Newsletter

 

Guest Editorial

Leadership Choices

Udeme Idem (Nigeria/USA)

Demsydem08@gmail.com

I didn’t start studying leadership because I wanted power. I started because I saw what bad leadership does to good people. In 2018, I was a junior technician watching capable, committed professionals slowly burn out under careless authority. It stayed with me. I remember thinking: If I ever get the chance to lead, I don’t want to become that. There was no promotion coming. No visible pathway. No team waiting for me.

So it made no practical sense yet I started studying leadership anyway.  I read Books; took Courses; had Conversations.

While everyone around me focused purely on technical skills, I was quietly building something no one had asked for; not because it was required; because I had seen the cost of ignorance.

In 2019, I led my first team of six. We won the business remodeling challenge. I was nominated Best Team Leader. After that, responsibility kept increasing.  I had new roles.  I had regional leadership; a Board position; now I am a Vice President.

The point is this: The decision to prepare came before the opportunity.  Leadership didn’t change me when I got the title.  It changed me when I decided to learn without one.
Most people wait until a skill becomes urgent; but by the time it’s urgent, you’re already behind. The things that shape your trajectory are rarely the ones your current role demands. They’re the ones your future role will require.

Be honest with yourself:  What are you pretending you don’t need to learn yet? That might be the very thing that defines your next chapter.

 

(Udeme is an IIGL Graduate and the current Board Vice President).

 

What Others Are Saying

Erick Omari (Kenya)

Omari15ke@yahoo.com

 

Why IIGL?

I am the Kenyan IIGL National Coordinator.  I want to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity that I was given to participate in the leadership course and I am a proud graduate of IIGL. The experience has been incredibly enriching and has greatly contributed to my professional development and serving my community with a lot of integrity, resilience to see my people being self independent and well informed in different issues affecting our nation. Core skills that I have gained in Communication: Improving skills in speaking, active listening, and articulating a clear vision to my team in Kibera slums, through IIGL.  I started an organization called ALFA NETWORK a better life for all which later transformed to KLI (Kenya Leadership Institute), through communication and the skills I gained makes me a good listener especially here in the slum where challenges are on a daily basis.

 

(Erick is an IIGL Graduate and the Kenyan National Coordinator).

 

What our Students are Reading

Natures Operating Instructions ($23.99)

Archiving ancient corn strains to guard against genetic pollution? Coating chainsaw blades with mushroom spores to speed forest regeneration? Growing crops that literally suck heavy metals out of damaged soil? These are not utopian fantasies but proven strategies developed by experts who understand that working with living systems, rather than suppressing them, is the key to creating a sustainable future. For this second volume in Sierra Club Books, Bioneers Series, Bioneers founder Kenny Ausubel has gathered reports from scientific innovators in fields such as biomimicry (mimicking nature to restore environments and transform production processes); Reviving technologies that break down toxics biologically; and ecologically sound design for industries and buildings.

 

Students/Graduates In Action

Congratulations to President Emeritus Vivian Muciri!

Recently IIGL President Emeritus and Graduate Vivian Muciri (Kenya) muciri.vivian@gmail.com  was awarded a doctorate in Humanitarian Diplomacy and Advocacy by the Royal Priest school of divinity and humanity.  She shared:

“As I reflect on the new title now added to my prefix; Doctor; my heart goes back to an 18-year-old girl sitting across from Coach Caroline Gikonyo of New Dawn Solutions, at prestiage plaza Ngong road.  Caroline Gikonyo saw potential, zeal and hope. I saw failure. She saw a girl that needed direction and purpose to live. Looking back, that journey with Caroline laid the very foundation of the woman I would become professionally. She believed before I did. She called out greatness before I had the courage to own it. I simply had to beat her drum once again this time with understanding. Thank you Coach Carol Gikonyo New Dawn Solution. If you ever doubt yourself, just use me as a yard stick of your success.

Then there is my mom; who laid the foundation of my life on prayer. Making her prayers the very anchor I have stood, and continue standing upon. This woman can truly pray you through a storm. Long before the title, long before the platforms, she covered the journey in prayer. And at every transition, every defining moment, Michael Warui has been a constant voice of reason standing faithfully at the gate of change with wisdom and clarity. To everyone who has contributed to this journey through prayer, counsel, correction, encouragement, support in one form or another I do not take it for granted. I am deeply grateful. Once upon a time, in a moment of fierce conviction, my mother told someone, Vivian will study to the level she wants and one day be called a Doctor. Today, I smile and say We did it.”

