I started to write this post a few days before the 10th Anniversary of Sept 11, 2001 but got side tracked before leaving the US on a three trip that took me to Buenos Aires and Salta in Argentina, Los Angeles, Shanghai and Tokyo. From the Atlantic to the Pacific and back with a sojourn to 13,000 feet in the Andes in the middle. I flew from Charlotte NC to Buenos Aires on anniversary of 9/11. It was hard not to reflect on how life has changed............ now to finish my original post.
Labor Day has always been a transition holiday. As a kid, it marked the end of summer vacation and the beginning of school. As an adult it marked the end of the slowest part of the business year and the beginning of the push to finish the year stronger than the prior year.
Ten years ago I was living in Japan and did not celebrate Labor Day but my colleagues in the US did. That week I was preparing for my boss to arrive in Japan on September 11. By that time, I had been in Japan 18 months and was beginning to forget about American holidays. My "new normal: was taking the train to work rather than driving, bowing instead of shaking hands and trying to explain to our American HQ why things were different in Japan. Life had changed but my travel life was about to change more than I could imagine.
Before I moved to Japan, I was traveling about 100 days a year. I lived 20 minutes from the airport and on days that I needed to fly, would leave the house about 60 minutes before my departure time, park at the $6/day lot just a few steps from the terminal, check-in, go through security, get something to drink in the lounge and board the plane. That, for me as a frequent flyer, was a normal flying day in the US before September 11, 2001.
Before I write further I am very aware that the real tragedy of 9/11 is that many families lost loved ones in the terror attacks and the ensuing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Of course, that is the real tragedy of 9/11.
However in addition to the real tragedy is second order impact - all the "over the top" and mostly useless "security" that has been added to the travel experience. Any commercial traveler in the US is required to have a part in the security "Kabuki" that takes place in airports all over the US.
I remember my first domestic flights when I returned to the US for the first time after 9/11. My one hour departure from my front door to take off became a three hour ordeal. Despite being an American, my travel in the US set off all the alarms set up by the newly formed airport security apparatus. My tickets were for first class and issued in Japanese Yen rather than US dollars. Although Japan was not known as a hotbed for terrorists, the simple test in the fall of 2001 for a potential terrorist was "any ticket written in a foreign currency". The 9/11 terrorists flew in first class so that combined with foreign currency got me "randomly" selected for "enhanced" security 100% of the time for almost two years. Fortunately the "shoe bomber" had yet to appear so while my carry-on bags were being dumped out in front of me and my three cells were being scrutinized, at least I got to keep my shoes on. My US, Japan and China based cell phones always brought on additional questions: "why all the phones?" My simple answer that I traveled regularly to the US and China and lived in Japan (global phones were outrageously expensive and not common in 2001) always brought more "why? why? why? questions. Meanwhile, as my patience wore thin and boarding continued I was losing overhead bin space - as someone who doesn't check bags this was a constant frustration as was the attitude of most of the security people who had yet been organized into TSA.
My recollection is that flying remained extremely inconvenient for almost five years. I remember being in Australia with my family on vacation and watching the report about the "shoe bomber" on a flight to the US. My first thought was "here we go again" and sure enough a few weeks later in the US I was padding barefoot through the X-ray machine. Once in Hawaii, my entire family was told each of us was "randomly" selected to a search - we were taken to a tented area and all our bags, even those my wife and kids had checked, were dumped out on a tarp and checked. "What are the odds of 4 people with the same last name being randomly selected on a flight with less than 150 people?" I asked the person in charge. The only response was that we do what we are told......
Each new wrinkle in the TSA policy seemed like a bad joke to me - especially after the "no more than 3 ounces of liquid in a single container and all liquids in one small plastic bag" requirement was added. I quickly learned that as long as I produced a bag with small liquid containers on the belt through the x-ray machine, I could leave other liquids in my briefcase and not get questioned - that made the plastic bag rule seem even more foolish. I still do this every flight and can say that after literally more than 200 trips through security I have only been stopped once for the hand moisturizer and contact lens solution I always leave in my briefcase.
Recently the TSA has added body scanners at many airports - no belts or anything in your pockets now. The lines get slower and it is highly doubtful any real measure of security is being added.
