Hello everybody,
Whilst everything that I’ve told you so far is completely true , some of it is at the margins in terms of importance and it's about time that I told you the other story here.The only reason for telling you is in order to make a real point, and it's probably the most important point that I'm going to make in all my newsletters. (I am also glad to tell you that I've had my employer's backing to release this edition.) Let’s start at the very beginning then.........
When I came out here I knew it wasn’t going to be a ‘bed of roses’. I knew there would be challenges, obstacles, and hurdles to overcome. Our operation here was a ‘ bringing together’ of a Vietnamese business and our own self-generated business. The integration had been problematic and part of my job was to gently and slowly soothe the tension. The first few weeks were ok and progress seemed steady; slowly but surely we were moving forward.Then, at the end of April, the Vietnamese partners in Hanoi just walked out of the business one afternoon, taking all the staff, files, laptops, servers ....everything. The office was emptied around me leaving the three of us who were left staring at a load of old furniture, and four walls, bare apart from some company posters. And I never had the chance to ask my former colleagues what the Vietnamese translation is for “Oh shit.............”
After half an hour of watching the hive of activity buzzing around me, desperately trying to work out what I should do, I decided there was nothing else to be done, other than to remain calm and dignified (not an easy feat whilst my heart was racing, my adrenaline bursting, and my brain spinning like the wheels on a fruit machine). In discussion with my colleague in Ho Chi Minh City, we realised that there was no point calling the police, and over next few days we also realised that seeking legal redress would be a long, narrow, and winding road leading to nowhere in particular.
This is where the 'real point' of this story begins to impact.
Very slowly, but at a constant pace, our little gang of three were approached both by staff who had been made to leave at the end of April , and staff who had previously worked for us. They wanted to stay with us, and ‘to a person’ they each gave the same reasons: we are an international firm and a good employer which had invested in bringing a Westerner into Hanoi. We gained momentum and by the middle of June there were twenty of us and (with the organisation's backing) we moved to our new offices for a fresh start. The clients have seen our activity and easily enough of them have stayed with us to maintain a small, but very happy and productive office.
So what's the point I'm trying to make? Well, you'll see from the attached photo (taken a couple of weeks ago) that our workforce comprises young people. They all want to be part of something global, something joined up with the rest of Asia Pacific, to Europe, to the Americas. They understand the need for Vietnam to play its part in the world's commerce and politics, and have a desire for the country to fulfil its potential on the international stage. They are optimistic, hard working, and a joy to be around.
Now this newsletter is not designed to be an endorsement of my firm's global strategy (which, incidentally, I totally agree with), but surely the actions of these people is a total validation of what my firm is trying to achieve. The more people we have in the world who are curious and seek to embrace the different cultures of the world, then the more chance we have of moral, spiritual and commercial prosperity.
And this newsletter is not designed to give my organisation any message; but if there is one, it's to keep up the work in connecting all of our staff around the world to feel part of the same thing . We see it on TV don’t we? . Like the HSBC adverts showing a global brand that understands the different cultures around the world, but is still being HSBC in an HSBC way. Well this whole affair has made that come real for me and I believe in it.
So for this newsletter, no amusing anecdotes; just one photo, and hopefully an explanation that makes sense and rings a bell for you.
Cheers all
Kevin
