In the final edition of the Business China Youth Series in 2022, Mr Eric Sim, founder of Institute of Life and author of “Small Actions: Leading Your Career to Big Success” shared his personal experiences navigating the Chinese culture and discussed the small actions that make a lasting impact on one’s career. A total of 56 people attended the event held on 5 November 2022 at the Zall Bookstore, which was moderated by Ms Liang Yi, Deputy Director of Business China.
Understanding Your Own Culture and Language
Mr Sim began by emphasising the importance of being aware of one’s own culture. Language is one way to discover a culture and build friendships. With this in mind, he has been using both English and Chinese in all his LinkedIn post. When interacting with friends from China, he cautioned against mixing English terms into Mandarin conversations and over-translating universal English terms such as WIFI, Managing Director (MD) into Mandarin.
Reading Between The Lines
Cultural differences can be found everywhere. It could be as simple as the difference between buying dumplings by taels or pieces from a Chinese food store or as intricate as a business exchange. Mr Sim emphasised the importance of reading between the lines when communicating with Chinese clients to understand the implied meaning which is not openly expressed. To master the art of Chinese communication, one must first learn the ways of the world and take others’ words seriously.
Advice for Fresh Graduates: Accumulate Social Capital and Cultivate Goodwill
During the Q&A segment, a graduating student asked Mr Sim how fresh graduates could go about finding their mentor in life. Mr Sim encouraged fresh graduates to accumulate social capital, and cultivate goodwill by taking small actions, like taking photos of a speaker, and sending the photos to the speaker after an event to start a conversation. One will eventually find their mentor through amassing modest acts like this. Mr Sim reminded the audience to be sincere when interacting with others, not to judge a book by its cover, and avoid evaluating a person based on his or her value or experience.
Advice for Working Adults: Meet New People and Be Passionate in What You Do
The event attracted many working adults, including some who were at their career crossroads. Using himself as an example, Mr Sim said he saw his life as two parts: “Life 1.0” and “Life 2.0”. His goal during the first half of his life was to take care of his family’s material well-being. After he had achieved his target, he chose to enter “Life 2.0,” as he yearned to do meaningful things and help other people establish connections. Even though everyone has different life goals, he pointed out that it was important to keep making new friends and to be passionate about your work.
As Mr Sim held many jobs, the audience was keen to learn how he balanced work and family life. Mr Sim noted that there was no simple solution to this, and that he could not offer an answer that applied to all. He shared that he would always try to combine work and family. He would, for example, arrange for his family to accompany him when he gives talks at overseas universities so that his children could see him in action, which in turn helps to build a healthy parent-child relationship. Lastly, Mr Sim concluded the sharing by asking the audience to consider this question: Can someone who gives up his or her work to spend more time with their family still provide the family with valuable resources, such as new skills, network and knowledge?