3 tips to develop global citizenship with Diana Goghova
As much of a dream as it is to develop Global Citizenship, living overseas can be an anxious feeling for many people. You’re away from friends and family that you grew up with. Our 3rd Masterclass was with Diana Goghova, who left Slovakia to pursue professional skills and personal development. Having lived in different parts of Europe and now Australia, Diana is a strong advocate for practical worldwide education.
There are different goals for people to live overseas and away from home. It could be for study, for work, or just for personal development. Diana has, or is achieving, all those goals. For work and professional development, she has advised start-ups. Secondly, for personal development she has competed in dragon-boat racing. Thirdly, for study she is currently completing an Executive Master of Business Administration at University of NSW.
Recently, Thanh Dat hosted Diana at our 3rd TCB Masterclass. As usual, the Masterclass took place as an online talkshow. We were happy to host an audience composed of people in Vietnam, the Phillipines and Indonesia.
We were lucky to hear Diana Goghova’s tips on how to develop global citizenship. Here are 3 key ones.
Aspiring to develop a career overseas
Observe and absorb how locals live. From big details like noticing how they order food, to smaller details like how they use their slang, it helps you settle into a foreign environment.
Use your ears, eyes and mouth in proportion. Part of gaining your worldwide education is acknowledging that customs are different from home. Consciously, you may need to suppress instincts to comment and judge.
Living overseas is different to being a tourist. As you settle into a daily rhythm, you’ll need to complete necessary activities such as grocery shopping, administrative and legal matters. Through empathy, you develop closer relationships with the locals. Who knows, your new city may become your home away from home in no time.
Simple tips when living overseas
You gain a huge amount of respect as a leader if you get your hands dirty and be part of the team.
As classroom, or learning on Zoom sessions go, it’s important to not only ‘talk the talk’, but ‘walk the walk’ at the same time. Personal development is often intertwined with professional development when you’re living overseas. Office culture is different, Friday afternoon activities are different, there is a lot to adjust to.
Never underestimate the analytical skills (whether it’s in selling, negotiating or other skills) you have. It may be on a subject you developed familiarity with through hands-on experience. To improve your communication skills, make sure you share with your team the skills you gained back home!
Adapting while studying in a different country
At times, you may wonder what the point of it all was. These are moments where you might feel lonely, and long for the familiarity of your network back at home. Always remember, celebrate small wins.
As a psychological reinforcement mechanism, as well as personal development step, it serves to encourage further improvement. Your boss complimented you on a task well done? Treat yourself to a nice meal!
On the other hand, if plans change (which they will), and the unexpected occurs, be ready to pivot. Part of the path to develop Global Citizenship is to embrace the unknown. Living in a different country necessitates that plans cannot be taken for granted. Whilst achieving your dreams through embracing the unknown may seem contradictory (we’ve always been told to plan!), it’s important that you develop this ability.
Whilst learning on Zoom may teach you fundamentals, the strength to withstand adversity is through hands-on experience!
