Digital Intercultural Coaching – Hype or Hip?
A digital intercultural coaching practice is a great idea if you want to become a digital nomad as a grown-up. In 2017, I offered a barcamp session at the SIETAR conference (rather spontaneously). I later wrote an article for the SEU Journal titled, “Digitalizing Your Intercultural Coaching Practice – Ten Steps to a Digital, Global Coaching Practice.” The article is so old that I can’t find it online anymore. Who would have thought that I would be a trendsetter (again)? It scares me how I sometimes foresee an idea like coaching an expat via a smartphone, and ten years later, this has become a reality in my world. I remember that, at the time, the participants were a bit skeptical. I had other reasons to move forward with digitalizing everything. I wanted to decrease my cost base and move out of my costly Zurich practice room. (Which, luckily, I accomplished about a year later…and way before the global pandemic.)
A Digital Intercultural Coaching Practice
Every year, I revisit the status of this article and update it for trends, and I have decided that this article will be the basis for my next workbook. The current working title is “The Global Coach Journal”. I plan to explain all the steps for becoming a global coach with intercultural understanding and working with expats, migrants, and TCK. In short, I will summarize my business journey for others to follow. As with all my workbooks, this will accompany a new program I have been making for a while. If you want to discuss this with me, you can reach out via angela@globalpeopletransitions.com or book a meeting on Calendly. My current policy is that I offer one free call of 20 minutes. Every follow-up conversation will be chargeable. You can also request a free account on the RockMeApp, as I offer special rates to existing clients.
Status Update 2024
I have made further progress and hope to answer your questions on delivering digital, intercultural coaching. What it means for your business model as a coach, trainer, or consultant—many lessons learned also work for consulting. You probably don’t know this, but I used to spend much of my week working as a Global Mobility Project Manager inside companies. In 2024, I mainly work from home.
During the Pandemic, I converted our living room into a spaceship that could easily compete with the Millennium Falcon. We divided the space into three sections: Eat, Work, and Play.
Most executive and business coaches prefer to work face-to-face with their clients. This is usually possible because classical coaching happens within the same city. Like with a therapist, a client builds a relationship with a coach over a relatively short period to follow specific goals. However, many coaches are passed on between clients based on good old word of mouth. It’s not a topic you openly write a review about on LinkedIn. Hence, asking my clients to write an honest review is hard. I feel it breaches our confidentiality agreement.
Digital Intercultural Coaching is still new in the Swiss market. I’ve been running a coaching practice since 2010. My clients are all international, and they are all busy with their global lives.
In the early days of my business, I used to travel to a client in Basel for two hours for a 1.5-hour coaching session. I sometimes coached up to 15 clients in one week. That was the maximum I could manage with a good distribution of hours, without exhausting myself entirely, and with good quality for the clients. Despite having a 60-hour workweek, my income dropped to one-third of what I had made as a Global Mobility Leader earlier. Nowadays, I coach up to 25 clients in one week, which does not drain me. I still find time for new creative endeavors.
I just read in this Global Digital Coach Guide that less than 28% of coaches can make a living from coaching. Now, you have to be careful about such data, as the term “coaching” is used in such a widespread JOB LABEL that it is like saying your last name is “Mueller” in German or that you are a project manager.
However, becoming a successful “Executive Coach” (where you coach global leaders and international mobile executives) is probably best done alongside a part-time lecturing role or another way to earn a living. You can combine it with “Executive Search,” Leadership Development Consulting, Organizational Change Consulting, Outplacement, Intercultural Awareness, or Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Training. Just know that if you are struggling financially, you are not alone.
If you want to build a coaching model with the potential to scale, you need to adopt digital practices to serve more clients in a shorter time frame. I had already experimented with Skype coaching and other online methods, and I figured out that many of my coaching methods would work online, too. We just needed to adapt to the technology.
The 10-Step Plan for a Digital Intercultural Coaching Practice
Step 1: Understand Your Ideal Client
You are not in business for yourself. If you don’t work with a client, as in a person who is willing to pay for your services, you probably have a hobby. Before you think about your positioning in the market, you should know what your ideal client looks like and how she or he lives and works. It’s a good idea to write a story about your ideal client.
Key Factors to Consider When Defining Your Ideal Client as an Expat Coach
Step 2: Have a Profile on LinkedIn
It would be best if you had an authentic online presence. Even if you work as a freelancer, you need to be able to show your qualifications and approach online; you need to connect with clients and potential colleagues online. At a minimum, you should have a good and solid LinkedIn profile. We have several articles on how to improve this, and LinkedIn also has courses on it.
