Learning Agility.

Only by being open to change will you have a true opportunity?to get the most from your talent.?

They say the 1st generation of immigrants survives, the 2nd learns, and only the 3d lives. The hardest thing for me in forced emigration was processing the war as a phenomenon. Accepting that it is no longer just events you read about in history books and watch in movies. And that it is not just part of your personal life, but that you are this history yourself. Ukrainians often joke that they would love to live in boring, peaceful times instead of in pivotal, epochal events.?

I don’t know if the Learning Agility competency applies to processing the war. I can say that I am still in the process of understanding. So here I will talk about how and what I changed in my behavior and attitude to adapt faster in a new country and how I used my L&D expertise in my biggest and most challenging project, "Canada".

By the way, you can read step-by-step how I implemented this project in my articles "Canada by Kotter methodology" HERE and HERE. And that was more about tactics.

In this article, I will share more strategic things and my experience on how to tailor your behavior and attitude towards a new reality.

1. The main lesson, undoubtedly, was the job search. And I will write a separate series of posts about this. The key in this process was the shift from

“I know how to look for a job. I don’t need help with this "

to

"I don’t know anything about job searching in Canada. I need to learn.”

If we start from the concept of "competency," we know that it is a combination of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) that an individual needs to perform a specific job effectively. It encompasses not only what a person knows and can do (knowledge and skills) but also how they apply these in various situations (abilities) and their underlying attributes such as attitudes, behaviors, and personality traits.

In summary, a competency includes:

• Knowledge: What you know.
• Skills: What you can do.
• Abilities: Your capacity to perform certain tasks.
• Other Characteristics: Attributes like attitudes, behaviors, and personality traits that impact how you perform your job.

The main challenge I faced in my job search was changing my attitude towards the process. In Ukraine, I chose the company and position I wanted to work for. Unconsciously I brought this firm pattern to Canada, assuming that as soon as I started applying for jobs, I would immediately get interview calls. After all, I had such a brilliant resume, filled with experience from large international companies. Unfortunately, the reality was different. In a labor market where no one knows you, without networking and an decent professional reputation, even the most impressive resume won’t work.

Therefore, a change in approach is necessary. How I made this change will be shared in the next series of posts.

2. The next aspect of reskilling was Adapting my Written and Verbal Communication style.

When I joined Deloitte, I noticed that, as in most international corporations, the primary way of communication is through emails. Gradually, I realised that even the friendliest and most polite emails I wrote to my colleagues could be taken as rude and unfriendly. I worked extensively with my English tutor, compared my emails with real-life examples from my colleagues, and frequently used Deloitte’s internal Gen AI tool to check my emails for politeness and friendliness.

You might think, "Writing emails, what’s the big deal?" It may seem like a simple and insignificant skill. However, relearning how to write emails not only within the company but also to schools, the CRA, and in correspondence with my landlord turned out to be one of the most relevant and important skills in my first few months in Canada.

3. Less Emotion, More Action.

In Canada, and I suppose in many Western countries, it’s not a usual thing to share personal life details. I had to get used to the fact that in the company, it’s not common to celebrate birthdays or give gpresents, nor to share details of one’s life outside of work. Of course, I’m not saying that in Ukraine we all share our personal lives with colleagues, but the boundary is definitely much thinner than in Canada.

Not knowing this, I once started a Teams meeting by wishing a colleague a happy birthday, only to be gently reminded later that I should have asked for permission first, as this could be seen as a violation of personal boundaries.?

With time, I saw many benefits to this approach: you are less likely to face discrimination on various topics, no one pries into your personal life, and, of course, no one ever asks your age. All of this creates a unique environment of safety and understanding, where your boundaries are respected and honoured. You can still congratulate a colleague one-on-one, without making a big public display.

Emotions aren’t noise — they are data. I learned to view my emotions this way and see them as subjects for investigation and opportunities to learn something new.

4. Endure Being Different.

When you live in your native country, you naturally fit in without even thinking about it. When you move to a new culture, you automatically start to stand out. In Canada, no one will ever say “You don’t belong here,” but you will still always be different from the locals.

