Excelling as a Diplomat in an International Environment
Being a part of the world-renowned Binus Business School and Binus University family, the Binus Business School International Undergraduate Program (BBS IUP) has established itself as one of Indonesia’s most prominent business schools that have produced countless entrepreneurs and chief levels across the globe. The School received AACSB accreditation in 2019, showing its vision and mission to achieve not only an excellent reputation in Indonesia but also recognition from people all across the world.
Binus Business School believes that the best way to produce excellent students is to expose them to international measures, so that they can broaden their horizons and international networks. This will benefit them as a part of the global community once they graduate. Additionally, exposing themselves to the world will create more impacts and bring recognition to BBS IUP as Indonesia’s leading business school.
The 2021 IBeX Talk Show: “Managing People in an International Context”
In regards to their aspirations, BBS IUP equipped its students with a myriad of opportunities both outside and inside the classroom. Back in 2017, Binus launched a new brand to support its 2035 vision titled “Fostering and Empowering an International Business Environment through Managing International Teams”. Realizing the increasing trend of global collaboration across industries and businesses, the program aims to foster, empower, and educate stakeholders through an effective learning experience that involves technology, an entrepreneurial mindset, as well as high-impact research that broadens the discipline.
To support this vision, BINUS BUSINESS SCHOOL recently invited two prominent names, namely Mr. Teuku Zulkaryadi, a diplomat from Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Craig Selby, the Managing Director of Orchan Consulting Asia to its exclusive 2021 IBex Talk Show. Bringing the theme of “Managing People in an International Context”, both of them have carved their mark in developing Indonesia, not only inside the country but also from a global perspective.
Working in an International Environment: Lessons Learned from a Working Diplomat
The talk show began with Mr. Teuku Zulkaryadi stressing the importance of the essential skills to have when someone wants to excel in their workplace. Coming from a diplomat background who works with people from all over the world every day, the first challenge is to be accustomed to a multi-ethnic and multi-racial environment. Not only that, before he worked full-time as a diplomat, he prepared himself by learning about the profession.
Aside from his personal experience, he also explained two components needed in an international working environment, which are:
Performance
Employee performance is defined as how well an employee performs their work obligations and tasks. It relates to their output’s efficacy, quality, and efficiency. The performance also plays a role in determining how valuable an employee is to the business.
When someone performs well, it means that they understand their job description, meet their target, deliver it in an outstanding way, as well as create a result that is impactful to the business and the organization.
Competencies
Competencies refer to the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are required to work in an international environment.
Knowledge is something that you can learn and acquire as you go. When you work in an international organization, you are expected to understand their business process and flow, as well as most local laws and regulations that might need to be considered during a business process. Additionally, since you won’t be working alone, you also need to pick up common cultures, mores, and habits done by the native people in that country.
On the other hand, skills refer to something that you can develop—more often it’s related to soft skills that are honed as you go, such as communication, teamwork, innovation, and analytical thinking.
Lastly, but sometimes which can be the most important, is attitude. Without a proper attitude, you won’t be able to blend in with most people, let alone in an international context. Each country has a different degree of politeness, proactiveness, and friendliness, so one must learn it beforehand to be able to gain the trust of their boss and colleagues, as well as to avoid unnecessary conflicts.
Combining business experts and practitioners as well as academia to discuss international business issues, the IBeX Talk Show exposed the reality of a global working culture and opened our eyes to the capabilities and skills we need to master in order to be a part of the global community. ** (KTS)
