Next, Network Here.
Focus on middle powers for a strategic edge.
Here is an insight on what’s shifting in the world and how it can shape the way you think, act, and lead towards sustained global success.
2024 has been a record year for elections beyond the US. Globally, there have been shifts in leadership across advanced economies and emerging regions alike. Yet, many leaders in advanced economies still prefer to do business with their counterparts in similar markets. These partnerships feel secure - based upon familiar business environments, existing relationships, and robust financial systems. Yet this approach risks missing the bigger picture.
Opportunity exists beyond these familiar places and faces.
Turkish economist Dani Rodrik, in his Project Syndicate article “Middle Powers Will Make a Multipolar World,” highlights the growing influence of middle powers such as India, Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, and Nigeria. These nations may not yet rival the wealth and influence of advanced economies, yet their combined GDP already surpasses that of the United States (when adjusted for purchasing power). By 2029, it is projected to grow by an additional 50%.
These countries offer dynamic opportunities: large middle-class consumer bases, rising technological capabilities, and untapped markets. Leaders in middle powers are also strategically avoiding alignment in global power rivalries. As former Indonesian President Joko Widodo stated, “We refuse to be a pawn in a new cold war.” Instead, they seek multidimensional trade and investment relationships - an approach that opens pathways for innovative collaboration.
Beyond The Upper-Middle-Class Club
A study titled “Social Networks and Attitudes Toward Income Inequality” published in the European Sociological Review highlights how social networks influence attitudes toward income inequality. The research found that individuals with more upper-middle-class connections are less supportive of reducing inequality, while those with more working-class ties are more supportive. This tendency to remain within familiar social circles reflects a broader challenge for leaders in high-income economies: it can entrench a narrow worldview and limit opportunities.
In business, this is often seen in the preference for partnerships with peers in similarly advanced economies, leading to missed commercial opportunities, with overreliance on mature markets. For leaders aiming to think, act, and lead globally, breaking out of these circles is essential. Engaging with leaders from emerging economies like India, Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, and Nigeria can provide strategic insights and drive collaborations that align business success with positive economic trends as well as broader societal progress.
A Numbers Game
While leaders may have thousands of connections on LinkedIn, research indicates that the human brain can manage only about 150 meaningful relationships - a concept known as Dunbar’s Number. Anthropologist Robin Dunbar proposed this limit, linking it to the processing capacity of the neocortex, particularly the prefrontal cortex. A study titled “Social Brain Hypothesis and Social Network Size in Humans,” published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, supports this, demonstrating that the volume of the orbital prefrontal cortex predicts social network size. Beyond this limit, connections often become superficial data points rather than active, impactful relationships.
With around 5.55 billion active internet users, it is theoretically possible to connect with anyone, anywhere. Yet, as we have seen, building an extensive network without strategic focus seldom leads to meaningful impact.
Malcolm Gladwell noted in The Tipping Point, productivity within a company tends to decline when its size exceeds 150 people, as informal interactions and reciprocity - the “grease” that keeps networks thriving - begin to falter. This highlights why leaders benefit from focussing on nurturing their most strategic connections rather than pursuing quantity over quality.
For leaders aiming to expand their networks globally, this insight is critical. Simply collecting contacts without the capacity to nurture them won’t lead to influence or meaningful collaboration. Real impact comes from cultivating a network where trust and reciprocity are alive. For business leaders with global ambitions, the challenge is not about having more connections but about having the right ones - those that reflect the shifting global landscape and can foster trusted partnerships.
Expanding Global Circles of Influence
It pays for business leaders with ambitious global goals to adapt to this changing environment. Expanding influence means including people from these regions in your inner circle, not as distant contacts but as trusted advisors and collaborators. Updating your network to reflect the global shift in power is now a strategic priority.
As the global economy evolves, leaders who fail to embrace these shifts risk falling behind. Many will still prefer to stick with the known, missing critical opportunities.
This message is for the ambitious leader. Including diverse voices in your inner circle is essential for achieving meaningful, positive-sum outcomes in business and beyond. By engaging with leaders from high-growth low- and middle-income economies, businesses can tap into innovation hubs, uncover market insights, and forge partnerships that drive both profitability and societal progress.
There’s more to the world than what we see.
When we expand what we see and who we know, we can better make sense of the world and secure strategic outcomes.
The world’s next growth engines exist beyond traditional markets. As the leaders of middle powers chart new paths for their nations, forward-thinking business leaders have an opportunity to do the same by connecting with them.
Global outcomes start with the right global connections.
Next, network here.
