Unbelievable! Who knew?
Hello again! Who knew that a Traditional Thai Massage could be dangerous?! On Sunday, I decided to treat myself to a 2 hour $12 massage. The masseuse did an amazing job for the first hour and 45 minutes. Then as she put her full weight on my back with her knees pressing into my back muscles, I heard and felt a sharp CRACK!!! YIKES!! She finished the massage, not on my back of course and I thought that maybe I was ok. No such luck, yesterday I went to the hospital and the Doctor confirmed that I have a cracked rib. Those of you that have experience with rib injuries know that unless you have difficulty breathing, there is no actual treatment for rib injuries other than letting time heal it. Unlike previous experiences at Bumrungrad Hospital, this one was less than satisfactory. I waited for 90 minutes before I got to see a Doctor. I hope there is no next time, but if there is, I'll call and make an advance appointment.
One segment I want to begin including in my blog entries is Thai Tips (suggestions for doing business with and relating to Thai people in general). One thing I think is very important is the reluctance of people to challenge authority. Thai people are not unlike the Japanese in that way. One result of this tendency is that if Thai people are in meetings with their superiors, they will almost never speak up and will NEVER bring up alternative ideas to those expressed by their superiors. As in Japan, hierarchy is extremely important. Although 'underlings' may have some great ideas and may even privately think their boss is incompetent, one would never know it. How do you get around this? Some typical western ideas that have been around for 20 years or more can work. Recently an article appeared in the business section of the Bangkok Post written by a Thai consultant touting small groups and "free thinking zones". He claimed quite a bit of success from this approach. The key is getting buy-in and endorsement "from the top". Just as in American business, the employee must know he or she is totally safe from ridicule and/or reprisal. Additionally when doing business over here, realize that you will get just one opinion or answer. You may be in a meeting with ten people but unless the company is a highly integrated multinational, one person will be the spokesperson. That one person will be the highest ranking person in the meeting.
One segment I want to begin including in my blog entries is Thai Tips (suggestions for doing business with and relating to Thai people in general). One thing I think is very important is the reluctance of people to challenge authority. Thai people are not unlike the Japanese in that way. One result of this tendency is that if Thai people are in meetings with their superiors, they will almost never speak up and will NEVER bring up alternative ideas to those expressed by their superiors. As in Japan, hierarchy is extremely important. Although 'underlings' may have some great ideas and may even privately think their boss is incompetent, one would never know it. How do you get around this? Some typical western ideas that have been around for 20 years or more can work. Recently an article appeared in the business section of the Bangkok Post written by a Thai consultant touting small groups and "free thinking zones". He claimed quite a bit of success from this approach. The key is getting buy-in and endorsement "from the top". Just as in American business, the employee must know he or she is totally safe from ridicule and/or reprisal. Additionally when doing business over here, realize that you will get just one opinion or answer. You may be in a meeting with ten people but unless the company is a highly integrated multinational, one person will be the spokesperson. That one person will be the highest ranking person in the meeting.