I was fascinated by a list Fortune Magazine recently published. The list identified those companies that are doing the best job developing leaders. The global Top 10 Companies for Leaders included six companies from the US, two from Europe and two from India.

1. General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), Fairfield, CT, U.S.
2. The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)  Cincinnati, OH, U.S.
3. Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK)  Espoo, Finland
4. Hindustan Unilever Limited (BOM:500696)  Mumbai, India
5. Capital One Financial Corp. (NYSE:COF)  McLean, VA, U.S.
6. General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS)  Minneapolis, MN, U.S.
7. McKinsey & Company (private) None*
8. International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) Armonk, NY, U.S.
9. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. (Public, MCE:BBVA) Bilbao, Spain
10. Infosys Technologies Limited (ADR) (NASDAQ:INFY) Bangalore, India

I was interested in this list for several reasons.

First of all it was a global list. Often, we look at markets as geographical and indeed they are. But today, businesses -- even small business, can reach customers and recruit employees globally through the Internet. For example, 11 of 55 Know More Media’s authors are outside the US.

Secondly, all but one company (McKinsey) is public. I am not sure access to capital markets is correlated to developing leaders but access to capital enables growth and an ability to hire and train the best. Capital markets over time reward the companies that perform and punish those that do not.

Thirdly, no particular industry has a lock on leadership. Technology, finance, industrials, consumer goods, consulting and telecommunications were all represented in just the top 10.

Long-term success for any company depends on its ability to foster and encourage leaders in its organization. I am confident that there are small companies that are equally capable as many of these large companies. If you know one, let us know.