Expatriates - Have You Thought About Partnering With an Expat Coach?

It takes a while for an expatriate to adjust to another culture, and it can be incredibly frustrating when your assumptions about the similarities between western cultures are proven untrue. Executive and Expat coaching eases international relocation.
Four years ago, after preparing for almost a year, I managed to relocate to the United States with the assistance of a Career Transition Coach. The corporate coach helped me successfully transition from my career in Customer Service and Sales Management to a career in Global Sourcing and Procurement Management. My experience working with a Career Transition Coach helped me realize how essential it is to have assistance when undergoing a professional relocation.
The preparation to become an expatriate also exposed me to new opportunities and gave me experience with facing intercultural challenges. Through my experience as an expatriate, I have gained the skills required to assist others who are moving to a new culture. I took my love of relocation and translated my skills and interpersonal qualities into a new career that fit my aspirations.
To help me on this endeavor, I decided to formalize my experiences and to pursue a Coaching Certification from iPEC within a field related to expatriate and cultural awareness. Along with my strong education, I have 15 years of experience working with international corporations in Europe and in the United States. Through a tremendous amount of time, struggle and effort, I have successfully developed myself into a coaching process expert with a strong global perspective.
Many people don't thoroughly plan their relocation when moving to a foreign country that has a similar cultural orientation to that of their homeland - whether they are from the United Kingdom moving to the United States or from France moving to Canada or the United States, they are sure to experience an enormous cultural shock. In fact, with the increased international connectivity stemming from globalization and the internet, many people feel that they know exactly what they will face when they relocate to a new land. However, knowing that you can find fish and chips, French pastries or Chilean wine in your destination does not mean you will immediately feel at home.
Numerous international corporations capitalize on the success of their homegrown executive talent by relocating top executives to an assignment in subsidiaries abroad. Understanding the cultural challenges of international relocation, these corporations often hire Executive Coaches to prepare their executives for the transition to a new country. While the cost of hiring an Executive Coach might seem to be high, corporations recognize that the return on their investment - a culturally aware and well-prepared executive - yields much higher success rates. Those corporate executives assisted by an Executive Coach face far fewer roadblocks while forging new partnerships, which increases the Executive's impact and future career opportunities. If an executive is forced to relocate without the assistance of an Executive Coach, the executive's impact abroad might be significantly reduced.
Executives who are accompanied by their family on their relocation want to enlist an Executive and Expat Coach. Not only will the Executive and Expat Coach assist the executive within the business realm, the coach will also help the executive's family and spouse adjust to life in a new country by developing a sense of belonging and purpose in accompanying the executive on the business venture. An Executive and Expat Coach will facilitate an executive's transition from both business and personal perspectives. It's important to keep in mind that a settled household and spouse are essential to the success of any new international assignment.
By taking into consideration the overall well-being of the individual they promote, global organizations can ensure that they fully leverage the capabilities of the executive they are sending abroad. Careful planning and coaching will generate far greater results than a haphazard approach.
I founded a coaching practice in order to help corporate clients and their families realize their full potential while exploring the extraordinary opportunities offered by working in a foreign country. If you are open-minded, smart, ambitious, and have found yourself preparing for an assignment in a foreign country, then Executive and Expat coaching can help ease your transition, decrease the effects of culture shock, and make your impact truly worldwide.
Our coaching sessions can focus on several key areas such as:
- Setting Ambitious Goals
- Developing Balance and Quality of Life
- Maintaining Professional and Personal Performance
- Demonstrating Leadership Development in a Multicultural Environment
- Finding One's Life Purpose
- Constructing Cultural Awareness
- Promoting Self-confidence
- Global Network Opportunities
- Forming the Professional Identity of the Accompanying Spouse