What Global Experience Taught Me About Culture, Strategy, and Human Connection - Jason Harvey
In today’s business landscape, global fluency is a leadership imperative. We often talk about globalization in abstract terms: interconnected markets, digital platforms, global supply chains. But I’ve found that real globalization is found in the human experiences that shape how we operate, connect, and lead. I didn’t truly understand that until I lived it.
Early in my career, I made a choice that would shape everything that followed: I stepped outside of my comfort zone and my country and joined the Peace Corps. From there, I worked in numerous leadership positions across Latin America. From the highlands of Ecuador with the Peace Corps to the energy of São Paulo’s tech and media scene, I immersed myself in environments where I was the outsider, the rules were different, and the culture demanded a different kind of leadership muscle. It changed how I think. How I listen. How I lead.
The real ROI of my global experience was empathy. Ask any seasoned leader who’s worked abroad, and they’ll tell you: You don’t just gain international experience. You gain a second set of instincts.
When you’re operating in a foreign market, business-as-usual doesn’t exist. Regulations don’t mirror U.S. standards. Cultural norms redefine how trust is earned, how decisions are made, and how ideas are received. You quickly learn that your most valuable tools in your professional toolbox are your ability to observe, to adapt, to pause before making assumptions. And this is where the transformation happens. My global experience expanded my and forced me to replace certainty with curiosity, and efficiency with patience. I traded statement’s like “this is how we’ve always done it” for questions like “What matters most here?”. I learned 3 powerful lessons along the way:
1. Cultural fluency is a competitive advantage — In Brazil, I led initiatives where time was elastic, hierarchy was respected differently, and relationships were the real currency. You can’t copy-paste strategies from one country to another, you have to localize the logic. You have to listen before you lead. And you must build trust before you build anything else.
2. Resource constraints build resourceful leaders — International teams often run lean. You learn to wear multiple hat; marketing, ops, product, finance because if not, efficiency suffers. That stretch makes you sharper, more agile, and far more cross-functional. Today, when I advise or build companies, I draw on that holistic toolkit daily.
3. Generosity is cultural and contagious — In Ecuador, a family of six invited me to dinner my first week. Despite limited means, they gave me the “big piece of chicken”, a gesture that said everything about how they saw hospitality, dignity, and community. Years later, on a flight to Brazil, a woman I’d just met invited me and my team to stay with her family during Carnival. No hesitation. Just kindness. Those moments shaped how I lead today, with a mindset of reciprocity, of giving before asking, of building relationships before extracting value.
We’re in an era where diversity is a strategic advantage, whether recognized or not. Cultural context matters. So does cultural competence. Whether you’re building teams across time zones, crafting brand stories that resonate globally, or navigating negotiations with partners who see the world differently, success hinges on your ability to understand before being understood.
Frankly, the U.S. has some catching up to do. Many American leaders haven’t had to navigate unfamiliar systems or work outside dominant frameworks. But as the world continues to flatten and as innovation, talent, and capital move across borders, the ability to lead globally will separate those who thrive from those who stagnate.
Living and working abroad is all about perspective shifts. It’s about realizing that there are many “right” ways to lead, to negotiate, to collaborate and that humility is often more powerful than confidence. Understanding that difference is not something to be tolerated or managed but something to that can be a competitive advantage.
Leadership doesn’t always have to be driving for results, especially if it means separating us from our principles. As leaders, we can also try to build bridges. Across cultures. Across values. Across lived experiences. I continue to strive to be a leader that builds bridges.
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