Last Updated on 2025/07/02
Dear Friends,
I hope all is well with you. I’ve been quiet for a while because I’ve been working on the manuscript for my book, Training Zen. I was fortunate to receive a contract from a division of Taylor & Francis, and my book will be published early in 2026. I will keep you posted on the publication date and where you can get a copy if you are interested.
The Talent Shortage
On June 9 and 12, I gave talks on how leaders and organizations can successfully work with foreign team members, in partnership with Talent Taiwan. The June 12 talk was reported on through several media outlets in Taiwan. Here is one of them.
The talent war is real. The labor force is becoming more and more mobile, a welcome trend for companies in Taiwan and elsewhere experiencing talent shortages. Maybe your company has already been recruiting foreign talent—many of the clients I work with started doing this 10 or more years ago. If your company has not yet begun to recruit foreign employees, I predict that before too long, you will be working with colleagues from other countries.
The Power of Diversity
Diversity in general has been proven to be a characteristic of the most effective teams. If we look specially at cultural diversity, we discover an interesting finding:
The most high performing teams are culturally diverse, and the worst performing teams are also culturally diverse.
The difference lies in how diversity is managed and leveraged to bring all of the value it has the potential to bring—increased energy and creativity, a rich variety of perspectives, and a stronger mix of skills.
Tips on Bringing Foreign Talent to Your Team
As part of my consulting role for Talent Taiwan, I prepared a set of tips for companies hiring foreign talent to work in Taiwan. While I do focus on Taiwan, my suggestions apply to most countries. I hope you find them useful.
Bringing Foreign Talent to Taiwan
What You Need to Know to Help Them Succeed
Common Challenges
| Challenge | Explanation |
| Language differences | Communication can be slow, unclear, or confusing—even if everyone speaks English. |
| Silent meetings | Local staff don’t always speak up. Foreign staff may misunderstand the silence. |
| Unclear roles | Foreign professionals often don’t know what’s expected of them. |
| Cultural gaps | Different work styles can create confusion or conflict. |
| Social isolation | Foreigners are often left out of informal team activities. |
| Too much hierarchy | Local teams may wait for orders, while foreign staff expect faster decisions. |
Recommendations
- Communication
- Remind foreign colleagues to slow down and use plain English.
- Focus meetings on a few important topics.
- Use written messages to exchange information.
- Talk face-to-face for sensitive or emotional topics.
- Meetings
- Clarify the purpose of the meeting.
- Invite each person to share their thoughts.
- Write down decisions and next steps so everyone understands.
- Support
- Give local teams basic training on working with foreigners.
- Help foreign staff understand local culture, hierarchy, and work style.
- Offer regular feedback and check-ins to both.
- Pre-Onboard to First 90 Days
- Give new foreign hires a clear onboarding plan.
- Assign a friendly local colleague to help explain “how things work.”
- Follow up regularly during the first 3 months.
- Social Connection
- Invite foreign staff to team lunches or company events.
- Explain the meaning of holidays or team-building events.
- Praise people who make the effort to connect across cultures.
Learning Resources
Books
- The Culture Map by Erin Meyer
- Leading with Cultural Intelligence by David Livermore
Online Courses
- (Free) Coursera: Working in Multicultural Teams: https://www.coursera.org/learn/intro-multinational-cross-cultural-teams
- LinkedIn Learning: Communicating Across Cultures
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/communicating-across-cultures-2023
Videos
YouTube: Erin Meyer on Leading Multicultural Teams: https://youtu.be/Q3X7legs3gM?si=f1e5s8WS-ZSTK09O