The success of the International Leadership Blogathon that I put on in March of 2012 went way beyond my expectations. I could not have predicted so many gold nuggets of wisdom that would inspire me. I not only learned a lot, but I made what I expect to be great friendships for years to come.

Even if you read all the articles, it can be easy to forget or overlook these gold nuggets, so below I have written some of these insights so that you can see all the collective wisdom together. This will be a multi-part article as there are a lot of great quotes and lessons of leadership. Lets begin…

Article 1 – Andy Phillips from Columbia
Does Your Leadership Style Need To Change When Leading Internationally?

“While there is considerable overlap in what different geographic cultures regard as good leadership, when leading internationally you need to verify that your leadership style fits the cultural expectations of those you are leading.”

“American culture is generally very future orientated, while in other cultures like in the Middle East, the past has greater resonance. For leaders this is a key question, as a vision that resonates with past glories will have greater traction with a past-orientated culture.”

“Failing to understand the accepted culture can create difficulties for you as a leader. Some cultures do not discriminate between hierarchy – no special parking places, no separate lunch facilities.”

“Many cultures are not comfortable with western-style individualism and the team can actively or passively undermine initiatives that do not prioritize the team.”

“99% of all cultural clashes can be resolved through discussion. Be open, observe, discuss and adapt your leadership style to the culture you are working in.”

Article 2 – David Lapin from the USA / Canada /South Africa
Leadership Re-Imagined – Why the lessons of the Past Are Not Enough!

“The traditional barriers to entry in nearly every industry have fallen. Even brilliantly innovative ideas, products, and services – no longer secure a company’s competitive advantage.”

“The new competitive edge is neither a product nor a service; it is the people who make them.”

“While innovations can be replicated …innovators cannot.”

“…most of the people in your organization are capable, in some way or another, of furthering the organization’s objectives by influencing the behavior of others. The majority of your employees then, should be developed and managed as if they were leaders.”

“Appreciating the ratio of leaders to employees in your company is key to its growth.”

“Today’s leaders manage in paradox and for this they need agility, tenacity and unwavering values.”

“Great leaders won’t cut it any more. We need great human beings in leadership positions.”

“We need to grow people’s characters not just their competencies and help them achieve results by using their personal stature more than their positional status.”

“Your leadership development architecture should be as innovative as your product development and indigenous to your own culture. It should focus on character not on competencies;  it is only through growing leadership character that you build leadership prowess.”

Article 3 – Hans Balmaekers from The Netherlands
Leaders in Beta: Testing What Works

“Due to the complex challenges we face in the world right now, leaders would benefit tremendously by embracing a ‘beta mindset’ by not only having a clear, long-term vision of where they want to go, but also being able to adapt quickly, by continually collaborating with those that are affected by their leadership.”

“Leaders in beta is a mixture of ambition with humility. For the leader, it requires the understanding that it is ok not to know everything.” 

“There’s an urgent need for a complete re-design of society, of the economy, institutions and communities, to better serve the common good. This challenge needs inclusive and collaborative leaders, ambitious, and humble enough to see their main task to test what does work and what does not, on our way to a better future.”

“As we follow those other leaders, it’s our responsibility to provide feedback whilst following their leadership.”

“It’s the species most adaptable to change that survive, and the leaders living the beta mindset that thrive.”

Article 4 – Kimunya Mugo from Kenya
Lessons of Leadership & Culture From Kenya

{Comment by Todd Nielsen } -This article contains a wonderful story about Kimunya’s 6 year old daughter. It teaches about the need to nurture business cultures with care and patience, just as we would nurture and care for the culture of our family. Click the link above to read the full story. Below are a few more tidbits of leadership wisdom from his article.

“As we have developed the culture of our family, so the culture of organizations needs to be developed.” 

“A primary function of leadership is to develop culture.”

“For the right culture to emerge, deliberate and careful nurturing is required.” 

Article 5 – Colleen Jolly from the USA / UK
Belief: The Underpants Gnomes Method of Leadership

“The primary function of a leader in any organization is to believe.”

“A leader is someone who must carry the torch in the darkness and light the path towards the desired end goal.”

“Leaders inspire their people, their countries and their organizations to do impossible things for extraordinary results, but they do not always have the details of how exactly those results are going to be achieved.”

 “…true leadership is not about process, it is about belief.” 

“Leadership is creating a big hairy audacious goal and inspiring the people around you to believe in that goal …and more importantly in their ability to achieve it and make the impossible, possible.”

“If you truly believe in your idea, hold on to it and you will find a way to realize those dreams while inspiring everyone else around you.”

Article 6 – Lora Crestan from Canada
Leaders …Let Go!

“…as a leader our job is to separate out what we do and what others can do for us …or with us.”

“Letting go is hard.  Letting go takes courage. Letting go means planning and following up. “

“The fact is, in order to let go, you need to have the instructions, the explanations, and the planning come out of your head and into someone else’s. “

“Letting go and empowering others will give you a sense of release and build morale on your team.”

“Leaders surround themselves with smart people who often have the skills and expertise they may lack.

“Smart Leaders use the talent of letting go to function at full capacity.”

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Each of these writers would love to hear your comments and connect with you. You can do so on each of the pages above. Please share below any additional nuggets of wisdom that I might have overlooked.