Everything Korea Office Chat: 360

When confronted, It’s very common for western teams and leadership to learn as much about a problem or situation, pull apart, then work works toward a solution.

For leaders, they listen to the issue at hand and then based on their past experience provide what they see are work thoughts and a direction for the team. This works well but does get complicated when we layer doing business internationally — as others may see things differently.

For Korea and this does apply well globally, looking beyond the apparent issue at hand is critical.

For instance, if I was asked to move a Korea project forward or resolve an issue, I’d first step back and look at the big picture. They do impact decisions, and not to be dismissed.

Then, I’d look at if there any local geo-political and economic dimensions — trade, political tensions, or currently how the Biden Administration will view the Koreas, China and Japan.

Next I’d note the upcoming South Korea’s presidential election in March 2022, how will both local and national politics potential impact a project. I’ve seen in the past where one administration might favor a project, then the newly elected government less supportive and have other priorities. This shift can be considerable and ripple across companies large and small.