What do you know about Chinese tech companies?

(Photo credit @konkarampelas)

I was on vacation last week and ended up having an accidental but much appreciated digital detox. I went camping and surprisingly, there wasn’t very good cell service (and definitely no wifi). So I was forced to spend my days hiking with the dog, swimming, and reading good novels. I’m committing to myself to take one day a week for the rest of the summer to do the same thing - amazing how much more relaxed I am and how much easier it is to focus my attention. (Though apparently, I am still unsure of what day it is!) One of the things I didn’t miss was social media (mostly) as I continue to observe how much control I don’t have over what appears in my feeds. I ran across this report which highlights China Internet trends for 2020, and thought I’d expand on a few topics here. 

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#techtopic

China has been a market that many US-founded tech companies want to break into (hello, 1.4billion users) but have continued to fail over and over again. (Great infographic depicting many of these U-turns, along with a full list of blocked tech companies here.) In the absence of many of these tech companies we in the US hear about daily, China has a robust ecosystem of home-grown tech companies that have seen huge success. Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent are the big three -- but Bytedance has been in the news a lot recently as the company that developed the super popular social media app TikTok. 

One huge difference between the US companies and the Chinese companies is their engagement with the government. While next week, the CEOs of 4 of the largest tech companies are testifying in front of Congress about antitrust regulations -- in general, they operate completely independently of government control. In China, there is arguably much more control exerted by their government on tech companies. The extent of that control concerns the US government (and more recently the UK), which has banned Huawei from providing 5G equipment due to fears of Chinese spying on the network. The US Senate moved one step closer to implementing a ban on having TikTok devices on government devices due to concerns of data sharing with the Chinese government. These bans have led to different company responses: the mega-list of actions Huawei has taken, while Bytedance is rumored to be considering a TikTok spinoff to ensure it keeps its US user base. 

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#video

I know it’s actually an ad for Apple - but it’s just so well-done that I had to share. Go Underdogs!

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Want a Career in Tech but aren’t sure where to start? Take a look at MY COURSE, ‘TECH SEARCH COMPASS’ FOR STEP-BY-STEP SUPPORT

Pondering equations and expectations

(Photo credit @calypso999)

I'll admit it - the cabin fever is getting to me this week. Yesterday, on Earth Day, it alternately snowed, was super sunny, and was dark & stormy all within just a couple hours. Kinda the external version of what many of us are feeling these days. I think Mother Nature is also kinda tired & unsure yet laughing in the sun.

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Taking care of yourself & the people around you

The time we are in is calling for a change in expectations. Humans naturally resist change. Even (or especially?) Type A folks like you & me.

Normally, we all struggle with the inherent contradictions of a growth mindset: I am confident in my skills & abilities & performance. Yet. I also know that there is more to learn & that I can and should improve my skills & abilities & performance to be a better (person, employee, manager, leader, etc) in this world.

Right now, it can be even harder to figure out how to set expectations for yourself, to be kind to yourself, to figure out whether you are Sir Isaac Newton (having potentially your "best" year while quarantined) or a literal couch potato.

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Since this is a techie blog, here's an equation for you to ponder:

Satisfaction = Experience - Expectations

• If you remember nothing else, remember this.

So what can you do to help change the inputs in this equation? Either improve your experience or reduce your expectations.

• Ideas to improve experience: reach out to loved ones, work on fun projects, volunteer to make masks, watch movies, take online classes

• Ideas to lower expectations: forgive yourself, be grateful for what you do have, ask yourself these daily Qs, go walk in nature with no devices, laugh at real or metaphorical "spilled milk"

So much of our experience these days is dictated for us by forces outside of our control. And while you may not be able to improve your experience any further, you can definitely lower your expectations. In either case, the goal is to help you have higher satisfaction with what's going on in life.

Understanding this equation & the paradox central to growth mindset will help you to become a fantastic manager in tech.

• You will know how to take care of yourself when things are going great, and when things are rough.

• You will also know how to navigate whatever crazy project is thrown your way, and how to help others do that too.

• You will know how to help your team members set realistic expectations, how to give themselves a break, while also motivating them to look forward to great things in the future.

