Why Peer Coaching Is A Secret Weapon For Successful Global Executives
The moment I know a potential client is in trouble is when I hear them say: "I'm good."
Not "I've got support." Not "I've got people I can go to when it gets tough." Just that quiet, confident brush-off: "I'm good."
Spoiler from my company's extensive interviews with expat execs: It's almost never true. Especially not for expat executives. Because what we see in our research is that "I'm good" usually means "I'm alone."
You Don't Need A Map; You Need Fellow Travelers
Especially if you're leading across borders and cultures, the cost of going it alone is high. Not immediately, but eventually. It shows up in slower adaptation. Stalled influence. Decisions that sound right in the boardroom but fall flat in the field.
The leaders who plateau rarely realize they're plateauing—not at first. Because they're not failing. But success has gotten ... quiet. Fewer breakthroughs, less feedback, more meetings, less clarity. A creeping sense that progress has slowed, but no one's saying so out loud.
Often, what breaks this pattern isn't a new strategy but a new circle.
'None Of Us Is As Smart As All Of Us'
I love this quote from Kenneth Blanchard because I've found it to be true. I'll give you a personal example. A fellow expat executive invited me to dinner one evening. I assumed it would be casual—two professionals unwinding, trading stories. And it was ... for a while.
Then he looked up and said, "Everything I've tried isn't working. I thought I'd have figured it out by now. I don't even know if I'm leading the right way for this market. Some days I literally feel like I'm losing who I was."
That moment cracked something open. He was being vulnerable, real. What followed was more a lifeline than a vent. Then the magic started emerging. We weren't trading frustrations; we were solving each other's problems, even the ones we hadn't realized we were allowed to admit.
And that's exactly what peer coaching can unlock when done right.
Why Expat Leaders Stay Silent Too Long
Most global executives arrive in-market with one goal: to prove they've got it handled. After all, that's what got them the job in the first place: competence, confidence and a track record of success.
But unfamiliar markets don't reward solo heroics. They require fast adaptation, deep context and emotional resilience. And the truth is, most leaders don't want to admit—especially to HQ—that they're struggling to make things work.
That silence slows everything down. Progress, morale, strategy ... all drag when the leader at the top feels isolated.
The irony? Everyone's wrestling with the same unspoken questions. But nobody wants to be the first to say it out loud.
The Spark That Changes The Room
I've facilitated many peer coaching groups for international executives. The early sessions always feel the same. People walk in with their game face on. They scan the room. They calculate: Do I stay quiet and observe? Try to impress? Or dare to be real?
Then it happens: Someone breaks the surface.
"I'm just going to come out and say this ... I can't seem to motivate my team here. Nothing's landing."
"My work has slowed down so much since arriving here. I used to be decisive. Now I'm second-guessing everything. Worse yet, my peers and boss see it."
These aren't admissions of failure. They're acts of leadership. They project what Brené Brown calls "the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change": vulnerability. Once it's spoken, it gives permission for everyone else to set down their armor.
And that's when the room shifts—from a table of professionals to a circle of fellow travelers.
Why Peer Coaching Works When Other Tools Don't
Plenty of organizations offer onboarding, executive training, even cultural playbooks. These are useful, but in my experience, they often live in theory. They don't meet people in the middle of the mess. Peer coaching does.
It's not a meeting. It's not a workshop. It's a trusted group of five to seven leaders who are each navigating complex, high-stakes environments—and have no incentive to posture. When it works, it becomes a place for what Ken Blanchard famously said: "None of us is as smart as all of us."
Here's what starts to happen: Leaders stop trying to "perform." Questions come more freely. Conversations deepen. Shared respect builds momentum. People leave not just feeling better, but thinking clearer. And perhaps most importantly, the emotional isolation fades.
When a leader realizes they're not the only one struggling, everything changes. Confidence returns. Curiosity reawakens. The team feels the shift before the calendar does. Just like the African proverb says, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."
Let's Stop Pretending You (Or One Of Your Reports) Don't Need This
Most expats don't think they need help. That's fine. Most of them also plateau within 18 months. Not because they weren't skilled, but because they mistook silence for success.
That plateau can look like a bump in the road, but more often than not, our advisors report that the plateau is a serious and critical time to reevaluate. But what if you looked for help before you hit that plateau?
If you think you don't need peer coaching, ask yourself: When was the last time someone outside HQ challenged your assumptions ... and you thanked them for it?
You don't need a rescue squad; you just need people who can see what you can't. Yet. Because global leadership rewards adaptation. And the best way to adapt isn't alone—it's together.
Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?
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