Vitaly

i. Where did you go and why did you choose to go there?
I spent my abroad assignment in Princeton, New Jersey with Power Grid High Voltage Products, specifically the Gas Insulated Switchgears. At that time, the Princeton office was being expanded with new departments, functions and people. A lot of changes on the operational as well as strategic side took place and I saw my chance to learn a lot in this exciting and rapidly changing environment.

ii. How does the business culture differ between the US and Switzerland?
Our American colleagues are more direct in their communication and feedback, which takes some getting used to. But once settled in, this allows for a more efficient communication without much beating around the bush! However, as for most aspects regarding Americans, it strongly depends from which part of the US a person originates. There are huge differences between the West, South and East in terms of culture, mindset and even dialect.

iii. What surprised you the most during your assignment?
People tend to generalize the term ‘American people’, however the sheer variety of different cultures making up the United States is astonishing. There will be neighborhoods where everyone speaks Spanish and even billboards are displayed in Spanish. 10 Miles away the same thing with Indian and then 10 miles further in Chinese. New York City is often referred to as the ‘Melting Pot’ of the US. After my year in the US, I rather think the entire country is a huge melting pot on its own.

iv. What was the most difficult experience?
The strategic initiative I worked for naturally involved a lot of change. Change management is always a challenging undertaking and so I found myself more than once in situations where I had to reach people on an emotional rather than rational level in order to get them on board. This was often difficult but definitely an invaluable experience!

v. What did you learn abroad that will help you in your future career?
Being the ‘new guy’ in a new environment is always a rather particular situation and even more so in such a small office like the Princeton one. It requires to proactively approach people in an outgoing way to build relationships and find new friends. I think this also helped me to gain more self confidence in approaching business situations, leading meetings and taking on responsibility for projects and decisions.