The Campfire Chronicles
Unpacking the art of team bonding, leadership, and the messy business of being human.
You are in a meeting room. Everything is calm. Suddenly, someone mentions that the sales figures dropped by 2%. And then, the quiet, polite Senior Manager transforms. His face turns red. His veins pop out. He slams his hand on the table. ...
Welcome to the Asian meeting room. The air conditioning is too cold, the coffee is lukewarm, and the "Wayang" (theater) is about to begin. The boss presents a new, terribly ambitious target for the quarter. He looks around the table and asks, "Are we all agreed this is achievable?"...
There is nothing wrong with being Kiasu. There is nothing wrong with wanting the best table, the best bonus, or the best project. The world belongs to the hungry....
In Asia, "Face" (Mianzi, Air Muka) is a currency more valuable than Bitcoin. You can accidentally spill coffee on a colleague, and they will forgive you. But if you accidentally shame them in a meeting? You have made an enemy for life....
It is 5:29 PM in a typical office in Kuala Lumpur (or Singapore, or Jakarta). The air conditioning is humming. The fluorescent lights are buzzing. And a silent war is about to begin. In the corner office sits Mr. Kiasu....
We all know her. She’s the one who looked at your exam paper with a score of 98% and asked, "Where did the other 2% go?" She is the Tiger Mom. But here is the scary part: for many of us Asian professionals, even if our real mothers are now sweet,...