Leadership in Practice: Lessons from the LEADER Project

Source: Annie Lu, Executive Director of the LEADER Project

It was during a coaching session in North Macedonia when Annie Lu found herself instinctively searching for ways to help a small family business optimize operations. Competitors were cutting costs and reorganizing their operations, and from an Ivey classroom perspective, the solution seemed clear. However, as the conversation continued, she realized the owner's true concerns lay in preserving family reputation and maintaining relationships with loyal customers, not solely in efficiency. What initially looked like a textbook case became a lesson in understanding the real people behind a local economy. People shaped by unique circumstances, communities, motivations, and goals for their business. Through the LEADER Project, Annie learned that supporting entrepreneurs was less about providing one “right” answer and more about listening and acting as a thought partner rather than acting as a consultant.

The LEADER Project is a student-run international entrepreneurship education initiative that connects Ivey students (referred to as LEADERites) with local entrepreneurs around the world. LEADERites travel abroad for two-week placements consisting of ten teaching days, structured around lectures, case discussions and one-on-one coaching sessions. Participants are taught using Ivey frameworks to solve business problems, but much of the learning happens beyond formal teaching. Rather than approaching the experience as a way of solving problems for entrepreneurs, LEADERites work alongside them, helping them think through challenges and adapting business frameworks to fit local contexts. Entrepreneurs act as experts on their business and local conditions; LEADERites offer a knowledgeable external perspective.

Within the LEADER Project, Annie serves as the Executive Director, a role she describes as being “the glue between stakeholders.” During her first two years at Western, she held executive positions in clubs but often felt limited to a narrow scope of responsibilities. Through LEADER, she has been able to oversee projects from start to finish and act as a connector, from site partners to the student team to Ivey as an institution. The role requires constant communication, delegation, and problem-solving, often stepping in to fill gaps that fall between committee responsibilities.

Working with international partners has also introduced a unique set of challenges she had never encountered in local leadership roles. Annie shared with me a simple anecdote of mistakenly sending a Google Calendar invite after getting a time-zone mixed up. It’s little things like this, combined with larger-scale difficulties like navigating cultural differences in communication and understanding the political and economic contexts of partner communities, that pose significant leadership challenges. Annie explained that the position has pushed her to become more informed and empathetic, recognizing that external circumstances significantly affect the entrepreneurs the team works with.

The team itself is unique within the Ivey community. LEADER is one of the only organizations within Ivey that brings together both HBA and MBA students, creating a special cross-degree collaboration. MBA participants, many already with three to five years of professional experience and international backgrounds, act as mentors and provide valuable context working abroad. With a small team travelling and preparing together, members develop a close-knit dynamic that is hard to replicate.

For Annie, the most meaningful moments have come from seeing the impact of the program firsthand. During an exploratory site visit to Kenya, LEADER’s newest site, participants gathered on the final day to present the team with traditional ceremonial wear as a gesture of gratitude. The experience reminded her of the power of education, the privilege of learning business at Ivey, and the opportunity to share that knowledge with communities abroad.

Students interested in becoming involved with the LEADER project can connect with the team via their website or watch for applications at the beginning of their cohort. More than a teaching opportunity, Annie’s experience shows that the LEADER Project reshapes how students understand leadership, not necessarily delivering solutions, but as listening, adapting and learning alongside the people they hope to support.