Borderless Leadership: Global Skills for Personal and Business Success

“Borderless Leadership is a must read for anyone involved in international business. It enables beginners to avoid common pitfalls, and seasoned executives will recognize many of their own mistakes and benefit from the frameworks Dr. Kraljevic provides.” ― Professor Sibrandes Poppema, President, University of Groningen, Netherlands

“I just cannot stop recommending this book to ever so many people―my academic colleagues, industry colleagues, friends in the government, former students, students, young CEOs of start-ups that I mentor, and my media friends. The book is very special, deep with several gems of ideas, told in absorbing narrative; neither a text book nor a cook book but a candid, sincere, and extremely effective set of real world lessons for so many global citizens. Dr. Kraljevic uses personal examples from across continents, in diverse industry settings. All I can say is this: Go, grab the book on a Thursday night, and you will have a wonderful weekend reading this amazing book.” ― Professor S. Sadagopan, Director, International Institute of Information Technology of Bangalore, India

“Everything I know about international markets, I owe it to Zlática.” ― Sue Payne, Former ExxonMobil Area Manager U.S. & Mexico

“As the global village rapidly expands, understanding borderless leadership becomes a prerequisite for international success in this 21st century. Kraljevic brings her vast and unique worldly experiences to open your mind with practical treasures, thoughtful how-to models, and conceptual insights. Find out about the human fractal on your journey to becoming a borderless leader.” ― Lane Sloan, Former President, Shell Chemical Company, USA

Studies consistently show that international partnerships between organizations fail to generate expected results at a significant cost. The leading cause behind this failure is lack of trust among people at all levels within organizations. Borderless Leadership explores the disparity that exists between the ways that the West and other cultures conduct business. The book’s premise is that if one cannot control the events or circumstances, one must learn how to control reactions to new environments. Using real-life examples, the book illustrates how to build trust and rapport with business partners across borders and establish relationships that help businesses grow.

The book is about achieving success with and through total strangers as you progress from awareness to understanding and from understanding to acquiring, internalizing, and applying new knowledge so you bring your approach to life up to date. Only then can you transform obstacles into unsuspected opportunities that will have a positive impact on your personal and business success.

Table of Contents

PART I—AWARENESS
Chapter One: Lost but Not Alone
Chapter Two: The West Is Hyperventilating— Bring Out the Brown Bag

PART II—UNDERSTANDING
Chapter Three: They Did What
Chapter Four: Up, Down, and Sideways

PART III—KNOWLEDGE
Chapter Five: In Search of the Human Fractal
Chapter Six: First Impressions—Skewed and Backwards

PART IV—INTERNALIZATION
Chapter Seven: Simplicity—A New Way of Life
Chapter Eight: Expect the Unexpected—A New Kind of Leadership

PART V—PRACTICE
Chapter Nine: Real-Life Anecdotes from a Business Globetrotter