[How To Survive in a Typical Chinaman Company] Rather than wait for an exhaustive study to come out with comprehensive guidebooks, perhaps I could leapfrog the process and spill some beans here for someones benefit. Note: I am writing this fact for fact based on my own experience and that of others, with no ill intent to disparage or to give excuses for the Typical Chinaman Company or any entity resembling it. It is strictly for our continual education and sharing of experiences. Chinaman here denotes Malaysian Chinese business person or department head or supervisor, including male and female. The note below therefore would be super helpful if you are already working for a typical Chinaman company or are thinking of getting into one. It is NOT ammunition for you to use to insult anyone at any level. PLEASE! But if it will help you understand some of the hardwired ways of the typical Chinaman, it will help you navigate better towards greater heights in their corporate domain, where it can be very very rewarding albeit with many scars. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPEED AND TIMING - Typical Chinaman are brought up in usually rather difficult circumstances, and something in the fight or flight button or some call it, survival mode is switched on at an early age - Typical Chinaman are taught from young to do everything quick, quick, quick - Almost everything is done in kan chiong fashion (HIGH URGENCY) - So at work, of UTMOST importance is turnaround rate: How fast you get the job accomplished. - A typical Chinaman wants things fast, fast, fast. - It is said that the typical Chinamans deadline is always YESTERDAY. And he is only half joking. He wants it before today. DRAMA ORIENTED - When I worked in the US, my bosses scolded me because my kan chiongness was annoying them and upsetting the calm that they were trying to keep - When I came back, I was always accused of being too relaxed and calm - So the Chinaman needs to see drama. - Yes, they are mostly process-oriented... at least more than result oriented. - Even if you are calm and collected, if they dont see you panicking, they will panic because they feel that someone, something somewhere is going to drop the ball. MONEY SENSE - 7 out of 10 Chinese are born accountants. They are frugal and stingy on most things. But when it comes to food, charity and buying their way to heaven, they can really be super lavished. - I know many supper rich Chinese carrying thick purses, not because they carry much cash, BUT because they have tons of discount vouchers that they keep with them. - So weve established that they are super calculative when it comes to money. Every cent counts. - During my exit interview a few jobs ago, my Macau boss said to me, Josh, you still owe the petty cash RM0.03. Can you settle it now please? - Spending money to earn money is a concept they find very difficult to understand. If there are no guaranteed ROIs, you can forget about bringing it to their attention. - They have amazing mental arithmetics. If you have not worked out the numbers, stay far far away, get busy, look even busier and figure out your math and think PERMUTATIONS... because numbers are always fluid because there are many variables in any financial situation. GOOD COP BAD COP - The big boss will always play the good cop. They will never want to be seen as the one that makes the bad decision. - That is the job of your supervisor or the one you report to. - So you can forget about getting consistent signals. Chances are, you will be getting very mixed signals if you deal with the top management. You just have to be smart enough to make sure youve done your honest best (with added drama), and your efforts are made apparent to both your big boss and your supervisor. - a few jobs ago, the Big Boss hired me for job scope A but I was parked under supervisor B. Supervisor B wanted me to do job scope B ONLY. I came to find out that the Big Boss was at odds with Supervisor B, whose husband was a shareholder also. I became the fool in the middle shoved to and fro and faulted at every turn. I left after a while. I wasnt that smart back then. COMMUNICATION - The typical Chinaman is not the most tactful person. In fact, his/her ways of communication can be very brash, very to the point, and sometimes, very hurtful. - In fact, if they are loud and brash, its a what you see is what you get scenario, but if they are quiet, then you better be on your guard. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Indeed, it must be said, that it is a very very tough environment to be in if youre working for a typical Chinaman. Many who have stayed on and climbed the corporate ranks in this domain suffer from multiple ulcers in their mouths or boils in their buttocks. But to each his own. We must chose which cross we are to carry. We must chose our battles. BUT WE ARE THE ONES TO DECIDE. No one is forcing us to take the beating or to pursue careers in such a place. But if you like drama, and if youre young and want to toughen up, then Id highly suggest that you immerse yourself in a Chinaman company, and take it as COMMANDO TRAINING CAMP. I promised youll not only survive, but thrive anywhere you go thereafter. But dont bring the bad side of the Chinaman culture with you ah ;)
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 03:39:11 +0000
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