|
Newspaper Article
|
|
|
|
Importance of Korea Mentors
By Tom Coyner
Korea Times
Nov. 29, 2007
During these past months, I have often written this column from the
perspective of a foreign business professional, often culturally at odds
with the Korean environment. When appropriate, I have suggested taking a
stand as a representative of foreign concern and standing up to some of the
less productive, local business norms. But more often, I have tried to show
how to adapt and swim downstream rather than up.
Upon getting one's feet wet in Korean business, the best way to learn how to
swim efficiently is to find one or more Korean mentors. For this column's
purposes, let's say there are two kinds of Korea mentors. The first, and
often the most attractive, are the foreign "old Korea hands." The second are
Korean friends, colleagues and friends often made outside of one's
employment. Both mentor types may be invaluable ― and to rely on just one
type is probably a bit risky.
Let's first consider the "old Korea hands." Often these foreigners speak
basic to excellent Korean, have been working here a decade or longer, and
almost consistently have Korean spouses. These folks are easy to find
socially and professionally ― and often they can be generous with their time
and insight to give you pointers on how to succeed ― or, at least, not to
trip on some of the more common, hidden obstacles. As one may expect, these
folks can introduce you to others ― both Korean and foreign ― who will often
endeavor to make your sojourn more productive, interesting and comfortable.
The potential downside of these Korea hands is that many have been here too
long in the sense that they have created views, sometimes stereotypes, based
on the Korea of the 1990s or whenever, with minor updates. Having created a
working intellectual model over the past years, Korea hands tend to apply
mental short cuts ― as we all do for just about everything. The obvious
danger is that these models can be dated and the advice, while convincing,
can also be a bit out of sync with current realities.
Thanks to the Internet, however, the above-stated problem has been somewhat
alleviated. Specifically, there are some decent web sites featuring blogs
that offer some practical advice. Probably the most active and visited
English blog on what's happening in Korea is The Marmot's Hole run by Seoul
Selection's Robert Koehler, but very much maintained by several old Korea
hands. While most of these Korea hands are not business professionals per
se, they collectively do a remarkable job on keeping a pulse, in English, on
what's happening in Korea today. Furthermore, Marmot's is a great place to
begin one's Internet surfing, since the blog has what seems to be a near
exhaustive listing of hot links to other Asia-related blogs. Marmot's Hole
can be found at
http://www.rjkoehler.com/
For those looking for white papers on doing business in Korea, you can find
some interesting essays on the U.S. Commercial Service's web site at
http://www.buyusa.gov/korea/en/doingbusinessinkorea.html. In addition I
have posted my prior, fifty plus published articles on doing business in
Korea, at
http://www.softlandingkorea.com/whitePapers.html.
The second type of mentor here comprises of Koreans. Typically these Koreans
speak English somewhere between basic to fluent. Often these Koreans have
worked in multinational companies, worked overseas or spent time in their
youth living or studying abroad. Within this group there are many who are
eager to socialize but often lacking in solid business experience. So, while
some of these people may make excellent, life-long friends, one needs to be
discerning in recognizing which Koreans are simply good people to know as
opposed to being those worthy of being your mentors.
From my personal experience, the mentors that offered me the most insight
have been Korean friends with established, successful business track
records. Many of them are in semi or full retirement. As such, they have
more time than someone who is in mid career. It is possible to arrange for
them to take an hour out to sit back and often give invaluable advice,
frequently illustrated with personal anecdotes that in themselves offer
supplemental insights. In addition, these wonderful people can introduce you
to others in Korean society, often at the right or senior levels, to allow
you to advance your Korea business goals.
So, how does one find such Korean mentors ― and, more important, how does
one earn the opportunity to be mentored by these mature individuals?
While there is no sure and true path for everyone, there are some common
venues worth exploring. In most business communities around the world, a
great way to mix social intermixing while offering community service can be
found in organizations such as Lions, Kiwanis and Rotary. All three plus
other organizations may be found in Korea, but only Seoul Rotary Club in
Seoul and Tongbaek Rotary Club in Busan conduct themselves in English. As
such, for example, the Seoul Rotary Club is almost 40% expatriate. While
joining Rotary should not be cynically motivated for finding mentors,
mentors may be found if the foreign business person proves him or herself to
be a sincere Rotarian, eager to help out with charity tasks and work to make
the club achieve its goals. For more information, visit
http://www.seoulrotary.com/.
Should you wish to consider attending a Rotary meeting, please email me at
tom@softlandingkorea.com.
Another way to learn a great deal about Korea as well as to find friends ―
both Korean and foreign ― among whom some may end up being your future
mentors is to become active in the Royal Asiatic Society, Korea Branch
(RAS). This community organization has a tradition that goes back to 1900.
It is truly unique in many ways. First, it is has a century-long tradition
of pioneering Korea Studies through its publications and semi-monthly public
lecture series. Furthermore, virtually every weekend, the RAS organizes
ridiculously inexpensive but very professional tours of Korea, guided by
Korean experts and, yes, "old Korea hands." What is striking about the RAS
is the mixture of people who are active in this group. At any event one may
find ambassadors, students, teachers, and, yes, business professionals. In
the case of the latter, many have recognized as they gain cultural skills
and deeper understanding of Korea they can immediately leverage those
insights into their business dealings. Whatever the motive, most people
simply show up by themselves or with their families simply because it's fun.
In-depth information on the RAS may be found at
http://www.raskb.com
There are other venues to befriend future mentors, of course, such as at
churches, sports clubs. The legal firm Hwang Mok Park sponsors exceptional
business dinners monthly, the Hilton Hotel has Wine & Cheese events and
Pudding Clubs, etc,
But one other word of advice I may offer is to take care from slipping into
the "foreign ghetto" ― unless your business is primarily focused on
servicing the expat community. And even in that case, you are bound to lose
out on learning a great deal about his fascinating country and its people if
you only socialize with other foreigners. For the rest of us, I close this
column in suggesting that you should find both foreign and Korean mentors as
if your business depends on it, as indeed might well be the case.
Tom Coyner is president of Soft Landing Korea, a consulting group
focusing on sales and human resources issues. He is co-author of
Mastering Business in Korea: A Practical Guide.
|
|
