Hard truths for Thais working with foreigners

Through all my years as managing director for a Fortune-500 company here, I witnessed their insatiable appetite for learning, their flexibility and their amazing energy to go all the way to reach difficult targets, putting a lot of heart into their job. This was a positive contrast with the Western country where I was managing before I came to Thailand.
Now for the “tough love” message, conveyed with the intention of helping my Thai friends to break through the ceiling of their effectiveness as international team-players in business.
Here is what I have heard repeatedly from Western, Indian and Chinese senior executives in the regional head offices of the multinational companies I work for in Singapore:
“We love Thais and they perform very well in business in Thailand, but they haven’t proven themselves yet as great team players with colleagues from other countries.”
“They hardly say anything in meetings, although most speak very good English, whereas other Asian nationalities are more and more outspoken.”
“When they disagree, they usually don’t say it. They sometimes say what they believe we want to hear, rather than what they think.”
“They are respectful, but not very open-minded, and are often passively-resistant to new ideas.”
“Ten years ago, Mainland Chinese and Vietnamese behaved similarly, but they have really changed and now contribute significantly in regional meetings.” 
We all know the reasons underlying these patterns of behaviour (mentioned in my Hi! Managers column on August 24, 2011). However, there is no point in looking for reasons – or excuses – as they will not change the perceptions of these important regional executives. “Feedback is the breakfast of champions”, and it will be more rewarding to look for positive adjustments to make.
Before I get to the advice, let’s understand what matters most for foreigners in business interactions. In a survey conducted by 1-2-WIN Executive Coaching  and the Dutch and French Chambers of Commerce, 110 expatriates working in Thailand elected the 10 most important skills (out of 49) for success at work across cultures. Seven out of the 10 were communication skills. Here are the top 10:
1. Express your ideas clearly.
2. Be open-minded (listen well to ideas that are different to your own).
3. Speak English well.
4. Be straightforward (tell the truth).
5. Manage priorities effectively.
6. Listen well.
7. Say what you think.
8. Be good at solving problems.
9. Express your ideas with confidence (be assertive).
10. Develop harmony between people in the work place.
The foreigners also rated their Thai colleagues on those skills, and ranked them highly for their English fluency, listening skills and pursuit of harmony. However, they gave the lowest score of all 49 skills to “say what you think”, and very low scores to “assertiveness” and “be straight-forward”. In doing this they matched the opinions of regional executives.
As the “rules of the game” in international business are somewhat different to those in Thailand, I sought advice from a group of remarkable business leaders – most of them Thais – who had succeeded internationally. Here are their top 10 recommendations for Thais to work most effectively with foreigners:
1. “Dare to be straightforward with foreigners. Don’t be afraid,” says Winfried Kiesbuye, former managing director of CEVA Logistics. Siam Makro president Suchada Ithijarukul agrees: “Do what you say, say what you do.” “Always speak up when you don’t agree,” says Bangkok Bank adviser Vongthip Chumpani. Mead Johnson Nutrition Thailand’s general manager Jorge Pinedo advises: “Raise issues quickly.” Limited risks, unlimited upsides.
2. Don’t commit before you are sure you can deliver on time; say ‘no’ respectfully when you mean it
TMB Bank’s Arunee Jittanon says: “Think before you make a commitment, especially when you are not sure you can deliver.” “Saying ‘no’ to a [foreign] boss can be challenging for Thais, yet we [Westerners] are more used to hearing ‘no’ than ‘yes’. Therefore, saying ‘no’ is not a crime,” advises TNT Express’s regional finance director for Middle East Africa Hanno Kroemer.
Saying ‘no’ to an assignment when you can’t reasonably deliver within the deadline requested might get a boss frustrated for a moment, but not as much as when he or she discovers that the task promised has not been done on time. And by then, his or her trust will be damaged.
So why not say: “I wish I could say ‘yes”, but I am sorry, I can’t do it right now” or “You know I’d love to help, but I have to stay focused on my priorities at the moment”, or even “How can I reorganise my priorities?”
3. Don’t compromise beyond your beliefs.
“Be more outspoken. Don’t be too compromising, and defend your opinion,” suggests Thai Asia Pacific Brewery’s former general manager Panya Pongtanya. If your beliefs – such as respect and integrity – seem confronted, say so, and then “negotiate” a way forward that makes everyone comfortable.
4. Be bold enough to admit your mistakes and come up with a solution.
Panya elaborates: “Admit to making mistakes and communicate bad news, or news that is not so good. Find solutions rather than excuses.” “When something has gone wrong, gather all related information, clarify the causes of the damage and – most importantly – come up with preventive actions,” adds Arunee.
It is, after all, widely recognised that successful people have made many more mistakes than others, simply because they have been trying harder and longer.
5. Question foreigners when their explanations are not clear enough.
“Don’t hesitate to ask questions to confirm your understanding,” says Arunee. No one will lose face, and you will gain faith in yourself.
6. “Prepare yourself for negative or tough feedback from foreigners,”suggests human-resources consultant Thipayasuda Suvanajada. Vongthip adds: “Be less sensitive and less personal about negative comments from foreigners.”
7. Teach foreigners, and learn from them.
While you help expatriates to adjust to Thai culture, “try to learn from foreigners, because they have more experience from their travels and think globally,” suggests IFEC Green Power Plus chief executive Maris Tarab.
8. Be creative; dare to think “out-of-the-box”
Foreigners are often amazed at Thais’ creativity – in the arts, for example – and at how “street smart” they are at solving problems quickly. While teaching people to think “out-of-the-box” may not be a strength of the Thai education system, dare to unleash your creative mind and think differently. When you are not so confident about your ideas, float them with a “protection”, such as “an idea just crossed my mind – sorry if it is irrelevant.....” or “just thinking aloud...”
9. Focus and deliver on priorities.
Several of the leaders I interviewed insisted on the importance of prioritisation and consistent focus on what matters most. Their tip: regularly review progress on priorities with your boss.
10. Think longer term.
Obviously, companies need decisions to be made in full awareness of their long-term implications. Business leaders advised: “take five minutes before striking a decision and assess its future consequences and its fit with the business model”.
Thais have so much talent to contribute to business internationally. Imagine what a positive difference it would make if they could break through the ceiling of a few beliefs limiting their contribution to international teams. My advice? In Susan Jeffers’ words: “Feel the fear, but do it anyway!”

Jean-Francois Cousin is an accredited executive coach and former managing director for a Fortune-500 company in Thailand. He may be contacted at www.1-2-win.net.