Authenticity has become one of the most important values in modern life, and for all good reasons. And these kinds of values and trends tend to spread very quickly and strongly among expats, across geographies. However, these trends, when not put in the right context, are actually eroding influence and confidence in expats' lives. At this point, “Just be Yourself” is a perfect example.
When I heard it for the first time as an expat and a global leader myself, it felt liberating. It felt liberating to give less thought to what I am doing and instead be sure of my good intentions. It felt liberating not to be concerned about how I am being read in a new country where I work or during business trips. However, over the years of my corporate leadership and with dozens of expats I've coached, I've seen that “being yourself” without attention to cultural context often backfires. You're not wrong for being you. It's just that behavior is read differently across cultures, and this has real professional consequences.
Beyond the good intention
Once, I was coaching an expat who was a senior leader from Germany. At home, he was known for being direct, clear, and goal-oriented. These exact traits had driven measurable results at home, and thus, he was promoted. In his new assignment in Singapore, he behaved exactly the same way because he believed that authenticity would have a high impact and lead to success.
For some weeks, everything seemed fine. Meetings were productive, and the team respected his expertise. But then something subtle began to shift: stakeholders stopped volunteering opinions, discussions got polite but shallow, silence increased during meetings, and thus deadlines slipped without clear reasons. When he asked for feedback, he heard things like “We need more alignment” or “Can we revisit the last discussion?” but never the real underlying issue: his directness was interpreted as impatience and dismissal, not confidence. Furthermore, he was not considering that Singapore is a high-context culture, where silence has a meaning, and one should also read what is not said.
What worked at home didn't travel well abroad. Not because he lacked skill, but because the same behavior that worked at home landed differently as an expat within a different cultural frame.
Intentions vs interpretations
A lot of expats assume that good intentions will naturally translate into high impact across the globe. But that's where the disconnection happens. In cross-cultural settings, it's not your good intention that matters most. It's how your behavior is being interpreted.
According to research published in Harvard Business Review, many expats don't achieve their goals not because of technical failure, but because professionals struggle with relational and cultural interpretation challenges. This blind spot costs up to 20% of expats returning home after less than a year, and for 30%, it decreases their performance drastically.
And I assure you that this isn't just theory. I've seen it repeatedly.
A pattern I've seen too many times
Another expat client from the UK I worked with relocated to the Middle East as a marketing manager. Back home, she built trust by challenging teams to confront issues openly. This method brought clarity and alignment to her previous context, which was competitive and individualistic.
In her new environment, she used the same approach. At first, it worked. People appreciated her energy and self-confidence. But within a few months, she noticed fewer invitations to strategic discussions. When she asked her local counterparts, the feedback was vague: “We value your insights, we just need to explore some perspectives before deciding.”
When we unpacked it together, it became clear: what she thought was honest inquiry was being interpreted as confrontation and even disrespect. Her intent hadn't changed. But the cultural context was now collectivist and also much more cooperative than back home. Thus, without adjusting how she showed up, her professional impact quietly diminished.
Adjusting with authenticity
Adjusting is not about pretending to be someone else. It's not about losing your authenticity. It's about understanding that correct impact is not granted by good intention alone. It is about accepting the fact that only being yourself is not the solution, and that self-awareness and focus are needed in this spot. In international environments, two professionals with identical expertise can achieve very different results depending on how they adapt to different cultures.
Most traditional advice, like “be yourself,” assumes the environment will adapt to you. In reality, environments rarely do. Therefore, expats and global leaders should own the responsibility to learn cultural intelligence and develop themselves with the required know-how. And for those who are getting curious, this is not a personality trait; this is a skill that can be developed with the right approach and effort. You can learn this skill and regain your impact as an expat with a few starting steps.
How to regain your impact abroad
If you want your impact to grow, not shrink, consider this simple mindset shift:
Observe before reacting: Observe how people signal agreement, hesitation, or consensus. What kind of cues are being used in this cultural context that you can internalize for future communications?
Adjust while communicating: A slight change in phrasing, tone, or timing can make a significant difference in how your message is received. How can you communicate the same opinion in a more impactful way, considering the cultural context?
Reflect on the impact: After interactions, reflect on the impact you created in an objective way. What did go well and what can go better next time?
For example, instead of sharing feedback during a meeting, try to understand how feedback is shared in that cultural context. Is it shared in private, in a small group, or publicly? Be curious and open to learning the rules of the game in that cultural context. These aren't dramatic personality changes. These are moves that significantly increase your awareness so that you can adjust while remaining authentic.
Final thoughts
Moving abroad challenges your professional skills to a certain extent, for sure. What it really challenges is how you communicate, connect, lead, and influence. What felt natural and authentic at home can feel confusing abroad, not because you're wrong or inappropriate in any sense, but simply because the cultural context around you has changed.
You don't have to abandon who you are. But you do have to learn how to make people interpret your behavior as you intend it, and that is the core of effective impact.
Success abroad is not about being more yourself, but adjusting with authenticity as cultural context changes.
