Thang Nguyen 555

Cultures on Collision Course

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With some short-term relief work in Asia/Africa and long stint in Telecom, Thang also earned a B.A. at Pennsylvania State University. M.A. in Communication at Wheaton Graduate School, M.A. in Cross-Cultural Communication at Gordon-Conwell Seminary, Boston. In addition, he earned a CELTA – classes taken in Hanoi for cultural re-immersion.

Tag: Facebook

  • From Co-worker to Co-llaborator

    Some workplace didn’t even get to that phase. People just share a parking lot, a refrigerator and maybe a Christmas Party. Meanwhile, you can collaborate with  people miles apart, in different languages and time zones. Welcome to the new work place. MNC’s have gone through this phase. From relocation to repatriation. Employees got shifted around, to…

  • Confidence

    2.5 per cent. That’s US growth figure. Enough? Confident? Could be better? I am glad we are growing even when it feels like we are running in place. Perception vs Reality. Like how they feel now at Microsoft, at Yahoo. Even at RIM and Facebook. Something is missing. Mojo? Passion and Pride. Exuberance and Exhilaration.…

  • Reading Re-Enchantment

    Thomas Moore (double O’s) was quoting Thomas More (single O) in his book, the Re-Enchantmet of Everyday Life. He came out with a bang in Care of the Soul. Essayist, therapist, monk and philosopher who hit the marks. Those marks point us back to Nature, Magic and Intuition. Qualities of life . He treaded carefully, staying…

  • Adjusted expectations

    You learn lessons in Marketing when you are in Las Vegas (besides lessons on greed). Mirage was opened to big fanfare back in the early 90’s: volcano and the white Tiger. Now, its low cave-like ceilings, tight hallways (perhaps for planned claustrophobia) and dark interior did not pass muster in an era of high-ceiling, green…

  • Connect and Respect

    I often go first to Home Page on LinkedIn to see who is connecting with whom. The Network Effect assumes people are inherently decent, deserving respect and reciprocity. Society continues to work on that basis. Not random shooting, nor indiscriminate mass slaughter. We have learned invaluable lessons in collaboration: WWII, internet peering, crowd-sourcing and job networking. We…

  • Machine run

    When I logged in, it’s auto-filled. The Machine says, “if it’s routine, let me handle it”. It’s permeating: embedded in the chip, in the code and in the company. This morning, I saw a group of photographers with long-lense cameras, shooting what appeared to be a lotus (Vietnamese Buddhist Temple in Orange County, CA).  At least,…

  • A sliver of hope

    I still remember the hype surrounding Google IPO ! Now with Facebook, it’s a deja vu. Anything to stir up and to enliven. We need hope when housing is still in the slump! We can do better! Simply because are wired with survival instincts. One man’s success will trigger a chain of similar success. Innovation tend to cluster. Ours…

  • V for valley

    Silicon Valley that is. Palo Alto. The hype, the anticipation and burst. Dream and dread. It’s here for the taking. You game? Pine trees and even banana trees. Years ago, one would see Vietnamese technicians and Indian engineers. Now, the work is mostly outsourced and off shored. The design and creative work are still here. But…

  • Turn, turn

    Just as soon as it is unbearably hot, it rains. The season turns. All we are is Dust in the Wind, sings the Kansas. But before that, one more stanza. Take it to the limits. What are the chances for some friends to turn to the guy sitting next to him at a random cafe,…