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Want a Career in Tech but aren’t sure where to start? Take a look at MY COURSE, ‘TECH SEARCH COMPASS’ FOR STEP-BY-STEP SUPPORT

Handling job searches in tough times

(Photo by @andrewtneel)

As I meet with students, I am hearing a continuous stream of questions: "what do I do? is this going to get better? how do I handle it? what will happen next month/year?" I try to be as honest as I can in my assessment of the hiring landscape, and share my story to show that you too will face challenges in your career and figure out ways to recover.

Can I tell you a secret? I've been laid off three times in my career.

Once, in early 2001: I have the dubious distinction of being one of the first people McKinsey ever laid off. As a junior recruiter, I started my job and was there for 6 weeks before getting laid off in early 2001. I then received 6 weeks of severance and 6 months of outplacement services (which is what senior executives received at companies like JP Morgan and Ford). At the time, that meant a personal career coach and a dedicated office in midtown Manhattan to help support my job search. Luckily for me, the outplacement firm then offered me a job -- and that's where I was working on 9/11/2001 when tragedy struck New York City. My job was the only secure thing in a world of chaos and fear, and I believed that my work was helping others who had lost their jobs recover and move forward.

Second, in 2004: I was excited to join a social networking startup called TheSquare.com. As Director of Marketing/Membership, I hosted parties to get new members -- and when actors Chris Noth (Sex in the City) & Scott Speedman (Underworld) attended, membership skyrocketed 30%!! Things were going great! And then we started cross-promoting with this tiny college startup called TheFacebook...and within a couple months, I was laid off. It took me a few months but then I landed at MIT to help grow a preprofessional program called UPOP. I loved helping students gain skills to get their foot in the door & launch their careers.

Third, in 2007: I was poached from MIT to start a campus recruiting program at growing B2B startup Endeca. I worked with the CEO and senior leaders to build a program to hire coders & consultants as intern and full-time hires, managing $.5M budget ...until the company started to see a sharp decline in sales as the mortgage crisis turned into the Great Recession. I was offered the chance to stay on in a regular HR role but I enjoy engaging with students more than benefits administration. I landed my role at Harvard Kennedy School a few months later and had a front-row seat to the Obama election. I worked for David Gergen, a former advisor to 4 US Presidents, and helped connect graduate students to senior leaders in healthcare, government, education and business - from General Colin Powell to Bill George (former CEO, Medtronic) to Valerie Jarrett (former senior advisor to President Obama).

Why am I telling you this?

I know what it's like to have hard things happen and to not know what to do next.

I know that it can feel like the wind is knocked out of you.

I know what it feels like to not be sure how you'll pay your rent.

I know that we are facing something unprecedented in our lifetimes and that's scary for everyone.

Leaders we admire face all kinds of challenges on a daily basis and all of them started right where you are.

I know that you have the skills and the initiative to figure out a way forward -- and sometimes, really great things can come from uncertain times.

This too shall pass.

I was able to bounce back from each of these challenges by trusting my skills, my instincts and my network.

Many organizations are full of good people who are trying to do the right thing by their employees, customers and future candidates (though there will be some who make a lot of mistakes along the way). There is an incredibly generous spirit out in the world right now - try to tap into it or add to it if you can.

#WhatShouldIDoNow

• Take a deep breath. Exhale. Repeat until you are calm. Trust me. It will get better. You are amazing.

• Practice empathy towards others. Imagine what it is like to be in their shoes and let that guide you in your responses.

• Build your resilience. My post last week was full of tips on how to cope & how to build your resilience.

• Look to see who is hiring.

  • 28 Companies that are Hiring Now

  • Umbrella is hiring immediately for an Operations Partner to help provide services to seniors who are stuck at home. Let me know if you want to be connected.

• Stay in the process. Continue to keep networking to find out about job opportunities before they are posted. And keep submitting job applications - the only way for you to be considered is if you have applied.

• Ask for help when you need it. Family, friends, colleagues, etc are all great resources to help you with problems big and small, or seek out professional support for the challenges that require more focused attention.

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