Have you ever had a meeting with key partners in a foreign country for certain issues and concerns with a local manager as a translator? How was your feeling after the meeting? Were you certain that you heard everything, quantitively and qualitatively, you needed to hear? If you felt like something was missing, the meeting may have been manipulated and censored.
Since I was young, I often worked as a translator, on and off the stage. I was born to a pastor who translated for pastors and other big name evangelists like Billy Graham. And, I believe DNA in me enabled me to really enjoy translating for preachers, CEOs and great minds.
I also, through my MLM life, have translated so many times as a partner, consultant, translator, or just as a friend of the speaker. It has been interesting and fun to be with different levels of leaders from both sides, corporate and partners, although some instances I experienced somewhat unpleasant. I have seen how easily local management can manipulate communications between top level manager from HQ and local partners.
HQ often meets with local partners not only to celebrate but also to mentor or to assess what they, as a company, can do better in the market. Usually this type of meetings are done in one-on-one or in small groups where local manager (usually GM or sales director) is present to translate instead of 3rd party translator. This type setting opens the door for manipulation and censorship by local management. Because they get to choose who can come, what they can ask, and what they can talk about, for the purpose of saving their own face and give good impression to HQ. I am definitely not saying this happens all the time, I am just saying I have seen it happen and there is no guarantee that it won’t happen in your meetings.
When this happens, HQ management hears only what is good to their ears and what local management want them to hear. And it leads to HQ becoming biased, coming to wrong conclusion, and making bad decisions. In turn, distrust and negativity will spread, good partners will leave, and blaming will surface. At the end, HQ is left no idea why they are losing ground; and begins to blame people as if it is cultural problem.
It is a matter that makes me really uncomfortable because this type of miscommunication builds wrong perception about MLM Korea and people in it. I have heard foreign company CEOs and leaders blaming Korean culture instead of recognizing their failure in providing an environment where all voices are freely communicated without concerns for mistreatment by local management. It is just unfair and unwise.
So, what can you do to prevent censorship by local management?
Hire a 3rd party translator if you really want to hear the voices of local partners. Give your local partners a setting in which they can freely express their thoughts, concerns, desires, and hopes. Show them you are there to listen and they can pour their hearts out, prove your genuine interest for their success first by good listening. If you do that, you will have totally different organization. Their participation will go up, focus will be like never before, productivity will rise. In addition to that, you might will find the great leader that you have been looking for already has been there.
I am not asking you to do anything special. Good leadership begins with good listening and that is exactly what I am asking you to do. In a foreign country, it begins with choosing your translator wisely.
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