Perspective delivers performance?
Leading a global business means balancing needs, trends, and opportunities across a wide range of different markets.?Having experience in particular regions allows leaders to bring that first-hand perspective to key decisions, but even short periods abroad can significantly benefit team performance.?
A by MITs Sloan School of Management on the high-pressure world of English football's Premier League found a direct link between a team manager's number of countries worked in and team performance.?
For every foreign country a manager had worked in, their team won an extra 1.14 games, or 3.42 points.?Its evidence that global experiences help build some of the fundamental skills needed to lead high-performing teams.?
Identifying cultural blind spots?
Cultural norms and working styles differ significantly around the globe.?
This process of experiencing different ways of working and communicating makes you a more open-minded leader, according to Founder and CEO, .??Youve got that experience of knowing that theres a spectrum of styles, all of which can be good; theyre just different, she adds.?That combination of self-awareness and an appreciation for different approaches can help leaders navigate the complexities of a global team.?
A risk takers mindset?
Anyone whos lived abroad knows how difficult those first few months of expat life can be.?Whether its finding a place to live or making a doctors appointment, living abroad often involves throwing yourself into the cold swimming pool of language and culture, as app Languages CTO, , describes it.?
Those types of experiences create a level of comfort with taking a risk and giving it a go. That mindset of trying something and not being afraid to fail is just as relevant in the boardroom as it is in the classroom, agrees , Managing Director of International Wellbeing, .
Resilience through experience
From navigating culture clashes in working styles to the everyday challenges of living abroad, international experience helps leaders develop the resilience needed to navigate the constantly changing world of business.?
If youve put yourself through a bunch of different, tough experiences in your 20s, you learn that it doesnt challenge your humanity you can live with the tension of business and still find your equanimity, shares Carrell.
Whether its a global pandemic or rocky markets, the experience of living abroad teaches adaptability and resilience thats essential for todays leaders.?
From clarity to charisma
Poor communication costs businesses time and money, as well as undermining all-important relationships with co-workers and customers.?Leaders estimate that teams lose to poor communication, costing U.S. businesses alone .?
The risks of miscommunication are even higher in a global team with multiple languages and communication styles.?
With language, its not just the words you use, its how you phrase things, according to , CEO and Founder of .? Its the things you leave unsaid that can be so different between cultures, she adds.?At the leadership level, the stakes are even higher.?
Those that are able to articulate their ideas well, to express themselves, to find the right word, tone, or expression at the right time theyre the ones that inspire confidence in the people listening to them, says Perrucci.?
Experience communicating with an international audience teaches leaders to prioritize simplicity and clarity, allowing their message to land and stick. Meanwhile, demonstrating effort can help deliver impact. The cultural awareness leaders gain from international experience and practical skills like speaking multiple languages help create strong relationships.?
My German isnt perfect, Groen says, but the fact that I speak it with my German team creates so much goodwill that half the job of building a positive working relationship is already done.
Creating cohesion?
Accessing the benefits of a diverse, multicultural team depends on their ability to work as a unit. And that falls to leaders. You cant just put people from different backgrounds together and expect them to get along naturally, Milanova believes.?
Its a challenge that Milanova and many of the leaders we spoke to have spent a lot of time thinking about.?A common solution? Be open about your differences and the challenges the team will face.?At Daye, each person on Milanovas team has a Working with me guide, and there are also guides on how to work with each country.?
Leaders with a breadth of global experiences can anticipate the challenges their international teams will face, take steps to mitigate them, and help their teams thrive.?
International experience builds some of the fundamental skills that leaders and their businesses need in todays world.?Experiencing a range of cultures, approaches, and styles allows leaders to question their own defaults and be open to different, creative ideas.?
The adaptability and resilience needed to settle in a place far from home creates a have-a-go mindset and the ability to communicate and connect with many different types of people.?At a more fundamental level, international experience teaches leaders to be aware of and comfortable with differences. And only by doing that are they able to bring global teams together.?
