CORNER !!!!!!

 

Bastard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I was waiting for that one but alas was too slow.

 

DOH!!

 

 

James,

I was just ribbin' ya, but you ask a serious question. I think the Japanese folks are the hardest workers I've ever seen. I was a project leader for a large project and I worked side-by-side with Japanese teams. I was overwhemed by their dedication to their jobs.

I tried to set a good example on my end and essentially "be Japanese" for a while, but it was too much for me.

The whole project was a fabulous experience, and left me with enormous respect for the Japanese work ethic. And, it left my company with one of it's finest product.

However, there's a dark side to all this. These guys leave little room in their lives for their families and for stuff outside the office. They are driven, perhaps to the point of obsession. They do whatever their bosses tell them, and it's not an envirnoment I would enjoy.

Also, they are underappreciated as individuals.

I think, in general, we yanks work "smarter" because we have to. We dedicate less of ourselves to our jobs, and we have to compensate a bit with ingenuity (a.k.a., laziness )

So, pardon the long-winded answer, but there it is.


Oh, Peter, life is treating me very well indeed. I am becoming a VTEC junkie, and the weather in MA is cooperating with my S2000 fetish!

 

Charlie,

I guess I pretty much agree with most of what you said.

The one thing that does strike me, is that the hours that most people work, here at least, are not that productive, and I can get more work done than my colleagues in a shorter time, even while logged on here.

I guess that is somewhat down to working "smarter" as you suggest.

I actually made a conscious effort NOT to be Japanese when I first arrived here, as my view was if they can't accept my style of working I should be looking for another job anyway, since there is no way that I can show the dedication to the company for the next 4 years or so that they do.

This isn't to say that I don't give 100%, I have actually been promoted for giving more than would be expected, I just give in a different way.......

oink oink

 

I truly understand what you're saying, James.

My experience has been similar to yours in some ways. My Japanese colleagues (who mostly work for a different company than I) are enormously grateful and patient with me even though I don't come close to expending the effort they do. But they really do love working with me. Many times, in quiet moments with them, they have told me that I have surprised them. This is actually a result of nasty stereotyping in Japanese culture, but it gives me great pleasure to smash it to pieces. I guess I measure up, James

It's a two-way street, of course. In my position, I'm able to take advantage of their incredible focus, and problems get solved very quickly. Again, working "smart" means understanding people's strengths.

Rock on, James! (sorry for inking like a pig... )

 

Right, now that we have sorted that one out.....

 

me baby!

 

Consider yourself ed