Six months after joining the Meltwater International Management Trainee program as an entry-level Sales Consultant in London, I was offered the opportunity to move to Hong Kong and help set up our first office in Asia.
I was slightly intimidated by working in Asia where I didn’t speak any of the languages. However, it turns out that Hong Kong was the perfect gateway to the continent.
I found it fairly easy to get around living and working in Hong Kong. Ruled by the British for 99 years, street signs remain bilingual, business is conducted primarily in English and the central section of the city takes on a festival atmosphere for “Gweilos” (literally, white ghosts in Cantonese), or foreigners, in the evening.
While the spoken language of business in Hong Kong is largely the same as London, in my time working there I was able to learn the unspoken language of respect and ritual, which permeates business across Asia. The lessons learned have been vast and I thought I would share a few of my experiences.
The ‘Hong Kong handshake’ is a well-known example; a ritual of exchanging business cards with both hands. Taking a business card is accepting a part of the giver’s identity, so it must be treated with utmost respect, staying face up on the desk throughout any meeting.
While in China during my first lunch meeting, my dining partner ordered a Garoupa fish, a noted luxury, and proceeded to offer me the flesh just behind the gill. I declined politely (I’m more of a fillet of fish kind of guy) only to see his face fall in disappointment. Turns out that the meat behind the gill of the fish is the most succulent, and offering it to your guest is a great sign of respect. Refusing it, quite the opposite! Lesson learned.
Serving drinks also has it’s own unspoken language. In China, when someone pours you tea, it’s customary to tap three fingers gently on the table. The action is a silent signal of thanks that began when Emperor Qianlong, travelling incognito, had to be thanked in public without disclosing his identity; the three fingers represent a bowing head and arms.
I’ve also learned a few lessons in Japan, where we opened an office 12 months ago. Last month, like Barack Obama, I learned an important lesson about bowing. I attended a sales meeting with a colleague, and upon departing, discovered that it is ritual to bow until you’re out of site of the client. Naturally, I imitated my colleague as he bowed non-stop, while navigating a narrow corridor, reversing into the elevator and awaiting the doors to close.
We don’t yet have an office in Korea, but I know there will be much more for me to learn – apparently if you own a better car than your boss, you simply have to hand over the keys, no questions asked! It will be interesting to see how we entwine Meltwater and Korean culture whenever we do land there – but just in case, I’d recommend the Managing Director get an extra parking space!
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Chris is Area Director for Meltwater News, Asia
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Chris, this was such an interesting post! More, please, I’m sure there is much more to share!!!