Osama is gone now but his legacy of causing travel inconvenience will live on. I am all for better security when it is more than a show for the masses. As someone that travels the world on a regular basis, I still wonder why the US cannot seem to put a system that is efficient and no evasive like they have in Japan, other parts of Asia and many places in Europe.
Lake
Near Yellow Mountain
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Coaching
Last Friday, I had the final meeting with my "coach". A somewhat sad day for me - like the last day of a college class you really enjoyed or finishing a good book. I was surprised how much I benefited from the experience.
Prior to my return from living in Asia for eleven years, it was suggested that a "coach" could help me speed up re-entry to life in the US organization. When I got back to the US late last year, I was asked (again) if I was interested working with a coach. "Sounds like a good idea" was my response. Honestly, I was more curious about the whole "coaching" phenomena. I wanted to know what a coach actually does and if, for example, they gave you homework.
Before I left the US in early 2000, it seemed only those destined for the top management suite or those likely to be shown the door due to behavioral issues had coaches. In short, coaching seemed either for accelerated mentoring or "anger management".
The coaching "industry" seemed to have gone mainstream while I was in Asia - like drinking bottled water or doing ergonomic evaluations of every employee's "work environment". Another of the many changes I have noticed since coming back.
Like everything else in this blog, what I say about coaching is "generalizing from a small sample" - my experience and my opinion.
As far as the value for money of coaching - it is hard to say. I never checked on the cost - my feeling is that my coach was relatively pricy especially based on the fact there is a large organizational umbrella (read company that needs to make a profit and pay overhead) in between my coach and my employer. Many coaches can be reached directly via their website but large company's tend to use a service to arrange coaching. Just as sure as I am that I benefitted from the time with my coach (a couple hours each week when I was in the country); I am also sure that I would never have been willing to pay out of my own pocket for coaching. A more likely scenario is that I would have read a couple of books by coaches and/or discussed my repatriations issues with a fellow ex-pat in an airport lounge or on a long haul flight. I might have just pored out my soul to Yuki - our loyal dog and gotten feedback via how bored she looked while I talked. I say none of this to denigrate the value of coaching. I had the good fortune to work with an excellent coach but given the nature of the industry I think I was lucky. In general, coaching is more laissez faire than "financial planning".
Once it was decided that I would have a coach, I was given several candidates to consider - I selected two from the group to meet over lunch and then picked one.
My coach did a great job of helping me sort out how I felt about returning and whether it made more sense for me to focus on success in my current position or perhaps ultimately deciding that I was better off finding a new opportunity where the skills I developed in Japan and China would be better utilized and appreciated. It was a socratic process to get me to come to up with future plan on a step by step basis. I wasn't told what or how to think but I was supported through a process that enabled me to select my own "end game". Clearly "an end" is coming to the role with my current employer and the real question is: what path do I take with the skills I have developed?
In any case, the formal process has come to an end. I am thankful for the opportunity to work with someone who was skillful at getting me to work through a process to decide if I am better off on my own. The question is: with one daughter just out of college and another with three more years at one of the most expensive schools in the world; do I have the courage to "do the right thing"? Time will tell.
Thanks "coach"
Prior to my return from living in Asia for eleven years, it was suggested that a "coach" could help me speed up re-entry to life in the US organization. When I got back to the US late last year, I was asked (again) if I was interested working with a coach. "Sounds like a good idea" was my response. Honestly, I was more curious about the whole "coaching" phenomena. I wanted to know what a coach actually does and if, for example, they gave you homework.
Before I left the US in early 2000, it seemed only those destined for the top management suite or those likely to be shown the door due to behavioral issues had coaches. In short, coaching seemed either for accelerated mentoring or "anger management".
The coaching "industry" seemed to have gone mainstream while I was in Asia - like drinking bottled water or doing ergonomic evaluations of every employee's "work environment". Another of the many changes I have noticed since coming back.
Like everything else in this blog, what I say about coaching is "generalizing from a small sample" - my experience and my opinion.
