I speak to a lot of leaders who move across the globe with work – either on secondment or for something totally new. Moving to a new country and setting up a new life for yourself is tricky enough in itself, and I think a common issue for anyone in this position is how to blend into their new community and avoid any potential cultural missteps.
If you’re in this position (and huge congratulations if you are) the real challenge of working abroad is this: a feeling of wanting to assimilate into a culture different to your own. My advice on how to do that well is to listen hard, pay attention to what people around you are doing, and read up in advance on the ‘average’ culture, and the major faux pas and cultural missteps you need to avoid.
Get a read on the culture
I particularly like Hofstede’s country culture dimensions – where you can put in the name of any country and it creates a profile based on years of research of common cultural patterns. You can even compare it to your own dominant culture (or cultures) and see where there are major differences or the scope for clashes. A caveat here is that not everyone fits the culture – our personalities and other aspects of our background (socioeconomic status; gender; sexual orientation, educational status, etc.) also intercede and make us unique. However, at a country level, these cultural profiles can be helpful. Google is your friend exploring the major cultural rules and faux pas you might fall into in the new country (not pointing with your feet in South East Asia, and not queue-jumping in the UK are two examples of the sort of thing I mean).
2. Find a ‘cultural translator’
Another useful tool can be to find someone who can be a ‘cultural translator’ within the office you’re moving to – someone with experience of both your culture and your new country’s culture – so you can ask them to explain situations you don’t understand or where you’re worried about doing something wrong. Ask them to also point out to you, proactively, areas where they think you’re not being as culturally sensitive as you should be.
3. You don’t need to blend in
But now my final point: blending in. If you’ve been recruited for your unique skills and talents (which I’m sure you have!), then blending in totally is not what your organisation will want you to do – they will want you to leverage who you are and what you can bring. Your skills, your knowledge, your viewpoint, your approach. As long as you start by listening, and work hard to build trust by avoiding major missteps and misunderstandings, you create a platform to bring as much of yourself and your great ideas to work. Share your ideas in a way that works for the country, the organisation and the team you’re in, whether that’s humbly or boldly, big picture or in detail. You want to stand out for the right reasons, and so being sensitive to the new culture whilst finding ways to show your brilliance is going to be important.
Resources to help you land well in a new role abroad:
- Compare the values of different country cultures to build a sense of how cultures differ from one another:
https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison-tool - Building cross-cultural relationships in a global workplace:
https://hbr.org/2024/02/building-cross-cultural-relationships-in-a-global-workplace - How to feel comfortable with being yourself at work:
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20181129-yes-you-should-really-be-yourself-at-work
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