Weekend Read: January 2019--Best Practices and Missteps

My Korea perspective on best business practices and norms has been honed over several decades. As a colleague shared to his Seoul based team with regard to this Korea experience, “Don has lived many lives.” 

There are best practices as well as common missteps.  I have witnessed both firsthand over the past 40 years. False assumptions due to limited understanding lead the list. Korea’s ever changing business culture and expectations only adds another layer.  It’s a time-learned process, more art than science.  

This Weekend Read is for leadership responsible for Korea facing business as well as team members in the day-to-day operations. 

Commonly, western companies and anyone new to Korea tend to quickly jump in and attempt to tackle the challenges—learning as they go and often making assumptions based on what worked for them in the past. Korea can throw some curve balls. Those of us long engaged in Korea recognize that the ability to identify the deeper cultural issues and norms along with the potential repercussions are not mastered in 6 months or even a year. Setbacks will mount and problems will surface.  In the best cases leadership and teams will reach out for support, mentoring, active advice and perspective on all key issues.   

In contrast, hoping one can work alone through challenges is rarely the best route.   

That said, there is seldom a one-time fix as circumstances are ever changing.  One lesson learned is there will be many ups and downs.  

On the proactive side, here are a few takeaways.

#1 The time required on how quickly one grasps the Korean mindset, trends, generational issues, and workplace culture will vary. Regardless of the industry, learning the nuance takes time—and we know not everyone starts from the same place.

#2 Though difficult when faced with deadlines and heavy workloads, the most successful leaders and team members are those who actively seek out and embrace support from Day 1—and as issues' surface reach out for a perspective by phone, text or email on an ongoing basis.

The good news is that most successful people learn to work within the Culture. 

#3 Advice, guidance and feedback need to be tailored to the specific circumstance. This calls for a trusted relationship that provides on-going support. Advice does not need to be timeless—it needs to be relevant and practical. 

As always, I am here to support you and the team. I’m always open to discuss things as they come up—private and confidential.