Studying abroad is a rewarding experience. It is an opportunity to set off on the adventure of a lifetime; pack your bags and head off to a foreign country to gain a degree of your liking. During the process, you’ll be challenged and there may be times when you falter and are knocked down. All of these experiences will ultimately strengthen your character and afford you with the skills you need to be a better, more effective leader.



Listed below are some of the advantages associated with studying abroad which can help to make you a better leader.

Adaptability

Studying abroad takes you out of your comfort zone and places you in a completely new environment. If you want to become a leader, adaptability is an important quality that you need to have. There will be circumstances that will arise which will require you to think fast on your feet and adapt to the situation at hand.

What studying abroad does is that it places you in a variety of circumstances which are new and challenging. All of these experiences will help you become more adaptable in the future.

Learn New Languages

In today’s day and age, a leader is frequently required to communicate with a wide range of individuals. Some of these individuals may speak a different language. In most study abroad programs, you travel to a country in which English may not be the official language. Alternatively, you may go somewhere where there are many other languages spoken in addition to English.

Studying abroad allows you to pick up and learn a new language. This will be an invaluable asset when you’re looking for leadership positions.

Creativity

Creativity is defined as a phenomenon or mental ability which allows an individual to ‘think outside the box’. It involves finding new, innovative, unique, and imaginative solutions to life’s problems.

But how exactly is creativity developed and nurtured?

There are many things that you can do in order to boost your creative potential, and studying abroad affords you with a wide range of opportunities to do just that.

Exposure to beautiful natural settings, museums, historical sights and artifacts, new people and cultures, a new language, different foods, and a wide range of people from different backgrounds are just some of the many ways in which you can boost your creativity.

When you go abroad to study, you get to experience all of that and so much more. Being taken out of your comfort zone and exploring new aspects to life are great ways to become more creative.

Strong leaders are keenly aware of their creative potential. Being creative or tapping into your creativity allows you to solve problems effectively; put forth useful solutions, bring together people, and bring about positive change.

Critical Thinking

Study abroad programs are often credited with increasing a students’ capacity for critical thinking to a greater degree than local programs. This is because students are given the opportunity to be in situations where they must use their analytical and critical thinking skills.

By going to a foreign country, you’ll be met with a plethora of individuals and situations in which you will be required to think critically. Being exposed to these situations on a daily basis gives you the opportunity to build upon those skills.

Again, critical thinking is an excellent trait that all aspiring leaders need to have.

Communication

Students who study abroad are likely to become better communicators. Why? This is due to a variety of reasons. Firstly, studying abroad takes you way out of your comfort zone; you’re not just studying in a different city or state, you’re in a completely foreign country. Being taken out of your comfort zone forces you to learn how to effectively communicate with different people. Social etiquettes that may have been common in your home town may not apply in your study abroad location.

These experiences teach you how to communicate with people who may be very different from the people you’re used to.

As a leader, effective communication is an asset. It is the tool with which you draw people to you and convince them to stay.

People Skills

Arguably one of the most important qualities of a good leader is their people skills. As a leader, you’ll be expected to bring together many individuals and be able to effectively communicate with all of them. In order to do so, you must have a fundamental understanding of how to communicate with different types of people.

Studying abroad exposes you to a large mix of people from different countries and backgrounds. What this does is that it helps you develop your people skills. You learn what to say, when to say it, how to say it, and when to hold back. All of this can only be properly learned through experience.

Confidence

Another thing that studying abroad does is increase your confidence. After you’ve been through the many challenges that studying abroad presents, you begin to gain confidence in your ability to handle those challenges as well as any challenges that may present themselves in the future.

As a leader, you’ll be expected to exhibit confidence by those who follow you. It is through your example that they will gain confidence in your abilities. If a leader is confident, they are better able to lead by example.

Studying abroad offers students a plethora of benefits which can help to make them better leaders in life. These benefits are acquired after dealing with all of the many challenges that studying abroad can present. Through perseverance, these challenges can make you a stronger person and develop a wide range of positive personality traits in you. When you are then faced with opportunities to become a leader, you can use all of these skills to your benefit.