To better understand what it means to promote the liberal arts in countries without strong liberal arts traditions, the authors recently asked presidents, chancellors, and provosts of some distinctive universities to reflect on their own leadership practices. In this article, the authors provide a glimpse of the challenges involved in leading liberal arts universities around the world, drawing lessons from their recent book, "American Universities Abroad: The Leadership of Independent Transnational Higher Education Institutions." Contributing presidents, provosts, and deans wrote about the difficulties they often face in managing productive relations with their host governments. To synthesize their messages, the article presents four lessons from the book: (1) Educate all stakeholders; (2) Cultivate community broadly; (3) Keep up with trends; and (4) Implement for lasting impact. These lessons can also apply at liberal arts colleges and universities within the United States.