 Let the new rules guide you through the world of international business 
We have a treat for NHR readers here. ClarkMorgan co-founder and HR Director Andy Clark recently authored the New Rules, a book detailing some of the biggest issues facing Chinese employees working for multinational companies. When I read it, straight away, I thought that it would become a guide for Chinese employees who are keen to succeed and advance. We are delighted to offer excerpts from the first two chapters as a bit of a sneak preview - we hope you like it! -Editor
 During my eight years in China, I have worked for, consulted with and trained at over 100 different multinational companies in a wide variety of industries. In that time, I have come across some very common issues. Seeing these issues repeated again and again in almost every industry prompted me to write The New Rules. Initially, I felt that these rules would be for those Chinese who were new to the international working environment, but the more training and the more seminars I deliver, the more I realise that even those with many years of work experience need these rules. I am sure you will already know and understand a large number of them very well. However, even if you are unaware of just a handful of them, then your career aspirations could be under threat and you may not even realise! Being unaware of these rules costs countless staff members at organisations across China their chance at a major promotion. My older brother worked in Denmark as the HR Director for the country’s largest investment bank. Over his ten years at the company, he saw it – and helped it – grow from seventy staff to almost 400. One of those was Steven, a very successful manager who was originally from Tianjin. Steven had spent many years abroad and even had a Harvard MBA. For several years, my brother wanted to promote Steven from his middle management position to a more senior role. Unfortunately, there was one key issue that held Steven back – his table manners. Everyday, in the staff cafeteria, (which was like a restaurant)Steven would slurp down his soup, spit any bones out onto the table and get his face very close to his food. This caught the attention of his colleagues, who frowned upon his behaviour. However, because Steven was a middle-aged man, no one felt that they could raise the issue. The senior management position would involve high-level dinners with directors and senior management of other firms. Therefore, the bank judged Steven to be unsuitable for the position. He had created a glass ceiling for himself and he did not even know. When I first arrived in China, I worked for a business institute in Shanghai, in Xujiahui. On my first day, the academic director decided to offer me a gentle start by giving me just a one-hour class – an “English Corner”. I was soon to find out that this was a class of around eighty students who would simply listen to me speak for the whole hour. At first, I was extremely nervous, as I did not really know what to talk about. I started the class with “Hi … err, my name is Andy and I’m … err from England”. Thankfully, I managed to get through a whole hour. One student however, decided to give me some feedback. He said, “Andy, we think you will be a very good teacher, but you say ‘umm’ and ‘err’ all the time”. He then smiled and walked away, leaving me in shock. I had always thought I had great presentation skills. I presumed that people thought I was a fun version of a BBC newsreader – clear, expressive and professional. Alas, this was far from the truth. In fact, my presentation skills were quite poor, badly damaged by the hesitation that made me sound nervous and unclear. I resolved that from that day on, I would break my habit and give strong clear presentations, minus the ‘umms’ and ‘errs’. At first this was a challenge, I really had to force myself out of the habit, choosing instead to pause rather than say anything. Over time however, it became much easier and now in my presentations such hesitation is very rare (although I still do it occasionally). Although when I first heard about my problem, it hit me like a punch in the stomach, I now look back and realise that it was the most valuable thing that anyone ever said to me.
Later, at the same institute, I also realised that I had a problem with my dress code, of which I was unaware. Everyday in class, I wore a suit. However, I did not feel the need to wear a belt. I would carry my mobile phone in one pocket and my bulky wallet in the other. This made my suit quite misshapen and gave my trousers ‘big ears’. I had no idea how silly this looked until, one day, a very kind student bought me a belt as a present and told me that maybe I should keep the contents of my pockets in my bag as some of the other students had been laughing at me. It was only through this act of kindness that I learned a valuable lesson and solved a problem, which had I not addressed it, may have held me back. It is with these stories in mind that I began the New Rules, to prevent something you are completely unaware of from holding you back. I hope and believe that many of the rules in this book are obvious to you already. It may seem therefore, that much of this is a waste of time as you are already working in a professional and international manner. However, take a look around at your colleagues. I hope that the New Rules might also help you to put a colleague back on track if they are breaking one of the rules. If you do not feel brave enough to inform them, then perhaps you could instead buy them a copy. Who knows, perhaps once they apply the rules and get the promotion that had previously proved so elusive, they might just reward you!
Office Basics Change your mobile phone’s ringer to vibrate
Most westerners are quite sensitive to the noise level of phones. They feel that a loud ring tone can be highly distracting for everyone around. Take out your mobile phone now, go into “phone settings” and select “vibrate”. This will ensure that when your phone rings it will alert you, and only you, by vibrating. For men, this will mean keeping your phone either in your pocket or in a pouch on your belt. For women you may wish to keep your phone out on the table whilst at your desk, or in a purse that you keep close to you.
Introduce your colleagues and contacts to one another
One thing I learned from my time in the US is that I love introductions. However, when I go back to the UK and meet up with my old friend Joe, it’s a different story. He never introduces me to his friends; he figures that if we want to talk we will introduce ourselves at the appropriate time. An enthusiastic introduction accompanied by a sentence or two about the individual is definitely a best practice that should be international. When you introduce Mike to your friend and say “This is Mike and he runs Adsmith, a fast growing PR and advertising agency in Shanghai” you make Mike feel great and show you both remember him and know that he’s important. He is certain to reciprocate next time!
Meetings No yawning, fidgeting or clicking pens
I recently sat in on a monthly meeting at a manufacturing company in Suzhou. I was amazed to see some of the participants actively showing they were bored. I witnessed staff looking around the room, coughing loudly, shuffling their chairs and even yawning. This was, at times, clearly distracting for the speaker. Many of the noises were so loud that I could not hear the conversation. This type of fidgeting seemed contagious. As soon as one or two people started doing it, it quickly spread throughout the room. Show the necessary respect to your meeting’s chair and speaker by keeping noise and movements to a minimum.
Prepare the information that you need
This rule really goes for everything, but it is essential for meetings and especially teleconferences. Make sure that you have the key facts and figures with you either on your laptop or printed out in hardcopy – make sure though, you condense the information to save paper. This way you will sound highly knowledgeable when asked a question and you will be able to respond right away.
If asked to introduce yourself, give more than just two sentences!  Many times in meetings staff members need to introduce themselves, but say only a few words. I have found that the Chinese are similar to the British (unlike our American cousins) in this respect - we can be a little too humble in front of others. For example, we will say very quietly and shyly, “My name is Lily and I work in the accounting department”. Instead, in an international meeting we should add some more details in order to make a connection with the group. It would be much better to say, “Hi everyone, my name is Lily and I am from a small town just north of Beijing. I have been working at XYZ for five years now and am now team leader for the Shanghai finance team”. This will leave everyone with a much stronger impression and even help build your personal branding, which in future can even get you promoted! |
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