In this article, you will learn: Four types of “roles” we take on when visiting relatives and friends back home How to get the most out of the visits home, without the overwhelm When you live abroad, you’ll inevitably go back home sooner or later – visiting family, friends, “the old home”… But – – […]
Is leadership across cultures “just leadership”? I would love for that to be true but I believe there is more to it! In this article, you will learn: A story of an American manager taking over management of a Polish team – and it not going so well… Key skills that leaders working internationally need […]
If you’re reading this article, then you likely have this question in your head already. My counter question to you is: what triggered this thought for you? What made you think that moving abroad could be a choice you could make? In this article, you will learn: Katie’s story of her decision making process Why […]
Awareness is gold. When you’re aware of something, you can do something about it. D.I.V.E. tool can help you gain that awareness.
I work with many people who choose to go abroad, usually for better career prospects, for the sense of adventure, for self-development, to make use of the opportunity… Some of them may already have an idea that culture shock is a ‘thing’ during an international transition. This usually also comes with some preconceptions of how […]
Is it fair for everyone to get the same benefits, or is it fair to provide everyone with the benefits they specifically need? Are rules applicable to everyone, no exceptions, or is it ok to make exceptions for friends and family? Do all the commitments need to ideally be agreed in writing, or is it […]
Do you say things as they are, express requests and disagreement without beating around the bush? Or perhaps you soften the message, expressing your needs and opinions indirectly? Does a person need to understand the context to decode your message or what is being said is easily understood independent of the context? Another cultural dimension […]
Do you plan thoroughly for plan A, B and C or rather go with the flow? Do you like to follow explicit instructions and procedures or are you comfortable with dealing with matters without much clarity? Are written documents and contracts important and biding for you, or maybe a verbal declaration can be as strong […]
When talking about cross-cultural communications, you’ve got to consider cultural values dimensions. They are an important piece helping us make sense of all the differences and similarities we are experiencing, as well as give us the language to discuss our challenges. As part of your cross-cultural learning, I would love to introduce you to some […]
Stereotyping is bad, we should all know that. But then… we also see that we do have a certain view of the world and of certain groups of people, based on our previous experiences, what we’ve read or what we’ve heard from others. So should we stop reading, learning and experiencing to have a blank […]