If you are running, leading, investing in, managing, or somehow otherwise involved in the oversight of an international business, team, or organization, someone in your group is shoveling money out the window.

You should do something about that.

Transitory teams are built on the principle of the revolving door. People come in, people go out.

It’s understood

It’s inevitable.

So we adjust. We crunch the numbers. We calculate the extra costs. We stamp a sticker price on every measurable, objective expenditure that fits neatly onto a spreadsheet.

Recruiting.

Marketing.

Processing.

Vetting.

Plane tickets.

Shipping.

Visas.

Training.

All obvious, ADDITIONAL costs that come with doing business abroad. Every line item adds up to equal the price tag which gets smacked on the forehead of every person who walks through the revolving door.

Oh, if it were just that simple.

Write this down, it’s important.

That price tag is a lie.

That number gives a false sense of security to decision-makers and spreadsheet owners. The door may be the only way in BUT the windows are wide open . . . and someone has a shovel.

Here’s what is happening in the background.

At any given time a third of your people are likely adjusting to a whole new world.

A third are considering leaving it.

And all of them are wrestling with ongoing changes.

The NEWBIES

Live in a world of “NOTHING is NOT new.”

They operate on a learning curve where even the simplest tasks (personal and professional) take more time, energy, and support (all requiring resources).

They often feel like dependent rookies even when they were seasoned superstars in the last place.

They are forced into vulnerability, constantly asking for help or worse, pretending they don’t need it.

They often translate constant (necessary) change as unprofessional or worse, unethical.

They get excited because they can clearly see EVERYTHING that is wrong and set about fixing it … with ZERO relational capital.

Then they get frustrated when no one likes their ideas. They feel unheard, dismissed, or disrespected.

They retreat, withdraw, cut loose, blow up, disconnect, dominate, or find some other way to medicate with what FEELS good instead of what IS good.

They feel pressure and guilt from “back home” to “get this ‘adventure phase’ out of their system.”

They question their decision.

They question your competence.

They show up to work and do their job.

The STAYERS

Mourn the loss of last years leavers.

They often resent the arrival of this year’s Newbies.

They miss innovative ideas because Newbies are annoying.

They adjust and readjust to a community that is “not like it used to be”.

They begin to wonder if investing in new relationships is even worth it.

They navigate the MASSIVE challenge of unsatisfied families who DO NOT “love it here.”

OR the equally MASSIVE challenges of singleness abroad.

They may feel pressure and guilt from “back home” to stop missing every wedding, every funeral, and every niece’s birthday.

They begin to question whether the investment is worth the return.

They sporadically, routinely, or constantly question whether this is the year they should leave.

They show up to work and do their job.

The LOCALS

Get utilized at a fraction of their potential because they are viewed as less valuable than foreign workers.

They contribute sparingly because “what’s the point? You’re not listening and you’ll leave anyway.”

They often form grudges because they caught a glimpse of the foreigner pay package.

They may grow bitter because their perceived intelligence (and value) is unjustly attached to the accent of their 2nd or 3rd language by people who live in THEIR country and can’t say three words.

They feel marginalized by systems designed to favor foreign staff while they do the heavy lifting in the background.

They feel bound by cultural mandates on hospitality and conflict, leaving them no healthy outlet for grievance.

OR they get tagged as aggressive and hostile because they handle it the “wrong” way.

They do endless, thankless, grunt work for helpless people in exchange for a pat on the back and a Starbucks gift card.

They begin to question the integrity or intelligence of the organization.

They question their career choice.

They show up to work and do their job.

The LEAVERS

Start checking out as soon as the decision is made.

They drop the big vision project that they couldn’t wait to champion last year.

They daydream about next.

They stress about next.

They spend company time googling job offers and used cars.

They stop offering input into a place they won’t be.

OR frantically try to “fortify” so it won’t fall apart when they’re gone.

They disconnect from relationships to brace for departure (sometimes even subconsciously sabotaging to make it easier to leave).

They miss the chance to resolve conflict because leaving will “fix it.”

They often question whether they’ve had the impact that they once dreamed of.

They question their remaining contribution.

They show up to work and do their job.

The BIG PICTURE

When the measure is, “are people showing up and doing their job?” then all is well.

It looks like this.

Peel back the top layer, however, and you’ll discover something much different. Even a cursory peek into the hearts and minds your people will paint a vivid picture of very costly realities.

Your real org chart looks something like this

YES they are showing up. YES they are getting the job done.

But look around.

There are people in the margins.

There are people on their way out.

There are strugglers.

There are strainers.

There are toxic pockets of people who are scrambling to find a place where their frustrations can be vented.

More often than not, that gets aimed at leadership.

Those things don’t have a budget line item — BUT THEY ABSOLUTELY SHOW UP AT THE BOTTOM.

The unseen impact takes a heavy toll on:

Satisfaction

Productivity

Longevity

The GOOD NEWS

The realities of transition are incredibly costly but they do not (necessarily) equal dysfunction. Cross-cultural organizations, by nature, are forced to adapt or fail.

It’s what we do.

Unfortunately, we often adapt to the wrong things.

We treat the symptoms instead of the disease.

We put out the fires instead of fixing the faulty wiring.

We keep playing the game but we learn to play with a limp.

It’s just the cost of business abroad,

Right?

So, so wrong.

There are, without a doubt, unavoidable challenges beneath the surface — things that you can never change, eliminate, or outsmart.

BUT

If YOU don’t know what they are … specifically … in detail … by name …

then the shovel is in your hand.

When you discover what is beneath the surface, you can ask the RIGHT questions to the RIGHT people instead of the same questions to every person.

When you IDENTIFY where your people are on their journey and what is really going on for them, you can start taking steps toward DRAMATICALLY lowering the HIGH HIDDEN COST OF TRANSITION.

Sounds simple in a blog post. It’s not.

There’s a lot more to it — but it CAN be done.