By Liu Liu and Agnieszka Rachwał-Müller
In our tightly connected world, leadership extends far beyond borders, industries, and even time. True global thinking, according to Liu Liu—an experienced manager who has worked with teams and projects in nearly 50 countries—rests on two critical axes: time and geography. When fully understood and applied, these axes enable leaders to navigate complex, multinational challenges with both vision and pragmatism.
Axis One: The Dimension of Time
“Many leaders,” Liu Liu observes, “especially in Europe, tend to think in short-term cycles—three, maybe five years. They develop strategies as if everything is brand new.” But as Liu Liu points out, a crucial part of effective leadership is understanding history. “You need to ask, has this been done before? What worked? What didn’t?”
This perspective isn’t just about avoiding past mistakes; it’s about learning from previous efforts, seeing patterns, and building on a legacy of global trial and error. Leaders must resist the temptation of presenting every initiative as innovative and instead embrace a humble recognition of continuity. “New leaders often come in thinking they’re here to change the world,” Liu says. “But many things have already been tried. Some failed, some succeeded. Understanding that context is powerful.”
Axis Two: The Global Horizon
The second axis demands a geographic breadth of vision. Liu Liu recounts how even those working in international organizations often lack a truly global mindset. “They may belong to a global institution, but their focus remains narrowly fixed on their own country or region. That’s not global thinking.”
True global leadership, Liu argues, is about connectivity—across continents, cultures, and contexts. “In one of our waste management projects,” she shares, “we were working simultaneously in Pakistan, Nigeria, and Haiti. I brought a consultant to train people in Pakistan but also flew in teams from Haiti and Nigeria so they could learn together and replicate the model simultaneously. That’s global thinking—learning together, deploying together, succeeding together.”
The Challenge for Today’s Leaders
As Agnieszka Rachwał-Müller, a university lecturer and researcher on global leadership, notes in the conversation, these dimensions are often overlooked. Many leaders don’t carve out the time—or develop the mental frameworks—to reflect historically or think globally.
But these two axes are no longer optional. In a world where businesses span time zones and political boundaries, and where the lessons of the past can illuminate the future, leaders must orient themselves both backward and outward.
Conclusion
The two axes of global thinking—time and geography—offer a simple yet profound framework for effective leadership. They remind us that we are not the first to face our challenges, nor are we the only ones facing them. Whether in corporate boardrooms, academic institutions, or global nonprofits, leaders must learn to ask: What has been done before? And who else around the world is doing this now?
Only then can we lead not just effectively—but wisely.
