Abstract
In this chapter, we discuss the potential of Millennials as global leaders. We introduce our own recent contribution to the field of global leadership, in which we identify three critical global leader roles: boundary spanner, blender and bridge maker. We conceptually discuss how Millennials will cope with these three roles given the four themes that emerged from our review: the birth of the digital native, the rise of the narcissist, the college-educated elite versus the rest, and Millennials around the world. In order to become effective global leaders, Millennials need to work especially hard on developing and managing social ties as boundary spanners, becoming aware of and managing affect as blenders, and improving cultural understanding and their ability to engage in interpersonal interaction as bridge makers. Organizations that understand Millennials’ strengths and weaknesses, and can leverage their skills, will be rewarded with a future generation of global leaders who are able to lead in new ways to make a difference in the twenty-first century.