If I’ve learned anything over the course of my 20-plus year corporate career, it is that the willingness to take risks and the ability to connect the dots are inextricably intertwined. Playing it safe may have been the way when people stayed at the same company for 30 years, but in an age where the median tenure is less than five years, you have a fairly finite period of time to make enough of an impression to propel your career.

I am not advocating risk in a way that is maverick or irreverent, but instead in a way that focuses on capitalizing on opportunities that may not always seem to be the most obvious. This is where connecting the dots comes into play.

For the entirety of my corporate life, I worked in multinational companies with huge global footprints. When I looked at the most successful leaders in my organizations, they all had one thing in common aside from the core competencies required of all senior leaders: They all had experience living and working outside of their country of origin. Sure, there were some leaders who hadn’t, and working abroad wasn’t the only pattern, but I found that it was a pretty key differentiator in businesses that needed leaders who were at the very least bi-culturally competent.

In the global economy, one size doesn’t fit all. What applies in the U.S. doesn’t always apply in the U.K. or Brazil or Hong Kong. Getting the best from teams and forming strong client relationships isn’t always about the age-old formulas that work in your home country. It is about understanding cultural nuances that you can’t always get on a business trip.

My real “aha” moment came when I connected the dots between leadership and international experience. In hindsight, it seems obvious given the mission and footprint of the businesses that I worked in. And while this particular piece is about the benefit of working abroad, I encourage you to take a step back and connect the dots in your business. What is it that the leaders of your company have in common and what kind of risk does it involve?

I have now lived and worked in the U.S., Asia and Europe. My ascent to global C-suite executive in a Fortune 100 company is absolutely attributable to my experience abroad. In addition to adding jet fuel to my ascent, I landed in very senior roles at a relatively young age given the value attributed to my multi-country experience. Here are five things that I’ve learned about leadership and working abroad:

1. It is okay to make a lateral career move when going abroad. Moving abroad for work is exciting at first, but most people experience a range of emotions. The first days and months are a period of significant personal change. It isn’t the worst thing to be able to do your day job with your eyes closed. It will give you time to settle in without having to worry about keeping up with the responsibilities of an even bigger job.