As far as the value for money of coaching - it is hard to say. I never checked on the cost - my feeling is that my coach was relatively pricy especially based on the fact there is a large organizational umbrella (read company that needs to make a profit and pay overhead) in between my coach and my employer. Many coaches can be reached directly via their website but large company's tend to use a service to arrange coaching. Just as sure as I am that I benefitted from the time with my coach (a couple hours each week when I was in the country); I am also sure that I would never have been willing to pay out of my own pocket for coaching. A more likely scenario is that I would have read a couple of books by coaches and/or discussed my repatriations issues with a fellow ex-pat in an airport lounge or on a long haul flight. I might have just pored out my soul to Yuki - our loyal dog and gotten feedback via how bored she looked while I talked. I say none of this to denigrate the value of coaching. I had the good fortune to work with an excellent coach but given the nature of the industry I think I was lucky. In general, coaching is more laissez faire than "financial planning".
Once it was decided that I would have a coach, I was given several candidates to consider - I selected two from the group to meet over lunch and then picked one.
 |
| Pondering what to do "next" |
In any case, the formal process has come to an end. I am thankful for the opportunity to work with someone who was skillful at getting me to work through a process to decide if I am better off on my own. The question is: with one daughter just out of college and another with three more years at one of the most expensive schools in the world; do I have the courage to "do the right thing"? Time will tell.
Thanks "coach"
Thursday, August 4, 2011
The Office
After eight months back in the US, I am quite comfortable and settled. There is only one thing that I have yet to adapt to - spending more than a couple days a month in the US office. I am in the midst of three straight "office" weeks. I did this once before earlier in the year to prove to myself I could do it. This second run of three straight weeks was mostly for personal reasons - I didn't want to be away while my younger daughter was back from college so I had a very good reason to stay close to home.
My job is to make sure our worldwide customer base is buying product and satisfied with our service. The majority of our business is outside the US - so spending a lot of time in the office is, for the most part, non productive. Of course, there is administrative work (planning, budgets, reviews, reports, face to face time key people, etc) but that doesn't take up more than 20% of my time. Most of the people who report to me live outside the US. Not much point to spending a lot of time in the North Carolina office.
For over a decade, I didn't have to worry too much about being bored in the office. Although I had completely different situations when I lived in Kobe, Japan and Shanghai, China - neither presented the "office" challenge that I have here.
I spent over five years in Japan but almost never went to the same office more than once a week. Due to the fact that I had responsibility for both my company's Asia Pacific business and two joint ventures with Japanese partners, my office situation was a little complicated. Of course much of the time I was out of the country so which office I would go to didn't come into play. Other times I was in the Tokyo area where most of our customers had their HQs.
For my company's non-JV business, I had a small space in a "serviced" office where although there was only one of me (and no employees), the serviced office created the impression that the company footprint was much larger than my small room. One of the serviced office receptionists greeted the occasional visitor and answered my phone. If I needed a big, impressive, conference room, I could rent it by the hour and have an "office lady" (an actual job title in Japan not me being politically incorrect) bring coffee and tea creating the impression that we had a staff in the Osaka office. As President of two joint ventures, I had the "power" desk at the back of a room with many other desks in front of me. I guess the logic is the guy in the back can see what everyone is doing. Our partner company didn't particularly want a "gaijin" in the office even if he was the JV President. My time in that office was limited and largely ceremonial. The time I spent with customers was the important part.
Often, I simply worked from home - our 19th floor apartment was on an island in Kobe Bay - I will never live in a place with a better view. My wife was not always thrilled when I announced that I was working from home. I enjoyed the diversity of work environments. My time in Japan was completely different from the experience I had when we moved to Shanghai.
Shanghai was a major change - upon arrival I was our division's first and only employee in China but my mandate was different. Instead of dealing with JV partners, I was to hire a local team, acquire land, form a local company and get a plant built while still spending a lot of time in Japan and traveling around Asia. I started with a serviced office office rented from the same international company I rented from in Japan. After that all similarity stopped.
As the China team grew, I began to get questions about "policies" - the lunch policy, the working time policy, the company trip policy. After working independently for so long; I had to get used to a constant stream of questions. In the end, delegation became my "policy" for all policy questions. I responded to all "what is the xxx policy questions" by asking "what do you think the policy should be?" and adding "since I am not Chinese I need your help". This system worked very well because I was lucky - I hired a great admin who enjoyed formulating policy. Time passed - we hired more people.