Top Ten Tips for a Killer LinkedIn Profile
The Social Media Newbie Series – Part 1 LinkedIn
Top Ten Tips for a Killer LinkedIn Profile
Step 3: Develop a Mobile-Friendly Website
If your website dates back to 1990 and is not mobile-friendly, you should invest in making it mobile-friendly. You can easily have a WordPress or Google site without investing much money.
https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/feature/Best-practices-to-make-a-mobile-friendly-website
Step 4: Work from Home (with Boundaries)
One advantage of a digital coaching practice is that it becomes location-independent. If you now think that you can work from coffee shops and the beach, I would say that yes, in principle, that is possible. You will still want to take calls from clients, but you might be able to have those during specific hours of the day when you are in a disturbance-free area.
If you can work from home without feeling distracted, this is your chance to move to the mountain hut you dreamed about. However, in my experience, you can get lonely quite quickly. I prefer to work in Zurich to engage in offline networking and still offer physical meetings with my clients when they are close to my office.
To hold Zoom calls, you will need a reliable Internet connection. We finally invested in fibre about two years ago, after a few days of downtime because of a tech issue at my provider.
It’s worthwhile to invest in good headsets and a comfortable office chair.
Step 5: Work with an Email Marketing Provider
It took me a long time to figure out the best tools and media for sharing my messages with my clients and readers. I read a lot of blogs and reports, and I curate content and events for my readers. Instead of digging through the social media circus, they read interesting posts or watch relevant videos. I always enjoyed sharing interesting content, and now I use this skill professionally.
It’s important to understand that you must build an email list for your clients and prospects despite social media marketing. I recommend a two-list approach. One list is for everyone who is vaguely interested in what you do. This is where you let people join when they sign up for free on your website. In my view, you must have such a sign-up option. In WordPress, you could start with Magic Action Box, for example.
You should also have a list of paying clients. This list is essential for your targeted marketing campaigns. It’s also possible to “segment” lists if you have several programs to advertise. Our readers are usually Expats and Expat Partners. If you aspire to be a digital nomad with a coaching, training, or consulting business and enjoy this post, please sign up here for more.
Step 6: Invest in tech and your user platform
We developed our web application, RockMeApp, to run sessions without paper and in parallel to an online session. Clients can enter their coaching targets, and I can follow up on their weekly progress. Some platforms offer similar options, but you can not influence their layout and design. If you are starting you might want to work as a sub-provider first and invest in your own technology later, when you better understand what is out there. You can use an electronic calendar such as Calendly.
https://calendly.com/angieweinberger/exploratory-session-clone?back=1&month=2024-04&date=2024-04-26
Step 7: Focus on Selected Social Media Channels
I could spend all day on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Youtube. So, I have hired a DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER to help me. The main reason is that I want to focus on writing content and creating rather than sharing and discussing. With good organization, you can spend less than two hours daily on social media.
I advise you to focus on the channel that most speaks to your ideal client. I assume that most of my clients hang out on LinkedIn, and this platform also serves to connect clients and contacts. Also, I often find inspiring articles there by following the hashtags I work with. You can now use ChatGPT to help with content production and other AI to help your writing.
The Social Media Newbie – Part 5 – YouTube
Step 8: Organize with a Shared Cloud Drive and Master Sheets
One of the challenges of today is that we all share everything. It is more difficult to find what you need, especially if the documents are not tagged correctly. I use a system where I try to sort all my work according to event date because I have a lot of events. I also use names and tags on my documents.
As a shared drive, I work with Google Drive because it allows me to share work with my global, virtual team without sending emails back and forth. It also works with corporate clients if they use Google Drive. To keep overviews of projects and tasks, I developed straightforward master sheets in Google Sheets. I like to use sheets as I can post a link (URL) to the relevant document or website there.
We are also using SLACK so that our team can message each other and keep track of progress. However, for me (probably because I am Gen X), a simple spreadsheet is a lot easier to work with.
Step 9: Clarify your Purpose of Digital Intercultural Coaching
One of my principal enjoyments in having my own company, in addition to working with incredible expats, expat spouses, and global mobility managers, is that I have the time and capacity to write and edit. I have been pretty good at maintaining a weekly blog called the “Global People Club Sandwich.” I regularly get requests for guest posts, and together with collaborators, my company has published two workbooks in different formats and editions. My third workbook, “The Global Rockstar Workbook,” was published in 2023. I am currently working on the fourth workbook.
