It's good to be back (isn't it?)

I had a great week last week in the UK.  I caught up with some friends with fleeting visits, and managed also to get some quality time with a few.  All in all most rewarding.

 

Usually coming back to Shanghai is easy enough.  This time though, it wasn't easy at all.  I got sat amongst a noisy tour group on the plane, couldn't sleep much on the plane, and in my taxi to the office, feared for my life throughout the journey, and surrounded by buses and trucks, struggled to breathe at traffic lights.  As he weaved in and out of the cars at speed, and turned suddenly off the highway as if he had forgotten which exit to take, and as he reached to answer his mobile phone... every five minutes I was asking myself 'should I say something?'.  Knowing how gruesome highway accidents can be, how few security features were built into the taxi I sat in, and the apparent lack of ambulances anywhere in Shanghai, I can't help but feel unsafe.  I paid with cash, and winced as a took a warm 1 kuai coin and some old filthy notes in change from the driver.  "remember to wash hands later" I was thinking.

 

This just coming away from the airport.  It must be true, I had got used to it all previously and had stopped noticing.  Got used to the risks and hygiene, and just got on with living life.  But the sharp contrast today pointed out to me 'look Kai Wing, let's be honest.  You've come to Shanghai for a great new experience.  It's not all sweet smelling roses though - so where is the payback?'  I have to be clear about why I am here, check that the benefits outweigh the costs, and do all I can to maximise my benefit.  KPI identification, ROI tracking, positive NPV validation, benefit-centric management in MBA-speak if you will.

 

I came away from the UK to add extra sense of purpose in my life.  But it seems it is also a test of my conviction.  This is no walk in the park.  The first test it seems was Arrival.  Determination and open-mindedness got me through that I believe.  But the sprint is now followed by a steady uphill incline.  The second test now is Staying.  I believe I need to increase my pace of Learning and Experiencing in order to tip the balance in favour of staying.

 

I'm sure it's a similar story for any expat.  Actually I daresay Shanghai is easier for expats than London is for Chinese.  I met a 'pi bao' type businessman on the plane who had been working in London for the last 5 years.  Super boring he said.  Poor chap.

 

So... China isn't as advanced or efficient as the UK yet.  What that means, is that it's hard to leverage an individual.  Teamwork is less developed, internal politics rife, company culture often perpetually transitory, staff competitive underpaid overworked studying on weekends and taking two buses to get to work.  Lots of things getting in the way of having maximum impact.  Swimming in wet pyjamas.  Running with lead weights on one's ankles.  This is all natural in the evolution of a country and the companies within it. 

 

This effect is most noticeable in my industry, an industry most suited to the highly developed service economy that China hasn't quite yet got (and I mean business consulting, not SAP implementations running under the banner of management consulting).  Will I find special ways to unshackle the weights and run forward?  Will I find ways of gaining momentum to move as a team forward a step at a time in our shackles?  What will be my balance between success (achievement) and failure (learning and frustration)? 

 

ahh many questions, many options.  I'll stick to the easy options for now.  Fiercely focus on learning, and look for opportunities within my immediate reach.