Purpose: From the competency point of view, this article aims to review and discuss existing global leadership and other related literature, and to combine findings and suggestions provided in previous literature in a more integrative framework of global leadership competencies. Design/methodology/approach: The paper reviews and discusses the terminology used in the international global leadership literature. This is followed by a review of the main outcomes of previous research. Finally an attempt is made to combine these outcomes into a more integrative framework of global leadership competencies, offering suggestions for further research. Findings: This paper provides information about previous research, integrating earlier findings into a more comprehensive framework of global competencies. It also discusses deficiencies in use of terminology and research methods used in earlier studies giving suggestions for further research. Research limitations/implications: The references used for this review are not an exhaustive list and majority of them are drawn from American journals publishing within the topic area. Relevant sources of information may also exist in other domains of scientific inquiry. Practical implications: The framework provided in this paper incorporates main findings of previous research and, as such, it may serve as a starting point for practitioners in planning of different selection, training, and career development activities, and for academics in starting their research. Originality/value: This paper fulfils an identified information/resource need.