It’s hard to believe it’s already week six in Prague! With only two weeks left, I’m determined to make the most of every moment here. This past weekend, I decided to stay in Prague and further explore the city, discovering more of its hidden gems and vibrant neighborhoods. The highlight of my week, though, was undoubtedly going paddle-boarding with my coworkers at my internship on Thursday. It was a fantastic way to take advantage of the beautiful weather, especially since the rest of the week had been really gloomy. This outing let me connect with my Czech colleagues in a relaxed setting, reinforcing the sentiment that’s been building throughout my time here. My internship with Nekrachni has gone pretty well up to this point and some of my perspectives have definitely changed. I’ll touch on how I feel my perspective on leadership has changed and how the company views leadership.
Before this internship, I would describe my leadership style as primarily collaborative and supportive. I’ve always aimed to foster an environment where every team member feels heard and valued, believing that the best solutions emerge from a variety of perspectives. I tend to focus on open communication and ensuring tasks are clearly defined so everyone can contribute effectively towards a shared goal. I also prioritized by leading by example, demonstrating commitment and a strong work ethic. These experiences came from group projects and my previous jobs and that approach worked well for me.
While I haven’t held a formal leadership position during this internship, my time abroad has significantly changed my understanding of leadership by exposing me to a vastly different professional culture. I’ve observed how some of my coworkers navigate challenges and motivate the team, often employing different communication styles than I’m used to. Specifically, I’ve adapted to the direct communication style used in Prague. Additionally, I’ve gotten to observe how a small company is run and organized. This has broadened my perspective on what effective leadership looks like in diverse contexts. One example is keeping track of everyone’s tasks and projects, and communicating directly in a server. This has been very efficient and simple for us interns. We use Slack to communicate as a company. My mentor usually writes messages that pertain to everyone in English and the rest of the messages in Czech. I’m appreciative of this style because I feel connected and not out of the loop. They will also send memes or jokes in the chat which keeps morale high and is proven to be good for reducing turnover in a company.
Also, I believe adapting to a new environment (learning new work processes and understanding unspoken cultural norms) has been a form of self-leadership. It’s required me to be more proactive in seeking information, more adaptable in my approach, and more observant when working with colleagues. Our company is on the smaller side and a lot of them work remote, so sometimes I won’t be working with many people during the day. This was challenging at first but I learned to navigate on my own. This made me realize that leadership is about the ability to influence and navigate effectively within a given system, even when you’re not in charge. I’ve also been learning softwares for content creation by myself for the most part. We use veed.io to make reels which took a while to be proficient in. But at the end of the day, all of these skills will help me in the future if I have a true leadership role.
As a result of this experience, I am becoming a better leader by significantly enhancing my adaptability and cross-cultural communication skills. I’ve learned to approach new situations with greater flexibility and to appreciate diverse working styles, which are crucial for leading diverse teams in the future. My ability to seek solutions and navigate ambiguity has also grown immensely, as I touched on in previous blogs. Figuring things out on my own, from daily logistics in Prague to mastering new softwares will serve as a skill I can build on in the future.
Beyond formal leadership, I now understand that effective leadership also involves leading oneself through challenging situations and consistently demonstrating a willingness to learn and grow. This internship with Nekrachni has reinforced the idea that leadership is less about a title and more about the impact you have through your actions, adaptability, and ability to connect with others, regardless of your formal role. During my time here I have fundamentally reshaped my understanding of what it means to lead, both myself and, eventually, others. I feel much more prepared to step into future leadership roles with a broader perspective and a greater capacity for navigating complexity.