With 50% of my clients located in Taipei, it's been a privilege this year to partner with team leaders, CEOs, managers, interns, professors, teachers, students, and more in developing their Cultural and Emotional Intelligence skills.
They've 'had my ear' and based on everything shared, here are my 3 suggestions for companies and organizations to make Taiwan a more equitable, inclusive, and attractive place to work for both locals and foreign talent in 2023 and beyond:
1. Diversify Learning & Development programs ✨
Most companies place emphasis on budgeting for English language learning programs in order to support their employees in communicating on a global scale. However, if you dig beneath the surface, needs analysis suggests that soft skills development are just as necessary as language skills are. Incorporating programs for EQ & CQ development are a must.
🧭Ultimately, developing these skills hand-in-hand with language learning is key to achieving the goal of an English-Mandarin “bilingual nation” by 2030.
2. Create a Coaching Culture 🌟
The younger generation can’t and won’t accept their parent’s motto of ‘live to work’ and want to find deeper meaning in their careers beyond salary and status. They’re looking for respect, culture, and the right environment where managers groom employees. Coaching will help young talents identify and leverage their strengths, while also building new skills.
⬆️ Creating a culture of coaching will help increase employee retention and improve performance. Instilling a coaching culture in Taiwan’s companies will naturally support the goal of attracting 100,000 foreign professionals by 2030.
3. Celebrate alternative paths to success 🌟
The definition of education should expand from only academic excellence to include placing value on social and emotional learning (SEL) as well as vocational skills. Parents and companies - who currently prioritize academic success and college degrees over practical skills - can do more to accept and support alternative paths to learning such as vocational schools, gap years, and pursuing interests just for the sake of it.
This will help to diversify the economy away from its reliance on the fields of science and technology, give a larger percentage of young people opportunities to succeed, and help create an even more creative generation who are confident in their critical thinking skills.
💫 There are more points to cover here such as approaches to working from home, however, I believe that the above three points are the most fundamental to address to really help Taiwan’s industries and its startup ecosystem.
情愛的台灣，我們一起加油！