Be An Expert
As I wrap up my time in the London, England, I can confidently say that this has been both the best personal and professional experience I’ve ever had. The biggest eye-opener for me has been the reliance of each country on one another in Europe. In the States, if you want to expand your business and your headquarters is in Dallas, you can very easily enter in to major markets such as Chicago and New York without concerns of new currencies and major business cultural differences. In the UK, expanding your business often means working in new languages, statutory and government regulations and requirements that are much different and require expertise and time to get things done. Politics aside, this will certainly be an even bigger challenge once Brexit is completed. Professionally, this was a mini-Master’s degree for me. The opportunity to engage, present, and negotiate across these diverse groups has been incredibly valuable. And if you can be successful on US soil, and replicate that internationally – it will only have incredibly positive impacts on your career. Not to say it hasn’t had it challenges! Two years ago, I move ahead of my family, living alone in London while our kids finished school and summer camps for about 5 months. I didn’t have a personal or professional network in London – so I found it very challenging to be apart from my wife and kids. If I had it to do over again, I would have narrowed the gap between our arrival times. A small time gap was certainly helpful, getting business together, housing arranged, made the transition much easier.
We talk about it often on the podcast, but worth reiterating what made this possible – be an expert in something. If you value the company you work for, understand their initiatives and business drivers over the upcoming years – and do the work to be a leader in that segment. This will yield nothing but great outcomes for you professionally, whether you desire to move abroad or just want to get ahead. As always, I’m happy to connect with anyone one on one to share any thoughts or answer questions about the move, or something you may be considering!
Brian