Academic leadership has been cited extensively in the literature as a key component in cultivating intercultural adept organizations. As Japanese higher education institutions seek to embrace the global wave of internationalization in this sector, developing effective intercultural leaders with the skills and knowledge necessary to drive internationalization reforms is crucial. This presentation will examine research into how different communities perceive leadership and its role in navigating intercultural faculties, themselves the “key to internationalization”, towards meeting the needs of more diverse campuses. The presenter conducted a mixed methods research study exploring and comparing the leadership preferences of Japanese and non-Japanese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) professionals stationed at Japanese universities. The study employed a two-phase design, which first elicited 153 participants’ (n=153) leadership preferences on Bass’s seminal Full Range Leadership Model. The results informed a second phase of semi-structured interviews of deans, tenured professors, and adjunct lecturers (n=10). By integrating the two data sets, the presenter was able to provide a list of suggestions and protocols for academic leaders to better facilitate the cohesion of internationalized professorates. The results provided a number of ideas for bridging cultural divides that exist within diverse faculties. The study also provided some insight into differing perceptions between Japanese and non-Japanese academics’ views on leadership, and how these views contrasted with the leadership approaches which were actively being utilized on campuses. Those responsible for leading diverse faculties or work groups, scholars of leadership theory and its implications in intercultural contexts, or professionals interested in leveraging leadership to address intercultural tension may find this presentation beneficial.