Powerful Leadership Through Coaching

16Coaching Across the Globe

Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.

—Mahatma Gandhi, Indian lawyer, politician, writer, and social activist

In 1987, I traveled to London, England, to participate for two semesters in a study-abroad program at Brigham Young University’s London Center for International Studies. It was an amazing learning opportunity. For a few short months, I had the opportunity to study international business, politics, history, culture, art, and music and, of course, go to a lot of plays and symphonies and eat a lot of foods that were new to me.

This cross-cultural experience changed me. I was initially planning to major in business marketing but immediately changed to international relations and business upon my return to the United States.

After my trip to London, I wanted deeply to engage with the diverse and exciting peoples around the globe. Upon graduation, I went back to Europe for three months, traveling throughout Scandinavia, Western and Eastern Europe, Israel, and Egypt. The diversity of civilizations I encountered was inspiring and exhilarating.

Additionally, after I spent eight years with the Covey Leadership organization, the BYU Kennedy Center for International Studies offered me a one-year teaching professorship position at South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, China. Most of my travels had been in Europe and the Americas. Now the whole new world of Asia opened to me. I greatly ...