When You Return Home

Think about the first time you visited another country on your own. Perhaps you went to Europe when you were in college or went on an adventure such as backpacking in the Andes. Maybe you joined the Peace Corps or spent a year working for Habitat for Humanity. Even if these experiences took place many years ago, you probably still recall the cultural shock, especially when you returned home. We’ve talked to many people—executives as well as nonbusiness people—about what they got out of these experiences, and they’ve noted a number of the learnings we’ve mentioned: greater appreciation of diversity, the ability to see things from a fresh perspective, and so on. Here are two other common reactions to what is learned:

• Insights about who you are and why you do what you do. Living abroad is a wake-up call. It rings an alarm about unexamined beliefs and behaviors and suggests how so much of both are culturally based. When travelers return home, they can see these beliefs and behaviors from a new perspective and often rethink them.

• Increased tolerance for vulnerability and loneliness. Being in another culture for a sustained period of time is often a lonely feeling; leaders are cut off from familiar people and places. As we’ve noted, it’s also a time when circumstances force individuals to admit their lack of knowledge. When they return home, they’re better able to deal with the vulnerability and loneliness of both life and leadership.

Be aware, too, that returning home causes some people to react negatively to their home environment. Especially after spending a few years living abroad in a diverse society, they return to their monocultures and find them unspeakably dull. They have come to appreciate the differences rather than the similarities among people, and uniform thinking and consensus bore them. Studies have documented that returning executives are especially vulnerable to leaving their company on re-entry because the company does not recognize or credit their experiences abroad, acknowledge the changes they have experienced, or offer them heightened challenges.

For leaders, this reaction can be an impetus for change. In some cases, people request that their companies give them another foreign assignment, or they look for a new job or even a new career that satisfies their desire for diversity.

In most instances, though, the impact is one of increased growth and maturity. It’s possible that others may not appreciate this growth and maturity. Your company, for instance, may not appreciate your fresh perspective and increased tolerance for diversity. Other companies, however, will recognize that you’re the type of leader who is desperately needed for success in a global marketplace.