When Shiela first worked in Hong Kong and abroad, she thought that language - English ability - was the most essential element to succeed in other countries. Accent may matter a bit on communication, but what truly transcends is your heart to connect.
Shiela thinks the following 3”C”s help workers adapt better working in different countries with diverse cultures.
Connect
Shiela has worked in 13 different countries, including the USA, Manila, India, Singapore and Hong Kong. When she was in Singapore, her colleague tested her on whether she could get along well with the new environment. She kindly replied by sharing a goodie bag as a gesture, which helped her break the ice in the new place.
Commune
Immersing in one’s culture is another crucial idea. Shiela is not a big fan of happy hour, but she tried to enjoy the time with her colleagues, particularly for celebrations like friend’s birthday.
Contribute
This is always a good way to blend in as contribution could draw recognition from your workplace counterparts.
However, most importantly, Shiela is a big believer of relationship. With an open heart, we surely could work in a new culture smoothly.
About the Speaker:
Shiela Cancino is the author of “Pawn to Queen, Life’s Chess and Quest”, and founder of The Treasures Finder. She is a Certified ICF coach, a member of European Mentoring & Coaching Council, and the Hong Kong International Coaching Community. She is a global citizen, originally from the Philippines and lived in other cities including Bermuda, Cincinnati, Ohio, Bangalore, India, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Other than playing chess, reading, and book writing, she also loves public speaking. With her "Chess Pawn" speech, she was awarded as the Champion of the JCI World Public Speaking Championship (Hong Kong Selection) 2018 and 1st Runner Up in Toastmasters Division K International Speech Contest in April 2018. She has completed professional speaking programs and a member of Toastmasters and Asia Professional Speaking Singapore.