3 Challenges Facing International Leaders In The Workplace

Have you ever heard the phrase, “The world is flat.”? No, we don’t mean the Flat World conspiracy theory; we mean that the world is flat; it is interconnected. 

100 years ago, we weren’t instantly emailing our colleagues in a different country; we weren’t even working with people in different countries or contingents the way we do now. 

The way we work has evolved, especially now when many work from home. Going into the office is becoming a more distant memory and having a teammate from a completely different background, culture and location is now the standard. 

With this new evolution comes new challenges. They don’t revolve around things happening inside an office; they are challenges dealing with working together as an international team. 

International Leadership In The 2020s

International leadership isn’t new, but it is now more common than ever before, and it can be overwhelming, stressful, and hard to navigate. So how do we handle it? First, we address the challenges and then work through them in educational and resourceful ways. 

For a business to thrive, you have to acknowledge the challenges and adapt to create synergy and a common goal within your team. 

Here at MVision Consulting, we recognize the issues and have come up with solutions that educate and help your team understand and adapt. 

So let’s talk about the challenges facing international leaders in the workplace. 

Challenge 1: Creating Genuine Connection

Learning to work as a team is hard enough when you put 15 people of different educations, experiences, backgrounds, and expertise in a room; now you want them to do it over the computer, with people from places and cultures that they know nothing about. 

How do we create a cohesive, connected group? As leaders, we want to encourage questions and curiosity, but we don’t want to insult and belittle our team members. So we teach them about cultural sensitivity and what it means to be inquisitive. This also helps in terms of working with international customers and clients. Having even just a basic understanding of different cultural identities, backgrounds and places can help bridge that gap. 

Challenge 2: Reinforce Structure

Because time zones separate your team, you’ve already got a challenging dynamic in the way you set your business’s “typical” working hours. Usually, the business hours reflect the location and time zone for multinational operations that the “main office” is headquartered in. So, for example, in the US alone, you have 6 time zones, with hours separating 8 am in the east, and 8 am in the west. 

Add in time zones of employees in India, the UK, Germany, Brazil, Australia, and other locations; you’ve now got people working around the clock. 

If a team or employee isn’t working the typical business hours because of their time zone, they may feel like they are left out. The same goes for those who can’t go to the main office on a regular basis. 

Make sure you set the tone and structure that no matter what time or where you work from, each team member is equally valued and understood. During our International Leaders workshop, we teach motivation, self-awareness, self-regulation, and how to manage complexity and ambiguity. All of that is useful to setting a stable structure and allowing your teams to have an equal voice they know will be heard. 

Challenge 3: Build Trust and Define Core Values

Having your team connect only based on working on a project doesn’t build synergy. It doesn’t do anything but play a “pass the project” game like the hot potato game we played when we were kids. 

Take the time to define core values and work towards a positive team dynamic. Then, when you have a consistent set of values, your team will keep that in mind as they work through their projects together. 

In terms of building trust, make sure your team, no matter where they are, feels like they can come to you whenever they have concerns or questions. Don’t just reserve yourself to your own “9-5” hours, especially when you have teams who are most likely sleeping during your regular work schedule. 

Need Help Navigating The Challenges Facing International Leaders In The Workplace? 

The challenges facing international leaders in the workplace are vast and vary from team to team.

As we said above, here at MVision Consulting, we understand the challenges and stressors facing international organizations. Our founder, Dr. Marc Camras, has guided and taught global leaders for close to 20 years. 

We offer one-day, week-long, and one-on-one workshops to help transform, inspire and engage teams. 

To learn more about how we can help your team thrive, browse our website and check out our blog page featuring articles that talk about change in the workplace and the benefits of leadership consulting. 

If you’re interested in setting up a workshop or leadership training, schedule a Discovery Call today!