Angela Weinberger – Leadership Coach, Global Mobility Lecturer and Author
Changing Lives: Finding Your Purpose as an Expat Coach
Step 10: Use Paper as a Strategy
As mentioned, my final step to complete digitalization will be to reduce all the paper in the office. To do that, I do not allow myself to print a large quantity of paper in the office. To be more environmentally conscious, I try to have flyers, seminar presentations, and folders printed by professional printing companies. One issue is that I seem to need paper to remember information better. So now I use paper, for example, to write “morning pages” or “have-done lists.” I also use paper to write my coaching notes. To avoid printing, I defaulted my printer to “print to .pdf” and worked on a big screen in my home office for editing. I have noticed that if I cannot read a document online, it might be because it was formatted for print. In that case, it helps to return to the source and check if the same article has an online version.
Thinking about Starting a Business as an Expat Coach?
Entrepreneur of the Month – Meet Angie Weinberger | An Expat Coach in Switzerland & a citizen of the world
Note from a Nerd on the Why of Expat (Intercultural) Coaching
I summarized a lot of my research in a lecture held in February 2024 for the first time at Erasmus University, Rotterdam, called “Creating A Sustainable and Human Expat Experience (XX).”
I cannot publish the full lecture content online for copyright and other reasons. However, here is why expat coaching makes sense in Global Mobility, especially in an Expat Hub like Zurich, Switzerland. For a deeper analysis of your situation and company program please schedule a meeting with me: https://calendly.com/angieweinberger.
We will then consider a proposal for your population.
Navigating the Complexities with an Expat Coach
In an era characterized by rapid change and uncertainty, the landscape of global mobility is evolving at an unprecedented pace. As individuals and organizations navigate the challenges presented by the BANI world – characterized by brittleness, anxiety, nonlinearity, and incomprehensibility – the need for effective strategies to enhance the experience of foreign local hires and permanent transfers into Switzerland becomes increasingly imperative.
Providing Psychological Safety in a BANI World
Megatrends Translated into Global Mobility
Drawing insights from themes highlighted by the World Economic Forum (WEF), including war and peace, trust in governments, gender equality, sustainability, and advancements in AI and cybersecurity, provides a holistic framework for addressing the multifaceted challenges of global mobility. We see five megatrends that all influence Global Mobility across the world. The five megatrends originally from PwC have not changed. While there are opposing views on the state of the global economy countries like Switzerland will always need the international workforce to thrive and survive. Zurich, Basel and Geneva are international expat hubs comparable to Singapore, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Berlin, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Hong Kong. Even though not all of these places are islands they feel like islands in their countries, because of their special vibes.
Digital Intercultural Coaching – Hype or Hip?
https://www.adeccogroup.com/en-ch/future-of-work/swiss-skills-shortage/swiss-skills-shortage-2023/
The Ten Commandments for Global Mobility Manager
The “Ten Commandments” for Global Mobility Management serve as a moral compass, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing the needs and well-being of expatriates while navigating the complexities of international assignments.
The Human Resources Function in Crisis
HR needs to find its purpose again in a reality of agility.
Adapting to Changing Realities: Amidst demographic shifts and changing workforce expectations, the Human Resources function faces unprecedented challenges in meeting the diverse needs of employees across different generations and demographics.
Irresistible by design: How HR can unleash ‘organizational ingenuity’
Generations at Work Drive the Need for DEIB
- Navigating Intergenerational Dynamics: Understanding the unique characteristics and expectations of each generation in the workplace is crucial for fostering collaboration, communication, and cohesion across diverse teams.
- The Need for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion not only fosters a more equitable and supportive work environment but also yields tangible benefits regarding employee engagement, productivity, and organizational performance.
- Psychological Safety: Creating a Supportive Work Environment and Prioritizing psychological safety is essential for empowering employees to express themselves authentically, take risks, and contribute to innovation and growth.
Sustainability in Global Mobility
- Balancing Business Needs and Environmental Responsibility: As organizations strive to align their mobility programs with sustainability goals, there is a growing imperative to optimize the effectiveness of international assignments while minimizing environmental impact.
Addressing Pain Points for Expats
Addressing the pain points experienced by expatriates, from immigration processes to cultural adaptation, requires a multifaceted approach encompassing logistical support, cultural integration, and access to resources and networks.
