Drawing upon the literature on global leadership, we explore factors associated with expatriate leadership success in Thailand. Analogically-based and semi-structured interview methods suggested several themes. These include: guiding, bridging, emotionally supporting, socializing, and indirectly communicating. These five facets appear to be interrelated, rather than separate. We interpret our results in line with Asian holistic thinking, drawing upon Thai-specific cultural attributes as well as the global leadership literature to conclude that global leadership competencies as well as adaptation to the local context are important for expatriate leader success in Thailand