The next big hurdle was finding our own office space, getting it decorated and moving in. Serviced offices are great for one or two people but when you have several people, it usually is less expensive to get your own place. Being in the Shanghai office was never boring, we had a lot to do, a growing business and many customers from small cities in China that visited us because they wanted an excuse to visit Shanghai. Training the new team and more importantly learning from them kept me busy and I never had the feeling of ennui that I have in the US office. It also helped being the boss. In a Chinese office, the boss gets more respect than in a US office plus since salaries are lower and the culture of "full employment" exists, there was never a shortage of people trying to help me get things done or teach me the proper pronunciation for a Chinese word. I got spoiled in Shanghai and I am still going through withdrawal.
My job is to make sure our worldwide customer base is buying product and satisfied with our service. The majority of our business is outside the US - so spending a lot of time in the office is, for the most part, non productive. Of course, there is administrative work (planning, budgets, reviews, reports, face to face time key people, etc) but that doesn't take up more than 20% of my time. Most of the people who report to me live outside the US. Not much point to spending a lot of time in the North Carolina office.
For over a decade, I didn't have to worry too much about being bored in the office. Although I had completely different situations when I lived in Kobe, Japan and Shanghai, China - neither presented the "office" challenge that I have here.
I spent over five years in Japan but almost never went to the same office more than once a week. Due to the fact that I had responsibility for both my company's Asia Pacific business and two joint ventures with Japanese partners, my office situation was a little complicated. Of course much of the time I was out of the country so which office I would go to didn't come into play. Other times I was in the Tokyo area where most of our customers had their HQs.
For my company's non-JV business, I had a small space in a "serviced" office where although there was only one of me (and no employees), the serviced office created the impression that the company footprint was much larger than my small room. One of the serviced office receptionists greeted the occasional visitor and answered my phone. If I needed a big, impressive, conference room, I could rent it by the hour and have an "office lady" (an actual job title in Japan not me being politically incorrect) bring coffee and tea creating the impression that we had a staff in the Osaka office. As President of two joint ventures, I had the "power" desk at the back of a room with many other desks in front of me. I guess the logic is the guy in the back can see what everyone is doing. Our partner company didn't particularly want a "gaijin" in the office even if he was the JV President. My time in that office was limited and largely ceremonial. The time I spent with customers was the important part.
Often, I simply worked from home - our 19th floor apartment was on an island in Kobe Bay - I will never live in a place with a better view. My wife was not always thrilled when I announced that I was working from home. I enjoyed the diversity of work environments. My time in Japan was completely different from the experience I had when we moved to Shanghai.
Shanghai was a major change - upon arrival I was our division's first and only employee in China but my mandate was different. Instead of dealing with JV partners, I was to hire a local team, acquire land, form a local company and get a plant built while still spending a lot of time in Japan and traveling around Asia. I started with a serviced office office rented from the same international company I rented from in Japan. After that all similarity stopped.
As the China team grew, I began to get questions about "policies" - the lunch policy, the working time policy, the company trip policy. After working independently for so long; I had to get used to a constant stream of questions. In the end, delegation became my "policy" for all policy questions. I responded to all "what is the xxx policy questions" by asking "what do you think the policy should be?" and adding "since I am not Chinese I need your help". This system worked very well because I was lucky - I hired a great admin who enjoyed formulating policy. Time passed - we hired more people.
 |
| Sometimes we moved the Shanghai office outside |
The next big hurdle was finding our own office space, getting it decorated and moving in. Serviced offices are great for one or two people but when you have several people, it usually is less expensive to get your own place. Being in the Shanghai office was never boring, we had a lot to do, a growing business and many customers from small cities in China that visited us because they wanted an excuse to visit Shanghai. Training the new team and more importantly learning from them kept me busy and I never had the feeling of ennui that I have in the US office. It also helped being the boss. In a Chinese office, the boss gets more respect than in a US office plus since salaries are lower and the culture of "full employment" exists, there was never a shortage of people trying to help me get things done or teach me the proper pronunciation for a Chinese word. I got spoiled in Shanghai and I am still going through withdrawal.
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