"You’re not from here, are you?"

I heard this constantly after moving from New York to LA, and surprisingly, I heard it again years later in reverse!

Many years ago, after graduating from business school, I moved from New York City to Los Angeles. The sunny weather and lack of public transportation were a shock to the system—as were so many other small things I hadn’t anticipated.

In New York, these things were completely normal for me:

- Wearing all black, a newly monogrammed briefcase, and gasp—a red pantsuit!

- Speaking fast and using verbal affirmations (aka interruptions).

- Walking everywhere instead of driving.

- Spending an evening starting with one group and go-with-the-flow to multiple locations.

- Making friends with people in an elevator, bar or even on the street.

- Beer and burgers for lunch with colleagues or my cousin who worked nearby.

- Expecting people to be impressed by my MBA.

But in LA? Not so much.

At first, strangers would regularly say, "You’re not from here, are you?" I reeked of New York. I may have been in the same country, but it felt like a foreign land.

Living on both coasts gave me a new perspective. The things I once took for granted, words, habits, style - suddenly made me pause and rethink.

And this isn’t just about geography. Every time I’ve moved - to a new city, department, company, or industry - I’ve had that same feeling of being slightly out of place, seeing the world through a fresh lens. Even when I shifted within the same Disney Toys group from a finance role to licensing, I saw the department differently.

Why does this matter in business?

Because when leaders have only worked in one location, company, or role, they see things from a single perspective. But every new person who joins - whether an employee or an outsourced team member like me - brings their own unique lens.

* They’ll notice things you can’t.

* They’ll question things you take for granted.

* They may not immediately understand the unspoken rules or nuances of your culture.

If you recognize this, you can embrace new ways of thinking, problem-solving, and innovating. You can also be patient as they adjust to a new environment. Having multiple perspectives on a team fuels creativity, adaptability, and better decision-making.

A funny full-circle moment:

A few years after moving to LA, I flew to New York for a business trip. The cab driver took one look at me and said:

"You’re not from here, are you?"

Nooooooooo!

Have you ever had to adapt to a totally new environment—even one that should have felt familiar? What was the biggest surprise?

📸: I still take public transportation in and around NYC whenever I can!