Refining the “Box of Chocolates”
By adopting a more personalized and inclusive approach to global mobility support, organizations can enhance the experience of expatriates and their families, ultimately fostering greater engagement, satisfaction, and success in international assignments.
In conclusion, improving the experience for foreign local hires and permanent transfers into Switzerland requires a nuanced understanding of the complex interplay between individual needs, organizational priorities, and broader socio-economic trends. By prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion, fostering psychological safety, and embracing sustainability, organizations can navigate the challenges of global mobility with resilience and integrity.
Resources and Courses with Angie Weinberger, Global Mobility Yoda
Expatise Academy
https://www.expatise.academy/educate-yourself-portal/gm-core-competencies-employee-experien
Erasmus University
https://www.eur.nl/eebee/executive-education/control-tax-finance/human-resources-and-global-mobility
ZHAW
https://www.zhaw.ch/de/sml/weiterbildung/detail/kurs/cas-global-mobility-management
What is an Expat (or Intercultural) Coach?
An expat coach typically helps individuals who are living or working abroad navigate the challenges and opportunities associated with expatriate life. Their role can involve various aspects:
1. Cultural Adjustment: They assist expatriates in understanding and adapting to the culture, customs, and social norms of their new location. This may involve providing cultural training, language lessons, or advice on how to interact effectively in different cultural contexts.
2. Career Development: Expatriate coaches often help their clients advance their careers while living abroad. This might include guidance on job search strategies, networking in a new country, or understanding local workplace dynamics.
3. Emotional Support: Moving to a new country can be emotionally challenging. An expat coach provides a supportive environment for their clients to discuss their concerns, homesickness, or any other issues they may be facing, helping them to cope with the stresses of expatriate life.
4. Family Support: Expatriate coaches may also work with families who are relocating abroad, helping them navigate the unique challenges of family life in a foreign country, such as finding schools for children, managing family relationships, and adjusting to a new way of life.
5. Goal Setting and Personal Growth: They assist expatriates in setting goals for their time abroad and support them in achieving those goals. This could involve personal development, skill-building, or pursuing new opportunities that arise from living in a different cultural environment.
6. Inclusive Leadership: Some coaches are also inclusive leadership coaches focussing on psychological safety in Global Virtual Teams (GVT) and working with global leaders.
Overall, an expat coach serves as a guide and mentor, helping individuals make the most of their expatriate experience and overcome any obstacles they encounter along the way. Sometimes expat coaches are expats or have had a nomadic life in the past. BUT. Being an expat should not be their main qualifications. It takes years to become a good coach and number of coaching hours and clients as well as reviews give a good indication of experience level. You also need to check certifications. Not every life coach is automatically a good expat coach. Check if they meet these criteria for you:
1 – Understand Your Expat Experience – A Necessity for an Expat Coach
Living and working as an expat is an experience like no other. It offers the opportunity to immerse yourself in a different culture, learn new languages, and broaden your horizons. However, it also comes with its fair share of challenges. From homesickness and cultural differences to professional uncertainties, navigating the expat life can sometimes feel overwhelming. This is where an expat coach can make all the difference.
An expat coach understands the unique challenges and opportunities of living abroad. They have firsthand experience and expertise in helping individuals like you navigate the complexities of expat life. Working with an expat coach gives you a valuable ally who can provide guidance, support, and a roadmap to success. Whether you are a seasoned expat or just starting your journey, an expat coach can help you make the most of your international experience.
Enhancing the Expat Experience
2 – Set Your Career Goals and Create a Learning Plan
One of the first steps to unleashing your expat potential is setting clear goals and creating a customized plan. An expat coach will work with you to understand your aspirations, whether they are personal, professional, or both. They will help you identify your strengths, weaknesses, and areas of focus and then develop a tailored plan to help you achieve your goals.
Through a series of coaching sessions, an expat coach will guide you in setting realistic and achievable objectives. They will help you break down your goals into actionable steps and provide you with the tools and strategies needed to overcome any obstacles that may arise along the way. With a clear plan, you will have a roadmap to success and a sense of direction in your expat journey.
Through the Global Competency Model and the RockMeApp, we help our clients set three career goals and a learning plan.
You need to develop your Global Competency
3 – Develop Cultural Intelligence
Adapting to a new culture and environment is a key aspect of the expat experience. It requires a certain level of cultural intelligence and navigating unfamiliar territories. An expat coach can help you develop these essential skills and ensure a smooth transition into your new life abroad.
