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.
When common sense doesn’t feel that common
I had a cold recently and I thought it fits into the topic of common sense perfectly. Any time someone found out about me having a cold and not feeling well, they had their own advice as to what I should be doing. “Oh, poor thing! Hang in there and drink lots of tea with […]
The value of silence in international work
You want to be effective in your work, I’m sure. You probably also want to make people feel like they can come speak with you and like they have the support they need in their roles. But even us, the People people, sometimes follow our natural communicating styles, which are culturally influenced, without adapting. They […]
Why growing your cultural competence might be a good idea?
Very often in global companies nowadays, there is talk about diversity – making sure to be inclusive of various personalities, personal lives and backgrounds, religious traditions and much more. Somehow, many of them don’t mention cultural competence as a tool that can help manage those differences. But let’s think about it a bit more. Our […]
Feel annoyed and discover what matters to you
There was multiple times where I felt annoyed, annoying, or stupid after moving abroad. At times, it was easier to deal with those emotions, other times it was not. There was one thing that I definitely learned from experiencing those emotions. I learned what truly matters to me. I learned what my values are. Some […]
How will I know if it’s cultural or not?
Have you ever been in a situation where you encountered a challenging interpersonal situation, and started wondering – is there something more to it you should explore, or maybe it’s just a personal clash that you don’t want to do much about?
#ExpatAugustMotivation – Month of reflecting and planning
This August was all about reflecting and structuring how you think about planning your life abroad. Whether you are only planning your first abroad adventure or have lived abroad for a while now, the below steps can be helpful. If not now, then in a couple of months when you find yourself at a crossroads!
Be-Do-Have model for setting goals
Often in various business magazines and articles we hear about the acronym SMART. It relates to goals, that have to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound (there are also other words that sometimes stand behind those letters, but the idea is generally the same). I used this model myself to structure many of my […]
How to mentally prepare for the move abroad
It’s so easy to fall into the busy spiral of all the move logistics – the boxes, the travel, the shipping, the bank account, the apartment… A lot of us forget however that our mental well-being is also a big part of the move. The stress and frantic running around are not particularly helpful with […]
What do others know about you that you don’t – and why does it matter?
Do you sometimes wonder what others think about you? Or why won’t they just get what you mean? Don’t worry, you’re not the only one. I’ve got an exercise that can help you make sense of it!