The more you earn, the more you should learn

"Senior manager," replies Somsak.

Somchai says, "I don't want to discuss this job."

"Why?"

"I already hold the position of director where I work now."

"But you don't know about scope of work and compensation. Why don't we meet and discuss about these things first?"

"But this position will definitely be called senior manager, right?"

"Yes. This is a multinational company (MNC). It has the same system in naming positions all over the world."

"Khun Somsak, thank you for proposing this job to me. I'm 45 years old now. If I hold a position called senior manager, I would not feel significant compared to my friends. They hold high-ranking titles such as director, vice-president (VP) or general manager (GM) and some of them hold even bigger titles such as managing director (MD), chief executive officer or president. I am happy with this title and my current work."

Somsak recalled the above conversation when he and I met recently. "Surprisingly, title is important for many Thais in selecting the job," he says. "Why is that?"

"I think it's about the 'face' issue," I reply. "For many people, a name card with a big title has as much meaning as the money someone earns. We don't know how much you earn but at least your title indicates something.

"Thailand is short of talent. We have been expanding in all industries for the past 20 years. Hence, we don't have enough middle management. So most companies have to recruit or promote lots of middle managers.

"Overnight, you have lot of managers in town. But it's still not enough. Companies have to steal from each other by offering both better compensation and bigger titles.

"In order to attract candidates from reputable firms, medium-sized or local firms have to come up with attractive packages that include fancy titles."

"Yes, but it creates another problem," Somsak says. "Suddenly, we have lots of middle management and senior management who do not have much experience or enough training. The majority of them are high performers or high achievers. They are hard workers, self starters, highly responsible, well disciplined and ambitious. These qualifications could cloud the judgment of the management.

"Senior management thought these achievers would also be successful managers. Unfortunately, managing yourself and managing others are two totally different skills. So many organisations are in the trap of a management dilemma: they lose good performers and gain poor managers. There must be some solutions."

I reply: "Some people are lucky enough to be working with an MNC that has a good training and development process. Many organisations send veteran expats to run the office. Many of these expats are good coaches. They help these Thais become better managers.

"Unfortunately, high demand for talent in the market also creates another problem. People leave jobs too soon. You can't learn much if you stay only one or two years. I think at least three years are needed, but preferably five years in each position."

"Why three or five years?" asks Somsak.

"In the first year, you don't contribute much. Basically, it's the learning period for you. Then, in the second year, you try to apply what you have learned from the first year. In the third year you know what went well and what could be avoided. Changing the job too soon is not good in terms of becoming competent. You only show that you know a lot, but that doesn't mean you have done a lot."

Somsak then asks: "But it doesn't seem to be an issue. I can see companies still function well."

"You're right," I say. "When the market booms, you may not see the problem. Remember our country has enjoyed high growth rates, except for a few years during the economic crisis.

"But real talent will be needed when the market does not enjoy a high growth rate. Besides, we're in the new era of competition. We have experienced many changes such as the WTO and FTAs. In addition, you have new players in the global market such as China and India. This doesn't count newcomers like Vietnam.

"This's where many Thais who think they're good won't be aware of the threat. We might be good yesterday, but that's not enough."

"What's your suggestion?" asks Somsak.

"You have to learn more _ the more you earn the more you need to learn. Many approaches that you used successfully in the past may not work today _ and definitely not tomorrow. Experience is good, but it also blinds us to do the same things in a new environment.

"You may need to learn more from the new generation. I strongly recommend the 'reverse mentor' approach. You should have at least one or two junior staff teaching you about this new-generation mindset and lifestyle _ particularly if your product or service serves this market. This will bridge the generation gap nicely."

Kriengsak Niratpattanasai is the founder of TheCoach, specialising in executive coaching in leadership and cross-cultural skills. Copies of previous columns are available at www.thaicoach.com. He can be reached at 0-2517-3126 or coachkriengsak@yahoo.com