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Globalization starts in the brain

It's time for some straight talk about the human-resource dimension of Taiwan's economic development -- and to direct that conversation primarily to young people and to those who teach and guide them. What should today's high school and college students know about succeeding in the "flat world" so perceptively revealed in Thomas Friedman's bestselling book? What should one reply to the commonly asked question, "How should I prepare for my career?"

Friedman's book reminds us that such a question is now more difficult to answer because a large portion of today's college graduates will follow career paths that encompass several jobs, perhaps in substantially different fields. The pace of change in Taiwan's marketplace will continue to intensify as the manufacturing sector moves further upscale and especially as the service sector finally takes off.

As markets become more and more internationalized, competitive pressures will eliminate those enterprises that can't keep pace with customer demands. Businesses fail. Mergers happen. Product lines change. Business processes evolve. So expecting a job to last a lifetime is simply unrealistic.

How does one prepare for such a varied and unpredictable stream of careers, whether in Taiwan or elsewhere?

Business and educational leaders are calling on people to develop an "international mindset," but what does that mean to the young student across the table waiting for suggestions on career preparation? Ask the chief executive officers of multinational organizations to define the concept, and the chances are that the following items will be on their list of essential components.

English matters. Sorry, if you don't have it, you won't be international. Like it or not, English is the primary language of international business and education. And simple conversational English and a passing reading knowledge isn't enough.

English-language study has to be taken seriously, and it has to be reinforced by constant reading and writing. That doesn't mean other languages are unimportant, but the lingua franca that unites business people and professionals around the world is English.

Teamwork isn't just a concept; it's a way of life. Successful people know both how to lead and how to follow. There's a lot of talk these days about EQ (emotional quotient) being just as important as IQ, and it should not be taken lightly.

Teamwork is more than an attitude; as the word implies, it's hard and often frustrating work. It goes far beyond just being friendly with colleagues and keeping intra-office irritability at a minimum.

Teamwork means the subordination of a group of disparate people with differentiated skills to a common goal or mission. When it succeeds, it is due to the genuine strength that emerges from combined efforts, mutual support, shared opinions, and the exchange of constructive criticism.

Expect to pay your dues. The astute new graduate will willingly start low but aim high. Formal education at best provides sharp mental hooks that make it easier to quickly grasp and perform the job at hand. Far too many new graduates see a strong academic record as a passport to immediate leadership responsibility. Sorry, it doesn't work that way. Positions of authority have to be earned.

On-the-job training is a necessary fact of life that takes time, patience, and a willingness to adjust to tedium, detail work and oftentimes to onerous tasks and difficult personalities. For those who don't bail out -- or break away too soon just to receive slightly higher pay someplace else -- the rewards can be substantial. Paying ones dues gets results.

Take on tough assignments. The best advice to young graduates is to seek out challenging tasks. Professional growth comes from taking risks and making mistakes. Overcoming errors is an important process of learning. It is important to reject the fear of losing face by asking a question or stating an opinion to a superior or in a group. The employee or manager who speaks out and takes on tough assignments is on the fast track to success. Particularly productive is to take positions that involve overseas travel and residence, so as to learn firsthand about other societies, languages and cultures.

Set high standards. Work ethics and honesty genuinely matter. Just as Taiwan moves toward improved standards of corporate governance, companies are also demanding higher standards of performance from their employees. A good work ethic doesn't mean merely a willingness to put in long hours -- it means working to the best of one's ability, aiming for zero defects and continuously seeking to heighten one's skills and performance through additional training and better teamwork.

Excellent organizations have value statements that are taken seriously; they expect their employees to measure up. If one loses a position for malfeasance of some sort, the stigma is difficult indeed to erase.

This isn't an exhaustive list of what is needed for an international mindset, but these items are fair indications of the challenges ahead for those entering the work force -- and for those responsible for guiding the education and development of Taiwan's future leaders.

Richard Vuylsteke is executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei. This article was reprinted from the February 2006 issue of Taiwan Business TOPICS magazine.
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