After living in the United States for 11 years, last year, I moved back to South America. Ironically, I always expected adapting to a new culture to be difficult; I didn't expect coming back to my own culture to be challenging as well. Returning home has made me question habits I had forgotten, communication styles I no longer shared, and even parts of my own identity.

It has also made me reflect on something else: Why is someone moving from Peru to the U.S. usually called an immigrant, while someone moving from the U.S. to Peru is often called an expat? Whether those words carry different connotations or not, they reminded me that many of us spend part of our careers adapting to environments where we are "the outsider." Sometimes that's another country. Sometimes it's joining a multinational company with a completely different culture (Amazonians, I see you!).  So, this week's newsletter is about building a system to adapt to new cultures without losing yourself in the process.

Tip of the Week: Don't build a new personality every time your environment changes. Build a system that helps you adapt your behaviors while protecting your core values.

Side Note: One huge culture shock is joining a place where emails, meetings and DMs seem like they never stop.

That’s exactly why I created the Effective Workload Management Systems course, a proven framework to help you take back control of your inbox, design repeatable email workflows, and stay on top of your priorities without constantly reacting. It’s been refined with input from over 70,000 Amazonians, and it’s helped thousands finally get to inbox zero (and actually stay there). If you’re serious about cleaning up your inbox for good (not just this week) start there.

The Theory Behind

Cultural Intelligence (CQ) is a skill, not a personality trait. Christopher Earley and Soon Ang introduced the concept of Cultural Intelligence (CQ) to explain why some people adapt effectively across cultures while others struggle. Their framework describes four capabilities we can intentionally develop: Drive (the motivation to engage with other cultures), Knowledge (understanding how cultures differ), Strategy (reflecting and planning before interacting), and Action (adapting our behavior appropriately). The encouraging part is that none of these are fixed. The recommendation isn't to become someone else; it's to become better at observing, asking questions, experimenting, and adjusting. Like emotional intelligence, cultural intelligence grows through deliberate practice.

Adaptability doesn't require changing who we are. Cross-cultural psychologists often distinguish between our core identity (our values and beliefs) and the different roles we play throughout life. Related research on Bicultural Identity Integration suggests that people don't necessarily need to choose between two identities... they can integrate them. We naturally adapt how we communicate depending on whether we're with friends, clients, family, or executives. The same happens across cultures. The goal isn't to replace one identity with another, but to understand what is non-negotiable about who we are while becoming flexible in how we express it. Authenticity without adaptability limits us. Adaptability without authenticity becomes exhausting.

Our differences are often an advantage rather than a disadvantage. Adam Grant often argues that our unique experiences become competitive advantages when we learn to leverage them instead of hiding them. If you've worked across countries, industries, or languages, you've developed perspectives that many people simply don't have. The temptation is to focus on fitting in, and the opportunity is learning when your differences actually help everyone around you make better decisions.

What I’ve Learned

I almost stopped being myself as someone threatened to call HR because I made a joke. Looking back, it probably didn't translate culturally the way I intended. It actually made me want to stop making jokes while at work all together. Over time, I realized the answer wasn't becoming American or becoming "corporate." It was finding a balance. I kept my personality, my curiosity, and my enthusiasm, but I adapted how I communicated them. The same happened with writing as part of the Amazon culture. Instead of resisting the culture, I learned it, practiced it, and eventually made it my own.

The system that helped me wasn't a mentor, it was a network of mentors. Throughout my career, I've probably asked close to a hundred people for advice, but I rarely had one formal mentor. Instead, I built what I think of as a personal board of advisors. Whenever I faced a challenge, I reached out to someone who had already lived through it. Curiously, I've found that people roughly seven years ahead of me (professionally or personally) often give the most practical advice. (Maybe I´ll write a post about that soon...)

Make It Happen

1. Identify your non-negotiables. Write down the values, traditions, or habits you refuse to compromise. These become your cultural anchor.

2. Study before judging. When something feels strange, replace "Why do they do this?" with "What problem is this solving?" Curiosity beats assumptions.

3. Increase your Cultural Intelligence intentionally. Every month, identify one behavior, communication style, or cultural norm you'd like to understand better and practice it deliberately.

4. Find your "seven-years-ahead" people. Build your own informal advisory board (of people who succesfully adapted to a new culture) instead of searching for one perfect mentor. Different people can help you with different challenges.

5. Leverage your differences. Instead of asking, "How do I fit in?" also ask, "What perspective do I bring that others might not have?" Your background is often your greatest competitive advantage.

Ultimately, adapting isn't about becoming someone else. It's about becoming a more complete version of yourself.

Adaptingly,

Jorge Luis Pando

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PS: Wow, you made it all the way down here? You must really care about your personal development! Here are 3 ways I can help you grow even faster:

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