I started Global People Transitions in 2010 as a blog, and after I left my well-paid job in 2012, I had a rollercoaster of experiences as a founder, author, wife, daughter and friend. The Seven Principles of Intercultural Effectiveness helped me get through many of these personal stories, and I thought it was time to revisit the original “classics” of my earlier writing. Now, edited and supported by technology, and in the current polarized world we have moved into, I feel these principles are as relevant as ever. Let me know what you think and how you can work with them. Principle 1: I try harder and show more patience. In Switzerland, we are obsessed with the concept of time. […]

Dr. Jens Schmidt, A German Executive in Shanghai Dr. Jens Schmidt is an expat. The company’s corporate headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, assigned him  to improve efficiency at the company’s manufacturing plant in Shangai, China. During his first 90 days he came up with a list of quality issues and he shared this list with three of his direct reports (Mr. Zhu, Mr. Cao and Mrs. Ping).  He asked them for input on how to mitigate the issues within the next 90 days and what the “low hanging fruit” were. He emailed them on Friday evening and asked them to respond by Monday morning, enough time to review over the weekend. While Dr. Jens Schmidt was sorting out his moving goods […]

I used to tell my colleagues once that I sometimes feel that I am like an orchid. I would only blossom in the right environment and when I get a lot of love from the people working with me. As a creative person, I also need to feel safe and accepted and this is the hardest part because we often make connections between items that others will not connect. Also, connect people with each other who would not necessarily see why they should be connected.  On the weekend I attended a short workshop in a monastery of a Dominican sisterhood in Ilanz. There in the loving eyes of those sisters, I immediately understood why I would like my clients to […]

  Maria Garaitonandia is an interpersonal intelligence expert with over twenty years of experience in global leadership development, training, and coaching in the US and Latin America at all levels and across many industries. Maria offers clients solutions in leadership competencies, including intercultural and global team management, effective communication, and coaching.   Maria has worked extensively in Latin America, facilitating courses such as Service Excellence, Coaching and Feedback, Presentation Skills, Effective Communication, Time Management, Negotiation, and Teambuilding.  She specializes in leadership skills development programs combining learning, case practice, and coaching to achieve quantifiable client results.  She coaches senior leaders seeking to improve motivation and synergy within their teams. She has experience in various industries, including Telecommunications, Banking, Mining, Manufacturing, and Pharmaceuticals. […]

Rhoda Bangerter specialises in split family assignments, frequent business travel, and their impact on family life. Rhoda helps parents manage the stress and disconnect from living this life so that they can enjoy the growth and intention this lifestyle can bring. International organisations (foreign service, military, humanitarian and private organisations) are increasingly aware of the specific requirements for staff and their families when on non-family duty stations. Through talks and workshops, Rhoda helps organisations, such as the World Food Program, support their employees when they are regularly sent on international assignments from a month to a couple of years without their partners and children. Having experienced frequent work travel and a split family assignment from the point of view of […]