“You can learn a lot from people who view the world differently than you do.”
- Anthony J. D’Angelo

Multi-national corporations use pre-decision surveys and questionnaires to identify if an employee will be successful in an overseas assignment.  While the exact list of the attributes they are trying to discover in candidates varies slightly from company to company, essentially they are looking for those who are adaptable, open, and empathetic.

In this series we have looked at how, in order to be local experts, we need to have an understanding of what happens elsewhere; at how small changes in how we express ourselves can create a huge improvement in comprehension no matter what the language and how to redefine “International” into more actionable consumer segments for better marketing and service situations.

The world is a very big place, and the complexity of culture makes it impossible to identify and understand every single person around the world within its context. Since we can’t develop a local mindset for everywhere and every situation, the best we can do is to develop our global mindset. Working to further develop our adaptability, openness and empathy is an important part of the process.

Although difficult for everyone, those living in large or more isolated countries have a greater challenge. For example, compared to other countries, those of us in the U.S. are actually at a disadvantage in the race to develop our global mindsets. Just based on our location, we are separated from most other cultures by vast oceans.  Even the media we consume lacks diversity. A 2004 study found that only 12 percent of local television news was international, and of that, 81 percent was devoted to the war on terror and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The remainder—49 minutes out of 48 analyzed hours—was spent on all other international issues.

To build or expand an existing global mindset means an independent investment and dedication in many cases. The links to information about real estate and business customs around the world in PART II can be helpful, but are just one resource. Foreign news websites and travel, taking advantage of new technologies to “chat” with people in different parts of the globe and making a point to share information with existing relationships outside your home country are things that consistently challenge and educate me in my pursuit of a more global way of viewing my business and the world.


Posted by: Sharon E. Michnay, CRP, GMS, WRS, Executive Director, Corporate Business Development, Halstead Property. Sharon is a member and former chairperson of the LeadingRE Advisory Council.