"If you haven't played in the international arena, you'd be absolutely lost on the IT side," he says. In addition to dealing with various cultural issues, "technically there are a lot of things we take for granted domestically," Coulter says. "We've had to push the envelope, particularly on the network side, to get things done."

That's why it's important for companies to develop programs to prepare their IT leaders for an increasingly global world, says Jory Marino, managing partner at Heidrick & Struggles International Inc. , an executive search firm in New York. "Companies that want to develop global CIOs will give leaders global experience, either through moving someone abroad or simply challenging them to work on global teams," Marino says. "It's not something that's innate, and corporations with a strong viewpoint on leadership development will develop experiences to offer individuals willing to rise to the occasion."

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Global negotiations