Working Abroad or in Diverse Teams: 6 Tips To Succeed

I shared in this post that I cried on my first day at work in the USA. I also shared previously that the transition into my first year working in Scotland was rougher than I had expected. Working abroad brings its unique challenges. Over the past few years, I’ve had conversations about these transitions with friends and colleagues. I’ve also known or heard of people that have struggled with this transition, some unfortunately merely existing in their new roles or hanging by a thread and others, failing.

So you’ve landed a new role in a new country, a new city, or in a new international organization. Or maybe its not a new job, it’s a role you’ve been in for a short while but for some reason you’re struggling to be seen or to build a certain level of rapport with your colleagues. This post is for you! Here are six tips to help you integrate at work in an international team or in a new country.

1. Balance Cultural Expectations and Get To Know Your Colleagues

I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again, what made you successful in America may not work in London or Hong Kong or Rwanda. Things operate differently at different organizations and in different countries. I’ve done work for the same company in the USA, UK, India, and Chile all very different experiences. You may have a great resume and track record but may not be liked in a new location if you carry on with the same working style as you did in your home country or previous location.

You must learn the norms, values of your new team and location and adjust your working style accordingly. Make an effort to get to know your teammates. Ask about their weekends and families and pick up on what important to each person.

Listen a lot, and when you speak, do so with patience even when you might be feeling frustrated. Clarify meaning and intent and don’t make assumptions. Give it time.

Tip: Ask questions, a lot and then listen. Watch for spoken and unspoken rules

2. Be Yourself/Open Up

I see this happen a lot. We get to a new place, in taking in the newness of the environment; we become closed off to our colleagues. We say no to social invitations and don’t attempt small talk, especially those ones about the weather or our weekends. Perhaps its because we can’t relate to the small talk, or we’re conscious of our accents, or we believe our life experiences are vastly different from our peers. In some cases, the invitations to lunch or happy hours stop after a while.

We do our teams and ourselves a disservice when we don’t speak up, and when we don’t make an effort to build rapport with our colleagues. You don’t have to change who you are, on the contrary open up just as you are. If you don’t drink that’s fine, get a Sprite.

These informal interactions will help you interpret slang and accents in the office. True story, it took me a while to figure out the Scottish accent while living in Edinburgh. A particular meeting comes to mind where I took a counselee to lunch. He wasn’t just Scottish; he’s Glaswegian (from Glasgow)! Then there was me trying to make the most of this conversation and still offer career advice to this person as I intensely read his lips for about 45 minutes. It was stressful! I caught 60% of what he said and I admitted to him that I needed him to repeat himself a few times. I’d later find out that I wasn’t crazy; even other Scots admit that Glaswegian accents are hard to follow.

We laughed about it later, and yes my colleagues taught me a lot of ‘Scottish speak.’ At some point, we even made it where we learned something new in our weekly team meetings. I never picked up a Scottish accent, but I can do a good Scottish ‘Sorrrraaayyy’ and know to say ‘wee’ a lot. More importantly, I could have chosen to be quiet about my struggle, or I could make it a learning point and an opportunity for exchange with my team with professionals from 4 continents.

Tip: Set small goals like go to coffee or eat lunch with one person a week. If you don’t feel comfortable sharing a lot that’s fine, ask questions of others and they’ll be very happy to share. Say yes when the most comfortable answer is no. Go for an hour and then take your leave.

3. Find Your Allies

Whether you’re in Michigan or Timbuktu, you’ll need allies at work but even more so while working abroad. We all do. Your allies don’t need to look like you but they do need to have your best interests at heart and they’re ideally across different functions of the organization. Start building allies by being supportive of others. See a problem you can help with? Lend your support. Your allies in the IT department will come through for you when you’re having tech issues. You can be an ally to your supervisor by anticipating their needs and offering solutions to problems. Mentor interns and younger associates, they will come through for you in a few years. Your allies are more likely to plug you in to opportunities and call you out when you’re self sabotaging without knowing.

Tip: When’s the last time you helped someone solve a problem at work? Or helped out with an initiative and met people outside your specific team or department?

4. Ask For Feedback Early & Often:

Timely formal and especially informal feedback will make a difference in how well you transition in a new work environment. Ask for feedback on both the technical and non-technical aspects of your job. Ask your allies and supervisors for feedback on your appearance or presentation style and of course on your work.

There’s nothing like thinking everything is going well but it really isn’t and no one has the courage to tell you (this happens for different reasons unfortunately). It stinks! If you are in an environment where people tend to not be so honest or direct, it is even more critical that you find allies and mentors to help you decode feedback or that will give the direct feedback you need and in time for you to react and course correct (if necessary).

Tip: Right at the onset, ask your supervisors what success looks like in your role. Be clear on what you need to do to succeed and to make their lives easier. If you have specific goals i.e. you want to be a manager be explicit about that desire and make sure you know what it takes. Then ask about how you’re doing or tracking over time. You want to avoid surprises as much as possible. While supervisors in different countries may not be direct, specific questions will often let you know where you stand.

5. Ask For Help

Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Far from it, it signals a high level of introspection and self-awareness. Need help understanding someone, or communicating better, or even crafting emails? Ask for help and then show how you’ve improved as a result of the help received. If you are transitioning into a new city, ask for help regarding things that will make your life outside work easier such as parts of town to live, grocery shopping, and transportation.

6. Just Show Up

Wherever you are, show up as your authentic self (the professional version please, thanks). That is your magic. Attend office events and then pick and choose what you want to commit to beyond your daily responsibilities. This is how you build relationships beyond your every day teams and build allies across the organization. If no one knows you exist, how can your name come to mind when opportunities come up? While technical skills are important so are interpersonal skills.

Tip: Wherever you find yourself, don’t waste time looking back and wondering how you got there. Focus your energy on truly making the most of your experience. You belong and you have a unique perspective. Share it.

Multinational companies and diverse work teams draw on the benefits of diversity by bringing people from different backgrounds together to develop highest performing teams. The truth is, high performing diverse teams take work and intentional leadership.

As a newcomer working abroad, it easy to feel like an outsider, but I hope that you give yourself time. Don’t throw in the towel too early; I almost did when I moved to Scotland. I’m so glad I didn’t. Looking back, I know that it was the most challenging yet enriching experience of my professional career and I’m proud to say, we built a kickass international team!

I hope that these tips not only help you realize that you’re not alone, but also help you position yourself better tomorrow, and next month, and next year. Got questions or additional tips? Please share in the comments below. 

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Till next time, 

Dee (Ms. Heels)