What Happens When it Doesn’t go to Plan?
More than one recruiter and global mobility team have wondered what happened when the star talent flops upon arrival.
The star talent arrives, fresh off the plane and a bunch of excited local colleagues welcome him. A few weeks later co-workers start wondering what the problem is. Nothing is happening, the star seems unengaged or his management style is not to their liking.
It’s Time to Get Things Back on Track
Once the ink has dried on the employment contract, details regarding immigration status, schooling for children and start dates have been all been sorted out it is time for the next step, which is where our Motivational Mojo coaching course comes in.
Small things can irritate their Swede co-workers that the immigrant star doesn’t even know are issues.
Examples are where your Star:
- has different work hours that local team. Coming in both earlier and later than the norm can be an issue, especially if the underlying expectation is that your co-workers will be there too.
- is used to a higher service level from peers and supporting functions in his home country and needs to adjust to a “DIY” Scandinavian approach.
- has a different view on deadlines to the local team.
- doesn’t know the essence of consensus and doesn’t get the team to buy into the project they are working on.
Even Seasoned Talent Needs Nurturing
A star hire is often in a senior position and few see the need to coach them. Younger recruits shadow their peers and may have a mentor assigned for a few months, while seniors are left to their own devices. The nuances in a new work culture are the same for all levels though.
A client we worked with for over 17 years offered cultural training to some members of their staff. In our exit interview with one of their higher US managers told me that he was, ever so grateful for that opportunity and compared to others in the same company he had enjoyed his stay much more. He also extended his stay in Sweden twice and created great value for this employer.
Do You Have the Resources?
Not all companies have the resources to offer this, nor do all expats have the time to engage in training.
You Do Now: Let Our ‘Mojo’ Program Fill this Gap
To address this gap we have an online program for professional inspiration aimed at Expats, offering knowledge for scalable personal growth. It also supports understanding working in a new culture.
Our aids make a difference the same day. Consistency and enhanced understanding of the new work culture are the vehicles to your star’s success.
So, rather than dealing with this the ‘Swedish way’ by noting, but not acting on the situation, give the star a chance to shine with a sign-up to our 4-week Motivational Mojo email series.