Cultural intelligence refers to understanding, appreciating, and effectively interacting with people from diverse cultures. An expat coach will provide insights and strategies to enhance your cultural intelligence. They will help you understand the nuances of the local culture, customs, and social norms, enabling you to adapt and avoid cultural faux pas quickly.
Additionally, an expat coach can support you in building resilience and flexibility, essential qualities for thriving in new environments. They will help you develop strategies to manage culture shock, homesickness, and expat life’s inevitable ups and downs. Working with an expat coach will give you the skills and mindset to embrace new cultures and make the most of your international experience.
Emotional Intelligence Across Cultures – The Culture Mastery Process
4 – Overcome Language Barriers and Communication Challenges
Language barriers and communication challenges are common hurdles for expats. Effective communication is crucial for personal and professional success abroad, whether it’s the local language or English as a second language. An expat coach can help you overcome these challenges and become a confident communicator.
An expat coach will provide language learning strategies tailored to your needs. They will help you develop your language skills, improve pronunciation, and build vocabulary. Additionally, they can guide you in understanding cultural nuances in communication styles, enabling you to navigate conversations easily.
Moreover, an expat coach can also guide non-verbal communication and help you develop cross-cultural communication skills. These skills are vital for building strong relationships and making a positive impression in your new environment. With the support of an expat coach, you will gain the confidence to communicate effectively and connect with others on a deeper level.
5 – Build a Support Network and Find a Community
Building a support network and finding community is crucial for a fulfilling expat experience. Feeling connected and supported by like-minded individuals can make all the difference in your overall well-being and success abroad. An expat coach can help you build a support network and find your community in your new home.
An experienced expat coach will guide you in developing networking strategies and introducing you to relevant groups and communities. They can help you identify professional associations, social clubs, and expat networks that align with your interests and goals. An expat coach can help you establish meaningful relationships and create a sense of belonging in your new environment by connecting you with other expats and locals.
Additionally, an expat coach can help you navigate the emotional challenges of being away from your home country and loved ones. They can guide managing homesickness, loneliness, and expat life’s inevitable ups and downs. Having a support system in place will make you feel more confident and empowered to navigate the challenges of expat life.
The Global People Club Sandwich
Five Safety Stops for Expatriate Health and Wellbeing
How an Expat (or Intercultural) Coach Should Help You Navigate the Challenges
An expat coach is your ultimate partner in navigating the challenges and uncertainties of expat life. They provide invaluable support, guidance, and expertise to help you make the most of your international experience. From setting goals and creating a customized plan to developing cultural intelligence and overcoming language barriers, an expat coach will be by your side every step of the way.
By working with an expat coach, you will gain the necessary skills and mindset to thrive in unfamiliar territories. They will help you unleash your full potential and achieve your personal and professional aspirations abroad. With their expertise, you can navigate the complexities of expat life with confidence and embrace the transformative expat experience that awaits you.
Don’t let the challenges of expat life hold you back. Invest in yourself and partner with an expat coach who will empower you to navigate the complexities, unlock new possibilities, and embark on a transformative expat experience like no other. Reach out to an expat coach today and unleash your full potential abroad.
Expat Coach Resources
Finance Planning for Expat Coaches
Changing Lives: Finding Your Purpose as an Expat Coach
The Digital Nomad – Part 1
The Digital Nomad could be a Company of One
Paul Jarvis is the author of the book “Company of One” and one of my favorite creators. After reading his book, I finally got confirmation that all I had done over the last 10 years as an entrepreneur was not completely wrong. Instead of founding a “scalable startup” I had a “company of one”. And I believe that scaling is possible in my business. However, if I want to continue to stay aligned with my mission of bringing the human touch back into Global Mobility, I cannot scale, automate and robotize everything.
“Au contraire…” (you need to say this with a glass of Rosé in your hand), I really believe that Paul Jarvis hit the nail right in. There are companies who can and should stay small because otherwise, they might lose their special “umpf”. And you know what I noticed? This is not a question of what kind of business you have right now. It’s more about where you are heading.
If you are also dreaming about leading a digital nomad life where you can live in the Italian countryside near a vineyard, spend the summer at Lake Constance, Germany, fall on Long Island, the winter in Kashmir or Cochin, and a lot more time in between with your elderly family members, then my friend you need to start to take action now.
Go Digital or Go Home?
