From UK Collaborator to Mexican Boss: The Cultural Leadership Lesson That Still Haunts Me

When I moved from the UK to Mexico to take up a New Product Development secondment role, I expected challenges, but not the cultural kind.

In the UK, hierarchy exists, but it’s subtle.  In Mexico, however, it’s far more defined.  Leaders are expected to decide, not debate.  Overnight, I went from collaborator to “the boss”, and it felt… strange.

At first, I struggled.  I wanted my team to think and act independently, while I quietly steered from the background.  But they wanted more clear direction.  I realised my style wasn’t landing as quickly as I had hoped. 

So, I changed approach.  I slowed down.  I continued to build team empowerment, step by step, through trust.  Small wins turned into confidence.  And by my second year, the team were leading projects with confidence and delivering results.  Watching that growth was fantastic.

But then I left to return to the UK…

And suddenly, the shift I had created caused tension.  Some team members didn’t want to return to the old way, and a few moved on altogether.

It made me question what I had done.  Should I have adapted more to the culture, even if it meant less empowerment?  Or was challenging the norm worth the fallout?

I still don’t have the answer.  But what I did learn was that real leadership across cultures isn’t about imposing or adapting completely, it’s about navigating the fragile balance between the two.