One of my tasks to do is likely to facilitate a project. Then the project facilitator here I mean, getting the clear information from superior, preparing a schedule, making an appointment, arranging a meeting, and finally facilitating the business inspection tour.
It is a very important thing to get starting the project at first, getting clear and accurate information from the customers and superior who would like us to facilitate the project. “A good start, cause a successful ending”, but there was very hard to get there for clear information because what to serve is for the foreign investors from Japan. Sometimes, the cause of the language barrier, missing information, and sometimes, a different way of thinking. That is the matter of the context and culture between foreign businesses and local businesses. So, we have to flexibly to change and arrange the schedule due to such as the case happened even cause by the customers or the local people.
Another point when we involve making an appointment and meeting, there it is important to cope with time and excuse. Sometimes, there is a date/time of appointment we have appointed for the Japanese Investors to visit the company. However, if without confirming a call to the appointment person before going, the meeting might be canceled or delayed because the person forgot that there was appointed on the time or s/he had another urgent thing to do so leave or delay the meeting. There was some experience we have been with some local business owners or in-charge person.
Moreover, over a request from customers and over talk during the meeting is the critical point we have to control and share with the customers what to do and don’t. Some companies in the local are very strict about their business or operation information for public sharing, while the Japanese customers would like to know about that information. That’s why the questions from customers always excess what we propose the purpose of the meeting before making an appointment, and sometimes it feels like the contrast the objective from the local perception. Anyway, over talking then cause to be late for the next appointment also the point that we have to remind about the time up within each meeting schedule. So, we are acting as the timekeeper for the meeting due to the limitation of time and situation.
Those are some experiences I have been to, and I would like to share it even there was a bit. Actually, there a brief summary of the activity I have involved in the investment consulting field in recent years. It would be a very long explanation if fully describe my experiences regarding this, but I just raise it in short and very simple points to share for learning and exchanging ideas within my blog.