When I decided to go fully digital in 2018 I knew that I would need to take turns and that this will not happen from one day to another. What I hadn’t anticipated was that I actually am quite old-school and that I prefer human interaction over online interaction. I also noticed that the more I work online, the more I feel a need to write stuff on Post-it notes and use paper to organize myself. For example, I used a Kindle a few years ago. This year during my vacation, I had it with me, but I preferred to read paper books. I journal in a diary and I only use my laptops for calls and managing my business. I’m taking handwritten notes on an Ipad, as this way I seem to better work with the right side of my brain.
However, the main idea to have a digital business that I could run from anywhere has been magnified by the corona crisis. Still, the main reason that keeps me in one city right now is my personal and professional network and that a basic income needs to be made every month.
I think Paul is right. Obviously, it depends on your business model and if you are a creator, an artist, or a programmer. I love the creative part of my business, but over the last few years I also always had to have enough “billable” time to make a living in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
My friends in corporate are all wealthier now than I am and I have doubted myself a lot. I’m still not sure how I will manage to survive during my retirement. You might think now that I’m exaggerating and maybe you think that it can’t be that difficult with all my contacts and all the income streams that I have created. You might be right. However, I live in a very security-oriented environment and Swiss and German cultures are not very entrepreneurial. It’s more common to be employed and have a good career to make a good living. What I want is to also have a life where I feel that all my potential is utilized. After leaving the corporate career track I wanted to fully be myself and follow my passion of creative writing. Also, I want to help more people and have a bigger impact, especially on Rainbow Talent around the world.
For me, the best way to get out of the negativity spiral is through continuous education, ongoing learning, coaching, and mastermind groups. Usually, I am growing when I am implementing new technology or improving programs or just seeing faster progress with my clients because I could show them a hack. I buy into organic growth because it allows me to maintain my quality standards. In the corporate world, I often see a lot of back-and-forth and low-quality products. This is not what I want to create with my team. We create experiences and positive learning environments.
Know How Much Is Enough
As I’ve been following Paul’s work for a while I have been asking myself the “enough” question a lot. You probably heard me say this before, but my relationship with money completely changed when I became an entrepreneur. I would say that I need only 60% of the monthly income that I needed when I was employed. The main reason, aside from lowering my base costs, is that I feel a lot more satisfied with my life since I started my business. Helping you directly makes me happy. I love my work. I don’t need shoes, handbags, suits, or other material stuff to feel happy. I just am.
Paul Jarvis asks three questions: How much is enough? How will I know when I got there? What will change if I do?
He explains how he maintains a minimalist lifestyle and how this helps him to save and reinvest while also allowing him to take extended offline periods over the summer and winter. I’m working on getting better at taking these long breaks as well. Actually, I am on a bit of a longer travel and nomad period right now and making new experiences. I have managed to spend a lot more time with my family in Germany since the Pandemic and even though I do not take long time off work I am in a lot of different places. For me, this is more inspiring than working remotely from home most of the time.
Get Your Finances in Order
I translated this into ongoing questions on what I would like to achieve financially in my business and when we are there it will help to have a buffer as well. My minimum income is 60k CHF gross. This allows me to survive, not necessarily thrive and the minimum turnover is around 140k CHF. You might need to calculate this for yourself, but interestingly enough the minimum salary is exactly what has been determined as a substance for people living in Switzerland. I usually say that you should have 100k CHF in the bank before starting a business full-time. At the time I started mine, I needed this buffer to get through the first few years. Later on, I would find regular income mainly through consulting projects, interim mandates, and classroom lectures or workshops.
Now, these are usually on-site so they won’t fit a long-term digital nomad strategy. So for me, the last question is easily answered: Once I have enough income to stop working on-site on consulting projects and I have a buffer I will be able to move around more in the world.
I want you to start thinking like a CEO. What could you do if you had your business that you can’t do right now? What kind of freedom would this business give you?
We will shortly publish “The Global Rockstar Album, ” a self-help book for managers and nomads who want to bring purpose, performance, and productivity to their work while becoming more inclusive servant leaders. Sign up here to be invited to the book launch party in Zurich, Switzerland, and learn more about the publication.
References
Jarvis, P. (2019): Company of One.
Resources:
Global Relocation Checklist_10_2020_Weinberger Angie 2020_1
Blogs and Podcasts
Other Articles in this Series and Related Content
Global Digital Nomad – Part 5
| https://globalpeopletransitions.com/the-social-media-newbie-series-part-1/ |
Prevent Family Separation
Prevent Family Separation in Global Mobility
Stop me if you have heard this before. Still, the general belief among people seems to be that separation rates among expatriates are higher than those among native (aka stay-at-home) professionals. I want to point out that this is not the case. The reality is that this idea comes from the fact that the impacts of family separations are much more significant. Consider the difficulty of handling separation and potential custody disputes through geographical boundaries. Discussion among multinational Global Mobility circles is centering on the issue of Dual-Career Expat Couples.
