Managing ambiguity abroad in crisis is incrementally more complex than at home.
We’ve been conducting interviews with expat executives working through the issues of quarantine, COVID, host country rules and the difficulties of living abroad during crisis. There is a lot to unpack (upcoming article!) but one key from all the interviews revolves around managing ambiguity.
Unknowns are always tough. In a foreign country they are exhausting. Not knowing where to find the right information, translating that information and understanding the local nuance embedded in the information you finally receive.
Your family, your team and your own sanity demand that you seek the best information to keep you safe and productive. How do you do this in the middle of chaos?
Reflect, Look & Listen
Over and over the interviewees reflected on times they should have thought a few more minutes, looked for a few more facts or listened instead of responding. Taking time to think through implications is tough enough in a normal expat environment.
During crisis it takes a lot of energy.
Our panel recommended taking the extra minute, the extra night’s sleep or the extra input from a trusted advisor while making decisions in these times.
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