 

Valuable Resources for Personal and Planetary Transformation

Storybird

Storybird.com

Storybird lets anyone make visual stories in seconds. They curate artwork from illustrators around the world and inspire writers of any age to turn those images
into original stories. It’s a simple idea that has attracted millions of writers, readers, and artists to our platform. Families and friends, teachers and students, and amateurs and professionals have created more than 30 million stories making Storybird one of the world’s largest storytelling communities.

 

News

Help IIGL Recruit New Students!

Feel free to share this newsletter or just this poster with your friends, family, co-workers and colleagues to help IIGL continue to grow and flourish globally!  Thank you to those who have referred others! 

 

IIGL Book Sales Continue…   

The IIGL Board of Directors shared that the IIGL book, “Creating Your Path Through Leadership” book sales continue to provide a Royalty payment to IIGL each month. It has also helped new potential donors understand more about IIGL!  The book is available both on Kindle and in Paperback on Amazon.com!  Check it out!   Here’s the link:  https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1… 

 

Meet Our New Students

We had 2 new students this month.

Jenifer Ndindi (Kenya)

At a very early age, my dream was to do something big in life. Every night I dream of living a life of a celebrity. I see myself dressed up performing like an idol for the people in the whole world. It is my dream to work in the entertainment industry and become famous. But I also need to secure my future to save and invest for something on what I’ve earned. In order to do this, I like to take some time aside from my responsibilities to think about my dreams and all the goals I want to build. Building a Business. Business is something that has always intrigued me. As my mother is a businesswoman and teacher at the same time, since childhood, I had this keen interest to be a part of or to lead a business.

Massedou Dienta (Mali)

I am a citizen of Mali, a country located in west Africa. I am civil engineer and the founder & CEO of Impact Univers, a self development and leadership institute. I am also author of the book “The Awakening of African Potential,” keynote speaker and entrepreneur.

 

To view complete profiles, Click Here                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Student Progress

We had 7 students from 5 countries complete a total of 11 books in February. These students were from Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria and Uganda

Francis Maundu (Kenya)

* The Five Second Rule                                     

Jenifer Ndindi (Kenya)

* As a Man Thinketh

* Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Massedou Dienta (Mali)

* As a Man Thinketh

* Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Nadia Echchikhi (Morocco)

* GOALS

* Nonviolent Communication

John David Oladejo (Nigeria)

* Keys to Success

Sadiq Rita Salamat (Nigeria)

* Goals

* Leadership for Dummies

Rwot Isaac (Uganda)

* How to Win Friends and Influence People

 

Statistics
New Enrollments
3 enrolled in February
7 enrolled in 2026

Book Assessments
11 in February
22 in 2026

Books Shipped

0 in February
0 in 2026

Cost of Books
$0 in February
$0 in 2026

You Make It Possible
We extend a special thanks to the following individuals and/or organizations who contributed to IIGL last month. Your ongoing support makes this work possible.

 

Deb Silver (Israel)

Lynne Murguia (USA/AZ) In Blessed Memory

John Hornecker (USA/NC)

Michael Lightweaver (USA/NC)

Lynda Eze (USA/TX)

Deb Rosen (USA/WI)

Patrice Zorn (USA/WI)

Kathleen Oweegon (USA)

 

Make A Difference
Dream Team 22
Please join Dream Team 22 as our goal is to have 22 people contributing $22 per month.  We understand that money is energy and that to sustain and build IIGL we need a lot of people pouring their energy into this endeavor on a regular basis. We also know that not everyone can afford to commit $22 a month – especially our students, who live in countries with economies in which this amount can be equal to a weeks’ salary. So we are offering two options for those who wish to become a part of the Dream Team. One can commit to a $22 a month contribution or to spending 22 seconds each day holding the vision of IIGL becoming financially sustainable by the end of 2026!

Please join the Dream Team and help us create an energetic foundation to support the transformational work of IIGL! You can really make a difference in the world by making a modest contribution of time or money.  To make the $22 a month commitment or a one time donation, click the link below.  To become a member of the Dream Team 22 by committing 22 second a day to help us hold the vision, contact Deb for details:  drosen2@wi.rr.com

Checks on US banks, payable to the International Institute For Global Leadership, can be mailed to IIGL, 11537 N. Lake Shore Drive, Mequon, WI  53092 USA. Contributions may also be made by credit card by clicking the link below. Contributions are tax deductible under the 501 (c) 3 tax code of the United States Internal Revenue Service.

 

To Contribute By Paypal, go to www.paypal.com and make donation to iigl.globalleadership@gmail.com

 

To Contribute By Credit Card, go to global-leadership.com