When the time came for housekeeping end last year, my boss notified me that I had to use my leave before it expired. Then I realized: for almost the entire year of 2013, I hadn't taken a single day of leave.
The first half, I was swamped with an extremely tight site migration project in Bangalore, which we thankfully drove to a perfect success and closure. I barely had a moment to catch my breath though!
The second half of 2013, though, it was different. I was just having so much fun both at work and during the weekends, that I barely needed to take any additional leave to relax myself!
I finally got my dream 'relocation' rotation, a 5 month stint in Guangzhou (plus a week in HK, half a month in Shanghai). I always believed that to live and work in a different place and culture, is an entirely different experience from traveling there. And it was. I truly had a taste of what China culture is all about - and frankly speaking, it is a diaspora of cultures, with every province having its own nuances and personality.
Nevertheless, I felt that I understood invaluable learnings, and matured quickly in this span of time. My Guangzhou manager, in fact, was impressed by how quickly and strongly I adapted into the culture.
LESSON ONE - Always show Strength
That proved I learned my first lesson quickly - always maintain an illusion or 'front' of strength and comfort, rather than being seen to have a weakness. For the ERP implementation project I was thrown into, I had to convince Manufacturing quality managers to switch to our system, while furiously mastering the system myself! There was no room for any errors or risks that may influence their belief in the system - so I resolved any question they raised within the same week, by scouring through documentation or picking my seniors' brains.
The result: A QA team that now believes in our system, and currently realizes a more reliable QA process that saves up to 100 manual errors and 150 man-hours per year.
LESSON TWO - Be Streetsmart
The biggest difference between PRC Chinese and Singaporeans, I believe, is Street smarts. I can imagine, how you have to be flexible and work around the edges, to survive amid the chaos of rules that don't always apply. I have had my jaw drop in varied situations on and off work, at how 'things actually work around here'. Your choices will never look the same as A, B, C or D ever again.
Being streetsmart, and 'thinking outside the rules', may not be the closest to creativity and 'thinking outside the box'... but I'll bet, it's a good first step to start.
LESSON THREE - Build Relationships
I know this is in every 'DOING BUSINESS IN CHINA FOR DUMMIES' book out there - yet it really did strike me as the most important lesson I had to learn. I feel a great deal more conscious, more aware of my relationships with people now, simply because of how important they were in China, how they were magnified and scrutinized.
I am extremely glad that I was lucky enough to forge close bonds with the amazing people over there. I know they have done incredible things for me - pulling strings, putting in a good word, helping out my projects. Building relationships with Chinese is the most important investment you could ever make with them.
---
This half-year stint in China has been my best working experience so far, and reinforces my core belief: the more you stretch yourself outside your comfort circle, the faster and further you grow as a person. Here's to more good years ahead.
The first half, I was swamped with an extremely tight site migration project in Bangalore, which we thankfully drove to a perfect success and closure. I barely had a moment to catch my breath though!
The second half of 2013, though, it was different. I was just having so much fun both at work and during the weekends, that I barely needed to take any additional leave to relax myself!
I finally got my dream 'relocation' rotation, a 5 month stint in Guangzhou (plus a week in HK, half a month in Shanghai). I always believed that to live and work in a different place and culture, is an entirely different experience from traveling there. And it was. I truly had a taste of what China culture is all about - and frankly speaking, it is a diaspora of cultures, with every province having its own nuances and personality.
Nevertheless, I felt that I understood invaluable learnings, and matured quickly in this span of time. My Guangzhou manager, in fact, was impressed by how quickly and strongly I adapted into the culture.
LESSON ONE - Always show Strength
That proved I learned my first lesson quickly - always maintain an illusion or 'front' of strength and comfort, rather than being seen to have a weakness. For the ERP implementation project I was thrown into, I had to convince Manufacturing quality managers to switch to our system, while furiously mastering the system myself! There was no room for any errors or risks that may influence their belief in the system - so I resolved any question they raised within the same week, by scouring through documentation or picking my seniors' brains.
The result: A QA team that now believes in our system, and currently realizes a more reliable QA process that saves up to 100 manual errors and 150 man-hours per year.
LESSON TWO - Be Streetsmart
The biggest difference between PRC Chinese and Singaporeans, I believe, is Street smarts. I can imagine, how you have to be flexible and work around the edges, to survive amid the chaos of rules that don't always apply. I have had my jaw drop in varied situations on and off work, at how 'things actually work around here'. Your choices will never look the same as A, B, C or D ever again.
Being streetsmart, and 'thinking outside the rules', may not be the closest to creativity and 'thinking outside the box'... but I'll bet, it's a good first step to start.
LESSON THREE - Build Relationships
I know this is in every 'DOING BUSINESS IN CHINA FOR DUMMIES' book out there - yet it really did strike me as the most important lesson I had to learn. I feel a great deal more conscious, more aware of my relationships with people now, simply because of how important they were in China, how they were magnified and scrutinized.
I am extremely glad that I was lucky enough to forge close bonds with the amazing people over there. I know they have done incredible things for me - pulling strings, putting in a good word, helping out my projects. Building relationships with Chinese is the most important investment you could ever make with them.
---
This half-year stint in China has been my best working experience so far, and reinforces my core belief: the more you stretch yourself outside your comfort circle, the faster and further you grow as a person. Here's to more good years ahead.