Why You Need To Care About This
You may be wondering how their relationships and related problems impact businesses. The answer is simple:
People would choose to leave their international assignment to save their marriages or, as one Partner in one of my former GM Leader roles once said, “Happy Wife, Happy Life.”
A McKinsey study shows that 70% of expat assignments fail, meaning the position gets vacated, and companies have to spend extra money to replace and train personnel, meaning their growth slows down. Businesses, therefore, have a vested interest in seeing these relationships succeed.
To get the professionals’ perspective, research conducted by PwC found that most employees listed the spouse’s career as a barrier to mobility.
Many would not choose to disrupt their spouse’s established careers and move them to another country.
Reports from Crown and Brookfield pointed out that family challenges of international relocation remain a top reason for assignment refusal and failure. At the same time, a growing body of anecdotal evidence suggests that many expatriate marriages often fail at massive cost to organizations (McNulty, 2015). Nearly 70% of expatriates and their spouses reported “marital breakdown” as the most crucial reason relocations fail (Lazarova et al., 2015; Lazarova & Pascoe, 2013).
The reasons for Expatriate Failure are usually not well captured. There is a data hole here, and we must assume that family reasons are a significant reason for expatriate failure rates. This lack of data needs to be addressed shortly as the importance of this issue rises, as a recent survey from Mercer highlights. According to the NetExpat and EY Relocation Partner Survey, 71% of the companies surveyed claim that Expat Spouse’s unhappiness is the primary reason for Expatriate Failure.
In light of all these findings, improving spouse and family assistance as well as spouse career support clearly needs to feature at the top of the list of challenges and priorities of Global Mobility programs.
Regarding Expatriate Failure rates, one example that I tend to criticize is that assignments often end prematurely because of business considerations, expats accepting a new role in a new location, or ending school years. However, the project was still a success.
The current definition of Expatriate Failure would categorize such an assignment as a “failure.”
In contradiction to “Expatriate failure,” “Expatriate Adjustment” is used as a common way to measure the “success” of an international project and is often equalized with carrying out the assignment during the assigned period.
There isn’t a quick or easy solution to this issue, especially with the data hole present. Let us look at possible solutions to this issue, how to improve the Expat Experience (XX) for your spouse or life partner, and how best to handle the problem in case the worst outcome becomes inevitable.
Besides Expat Spouse’s career, KPMG identified another main demographic reason that leads employees not to take up an international assignment: sexual orientation.
In 2018, only 40% of the companies they surveyed had Diversity and Inclusion objectives as part of their Global Mobility strategy, while only 20% had actually planned to review their policies after reassessing the demographics of their globally mobile employees based on diversity.
Additionally, excluding gender, other points such as ethnicity, age, religion, and disability status have not yet been captured in the global mobility space.
Like in most of today’s international companies, you have probably come to recognize the proven benefits of a diverse and inclusive workplace. However, if you are in a same-sex relationship, the reality of Global Mobility can be complex. Even if your Global Mobility Manager is open, you could face immigration challenges and prejudice in the host country.
How do we Define Expat Spouse?
As most countries require you to be legally married to enter their borders, I will also use the term Expat Spouse for life partners. Also, this term applies to all genders and same-sex relationships. For clarity, the gender-neutral ‘spouse’ is the expatriate’s life partner, and the word is also commonly included in contracts and policies for international assignments. We will also use the time Expat Couple. For further definitions and terminology, consult “The Global Mobility Workbook”(2019).
What you can do: Eight Ideas to Avoid Family Separation on Your Expat Assignment
1 – Involve Your Spouse
You (the Expat) must appreciate and contribute in any way possible to not let your Expat Spouse compromise their career. Many Expat Spouses can probably relate to the experience of living in a country that is not always of their choosing.
Often, they also have very high professional qualifications and years of solid work experience behind them. Suddenly though, they are left without any employment despite real efforts to find work and might even struggle to have their degrees recognized in the new country.
The most crucial point here is that you involve your Expat Spouse in the decision-making process from the beginning, not only when the moving truck pulls up the driveway.
2 – Understand Immigration
Many countries do not automatically grant the right to work to the Expat Spouse. You need to check if your company will support your Expat Spouse with obtaining a work permit. You can check the host country’s immigration websites for initial guidance.
