Gary Ranker
(1943 – 2019)

The ‘global mindset’ coach.

COACHING LEGEND

Inducted into the Thinkers50 Coaching Legends in 2023.

RECOGNITION

Cited by Forbes as one of the ‘Top Five Executive Coaches in the World.’

RECOGNITION

Cited by the Financial Times as ‘One of the 50 Most Important Global Thought Leaders.’

Ideas

Gary lived and worked on four continents and championed a global mindset, helping leaders to manage across borders and cultural differences. A global mindset, he explained, “refers to the cultural perspective that involves awareness of self, knowledge of many cultural values and an understanding of other people’s practices based on these values.” Gary defined four beliefs that formed the bedrock of his Global Mindset Coaching: 1) Leadership is situational; there is not one universal correct way. 2) Cultural differences and similarities aren’t positive or negative; one culture is not better than another. 3) A global mindset is about developing an active openness to learning about new cultures, not just being tolerant of them. 4) Awareness is a very useful map, with three different views: self-awareness, awareness of social context, and awareness of perceptions.

Bio

A pioneer of what came to be known as executive coaching, Gary was approached by General Electric in 1989 to be one of Jack Welch’s first change agents. He was the CEO for Hallmark Cards, Germany, and CEO of Textron subsidiary consumer products in Australia and New Zealand. Gary received his PhD from The Fielding Graduate University, Santa Barbara, California, in human and organisational development with an emphasis on future societal and corporate trends. He graduated from Thunderbird School of Global Management, Phoenix, Arizona, and received a BA in economics and psychology from the University of Redlands, California.

Content

Political Dilemmas at Work (with Colin Gautrey, Mike Phipps, 2008); Global Mindset Leadership: Navigating China and U.S. Business Cultures (with Donny Huang, Marilyn McLeod, Executive Excellence Publishing, 2014); Global Mindset Coaching (with Marilyn McLeod, Executive Excellence Publishing, 2017). ‘Here Is Why This CEO Coach Thinkers Australia’s Top Bosses Should Hire Him (Business Insider Australia, July 2013); ‘You can’t have success without some failure.’ (Australian Financial Review, 2013).

NATIONALITY: American

Media picks

Verdict

“Gary’s contribution to management and thought leadership mirrored his tireless positive passion for life.”

Stuart Crainer & Des Dearlove, Thinkers50

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