My Blog

When we move into international roles, we often assume credibility will come from expertise, decisiveness, or quick execution. What happens when those assumptions don't translate to our new environment?

Stepping into an international role often means letting go of something we don’t always recognize: our identity as the expert. In this post, I reflect on what it takes to become a learner again, and why that shift is central to navigating cross-cultural transitions.

International career moves often look like a single transition on paper. In reality, they involve multiple layers of change happening at once—a “polychallenge” that can unsettle even experienced professionals. Photo by Maruf Ahmed on Unsplash About a year ago, I suddenly began seeing the word “polycrisis” everywhere. Whether I was reading about the economy or education or leadership development or climate, I kept encountering references to overlapping realities that made eac

The first in a series exploring the challenges and benefits of international and cross-cultural work transitions.

Re-learning to ride a bike in the Netherlands gave me insight into how culture, investment, and commitment can lead to lasting change.