3 – Support as long as necessary
Assist your spouse in getting a job or starting their own business by being financially supportive. You can agree on a temporary loan so they don’t feel dependent on you. Discuss the financial situation during the assignment and what it will mean for their old-age pension and other saving plans they might have. Make sure you aren’t troubling them by overemphasizing.
4 – Spend Quality Time Together
A new place can feel daunting and scary, often lonely. Spend quality time with your spouse so they don’t feel alone in a new place. Plan weekends away to learn the positives about living in a new culture, not just daily life. Explore the new culture and meet other people to build a network of friends fast.
5 – Consider Joining A Support Group
Joining a support group of people going through similar experiences can also guide your Expat Spouse in adjusting to change. Several online and physical communities around the world are worth looking into. And when it comes to Switzerland alone, the choice is large: from the well-known Internations to Expatica and from the Zurich Spooglers to the Hausmen of Basel, the opportunities to connect with fellow Expats and Expat Spouses in the country are plenty.
6 – Help Your Spouse In Finding Volunteer Work
In Switzerland, a lot of associations depend on volunteers. Search for English-speaking groups your Expat Spouse could support, like SINGA Switzerland or Capacity Zurich. If you have children, you can also help international schools and kindergartens. Generally, this is easier done by joining parent associations like the ones at the Zurich International School or the Inter-Community School Zurich.
7 – Give them a Coaching Voucher for a Session with Angie Weinberger – Expat Coach
We have a lot of experience helping clients mend their broken relationships. One session can help shift the Spouse’s mindset from victim to self-reliant, strong, and active professional. You can also buy “The Global Career Workbook” (2016).
8 – Step Back For The Next Career Move of your Spouse
Even though this one idea is pretty self-explanatory, it is hard to do in practice, especially if your income is a lot higher than the income of your Spouse. Take turns in whose career is leading the decision for the next assignment. That means stepping back when it is your spouse’s turn to advance in their career.
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References:
Black, S. J., Mendenhall, M. E., Oddou, G. (1991). „Toward a Comprehensive Model of International Adjustment: An Integration of Multiple Theoretical Perspective”, The Academy of Management Review, DOI: 10.2307/258863
Bruno, Debra. (2015, March 18). „Divorce, Global Style: for Expat Marriages Breaking Up is Harder to Do”, The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 29, 2020, from https://blogs.wsj.com/expat/2015/03/18/divorce-global-style-for-expat-marriages-breaking-up-is-harder-to-do/.
KPMG. (2018). „Inclusion and Diversity in Global Mobility”, KPMG. Retrieved April 30, 2020, from https://assets.kpmg//content/dam/kpmg/xx/pdf/2018/06/global-mobility-inclusion-and-diversity-how-gms-can-help-move-the-needle.pdf.
Hsieh, T., Lavoie, J. & Samek R. (1999): „Are you taking your Expatriate Talent seriously?”, The McKinsey Quarterly. Retrieved April 29, 2020, from https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1-63725939/are-you-taking-your-expatriate-talent-seriously.
Lazarova, M., McNulty, Y. & Semeniuk, M. (2015). „Expatriate family narratives on international mobility: key characteristics of the successful moveable family”, in Suutari, V. and Makela, L. (Eds), Work and Personal Life Interface of International Career Contexts, Springer, Heidelberg, pp. 55-76.
Lazarova, M. & Pascoe, R. (2013). „We are not on vacation! Bridging the scholar-practitioner gap in expatriate family research”, in Lazarova, M., McNulty, Y. and Reiche, S. (symposium organizers), ‘Moving Sucks!’: What Expatriate Families Really Want (and Get) When They Relocate, Symposium at 2013 US Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Lake Buena Vista, FL.
McNulty, Y. (2015). „Till stress do us part: the causes and consequences of expatriate divorce”. Journal of Global Mobility, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 106–136. https://doi.org/10.1108/JGM-06-2014-0023
McNulty, Y., Selmer, J. (2017): Research handbook of expatriates.
Weinberger, A. (2019a): „The Global Mobility Workbook, “Third Edition, Global People Transitions, Zurich.
Weinberger, A. (2019b): „The Use of Digital Intercultural Coaching with Expats and Implications for Transition Plans in Global Mobility”, Master’s thesis, The Institute for Taxation and Economics, Rotterdam, from https://feibv.nl/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Master-Thesis_Weinberger-Angela_Jan-2019_Final.pdf