“Olya, do you already feel like one of them?” a colleague asked me on a podcast. “Do I need to?”? - my 1st thought was. I never aimed to “become one of them” in Canada because, for me, it is inherently impossible. But what is definitely possible is to stand out beautifully and strongly as a truthful and authentic representative of your native country. For Ukrainians, this is especially important, as standing out reminds others that the war is still ongoing.

I have also repeatedly encountered articles, lessons, and even courses on how to get rid of an accent. Here, I want to say that I do not consider it necessary to get rid of it because a foreign accent doesn’t imply the person is any less intelligent. It implies the person is smart enough to know at least two languages—and brave enough to do their job in the second one.

Acknowledging all the advantages of being different is something definitely worth learning in emigration.

5. Laidback culture.?

When you arrive in Canada, you constantly hear that there's no need to rush, that everything moves slowly here, and that you should take your time, slow down, and not expect quick decisions or results. You’re told phrases like "One step at a time," "Be kind to yourself," "Relax," and so on.

During the first few months of my job search marathon, I paid no attention to this advice because, obviously, such a philosophy didn’t apply to me. I knew only relaxed Canadians, whose lives and processes were already built, could afford this approach. As I handled all the paperwork and gradually set up my life in the new country, I noticed that, in most cases, I met very calm, friendly people who quietly did their work, rarely hurried anywhere, and seemed never to stress.

For 2 years now, I've been observing this smooth waltz of changing seasons: at Christmas, Canadians lovingly decorate their homes and yards with lights, hang wreaths on doors, and display adorned Christmas trees in windows; in winter, you see cars on the roads with fir trees tied to the roofs, and with the arrival of spring, they’re replaced by kayaks and paddleboards.

In spring, Canadians unconsciously compete with each other over who will first bring out the lawnmower or the chainsaw from the shed to start gardening, then take their children to farms to hunt for Easter eggs and bunnies.?

In summer, mornings and evenings you find them sitting in their signature wooden chairs in their yards or gently swaying on swings with a cup of tea and, invariably, a dog lying at their feet. Summer in Canada is about meditative, long-distance hiking and camping, as well as active communion with nature. You'd be hard-pressed to find such a variety of wild animals and birds living so peacefully alongside humans anywhere else.

In autumn, the roads fill with trim, well-rested school buses in their distinctive yellow uniforms.

I love watching how all movement around comes to a halt when children are being picked up or dropped off. At this moment, it feels like all the alchemy of Canadian calm is encapsulated: all the cars stop, as if telling the drivers, "Where are you rushing to? Can't you see there are children here? Calm down and wait. Think of something profound. Be present in the moment." And everyone who finds themselves in this moment, albeit reluctantly, waits very patiently and politely until the last child, with a backpack on their shoulders, jumps into the warm embrace, or rather, the open doors of the bus, before resuming their errands.

It is OK here to start a conversation with the cashier despite the line, to respond to an email not today but a week later, to get through on the fifth or even the tenth try, to accidentally forget about a meeting. No, this doesn’t happen everywhere all the time, but when it does, no one turns it into a catastrophe or tragedy. Everyone understands that people are people, they will say "Sorry," receive an "It’s OK" in return, and life goes on.

I know people for whom such a culture does not suit. And I understand them very well, because I still haven't fully decided how much it suits me.

Because I know Olga very well in stress, crisis, trouble, and a race. I know her in situations of complete failure and hitting rock bottom. And most importantly, I know Olga in permanent overcoming.

But I don’t yet know the calm Olga, who sits on the veranda and watches the sunset, who doesn't set grand goals and impossible tasks – those are my favourite. I don’t know the Olga who meditates while hiking and isn’t in a hurry at all. I’m only just getting to know her.

In one of my posts, I mentioned the faces of Canadians. For the most part, they are bright, open, smiling, and without a single wrinkle. Sometimes it seems to me that they’ve hacked the secret of longevity and stop aging at around 50, no more. From that point on, even more light, warmth, and that deep kindness, which permeates everything here, start to shine through their faces.

I don’t know if I will become like that, but I do know for sure that we Ukrainians lack this so much. There is something about it that is authentically human. And it’s something we can learn from Canada as newcomers.

To be continued...