategy sessions with my teams in the US and Europe. It is a long day to any extent – but it is also the reality of leading worldwide teams. The next time we will reverse the schedule, so that I can start fresh in the morning while my colleagues in Asia are taking the late service. That rotation may sound small, but it sends a powerful signal of fairness and respect.

Worldwide leadership requires more than operational expertise. It requires empathy, cultural consciousness and a willingness to adapt. In the course of my career of building a go-to-market strategy in China during a period of rapid industrial growth, to leading large international portfolios in electronics, to manage cross-contaling teams in the production of production that success comes from balancing performance with people.

Here are a few lessons that stand out.

Rotate meeting times

Worldwide teams do not work on one clock. If meetings are always planned for the convenience of one region, employees are the other time that zone makes endless personal sacrifices. Although not always possible, by rotating the call times – sometimes late nights for me, sometimes early mornings – I ensure that the discomfort is shared.

I have seen the difference that this makes: after moving a recurring meeting from my morning to Asia’s morning, the engagement improved noticeable. The team came to the call more energetically and their input was sharper. That small adjustment not only showed respect for their time, but also increased the quality of our collaboration.

Protect personal boundaries.

In global roles, the working day can easily extend to a 24-hour cycle. Early in my career I made the mistake of ‘always going on’, to answer e -mails in all hours. Since then I have learned that setting boundaries is not a weakness – it is a necessity. Encouraging teams to disconnect when needed leads to more energy, creativity and long -term sustainability.

Including Leiden.

When your team spans continents, diversity is not theoretical – it is built into every project. I have seen first -hand how an operator in Europe, an engineer in Asia, and a manager in the US can approach the same challenge differently. Inclusive leadership means listening to all those voices, combining perspectives and creating solutions that could not have reached any point of view alone.

Adjust the worldwide strategy to local needs.

A worldwide vision is important, but implementation always happens locally. My time in China underlined this: strategies only succeed if they are tailored to local markets, while they still remain in accordance with the general activities. For small companies with worldwide ambitions, this is a valuable lesson – think of large, but trade locally.

Last thought.

Worldwide leadership is not about being everywhere at the same time – it is about creating the conditions for people everywhere to thrive. By rotating the meeting times, respecting personal boundaries, including to lead and adapting strategy to local needs, leaders can build teams that are both well -performing and sustainable.

For entrepreneurs, graduates and professionals who step into international roles, my advice is simple: start practicing worldwide leadership habits now. Whether it learns to bend in time zones, to appreciate cultural nuances or to model a balance between work and life, these small practices explain the foundation for leadership that teams will respect – and follow – Across continents.

Nashay Naeve, president of the Engineered Plastic Components Business Unit at Tsubaki-nakashimais a global manager and general manager in the industrial sector, with experience in spanning automotive, electronics, heavy machines and general industrial markets. In the course of her career, she led international teams, lived and worked abroad and driven growth in complex, technical companies.

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