Nov 5, 2009

positive thinking

I have started a new job about 2-3 weeks ago after coming back to HK and the ride hasn't been smooth. I have been assigned various tasks and my big boss pretty much hasn't been all too happy about my performance each time I gave her my work. While it is understandable for any new hires to learn a new company's system, the feedback I have been getting has been "you need to use your brain / common sense more". For a person who is pretty proud of his intelligence, these past two weeks has been a complete negative reinforcement for my theory - my personal record of most times being called a dumbass was probably broken in the process too.

Now, for those of you who are not too familiar with the Chinese / SE Asia system, bosses / mom & dads basically have a free ticket to yell at you at anytime they want. That has changed recently but the majority of the older generation still beats you down like a dog if you mess up. I was initially pretty thrown off by it to be honest and felt that I was being treated unfairly since a new hire couldn't possibly meet all the expectations set. Then as always, there is always the flip side, where you see the boss who hired me has a legitimate reason to be upset since the things I messed up is considered as common sense to the boss. It is usually a tough boss, not the one who smiles at you after you fxxk up, that trains a good worker. While I really don't have support for this theory, I think this constant push for me to better is a good way for me to get out of my work rust. On top of that, I usually do even better when the pressure is on.

...it would still be nice if some of the criticisms are not as harsh and that my salary is a tad-bit higher

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