I was thinking about blogging about my trip last weekend, when I went ice-fishing with some people from work. Or about how I am learning to snowboard. But then this happened...
I am at our weekly telephone conference with our in-house legal department in the States.
I need to talk about an upcoming project, which I, and one other legal department member, had been put in charge of. While working on the project this week, he and I realized that we needed to add some tasks to the original request we had given our US counsel.
The other person assigned to the project is out of the office, so it fell to me to make it clear that the original task assignments were being changed. I start explaining this, when suddenly, one of the US-based attorneys (who is Japanese) piped up, in Japanese, that this was not what had previously been decided. Now first of all, it is inappropriate to speak in Japanese during these meetings since not everyone understands Japanese. Secondly, I was at that very point explaining the change.
As I try to explain this, our team leader here in Japan then realizes that he also did not know about this change. It should have been irrelevant - I am in charge of the project, and do not need him to sign off on changes. Nonetheless, he began (also in Japanese) to state how he did not know of this change and is not sure if it is correct, etc. etc. Even worse, when I try to explain, he tells the local counsel that we will have to get back to him on the issue and ends the telephone call.
I am furious. I looked like an idiot, and what's worse, I looked like I did not have the trust of those around me. I am certain that this would not have happened if I was a male Japanese employee. But this is Japan, where direct confrontations are just not done. So do I say something, and possibly make it worse, or do I let it lie, and by doing so, possibly acquiesce to such behavior?
My gut instinct is that if I don't say something, this person will continue to act in a similar manner. So, dear reader(s), what do you suggest? Do I let him have it? (In a polite and respectful manner, of course?) Or do I suck it up? Or something in between??
- LS
I am at our weekly telephone conference with our in-house legal department in the States.
I need to talk about an upcoming project, which I, and one other legal department member, had been put in charge of. While working on the project this week, he and I realized that we needed to add some tasks to the original request we had given our US counsel.
The other person assigned to the project is out of the office, so it fell to me to make it clear that the original task assignments were being changed. I start explaining this, when suddenly, one of the US-based attorneys (who is Japanese) piped up, in Japanese, that this was not what had previously been decided. Now first of all, it is inappropriate to speak in Japanese during these meetings since not everyone understands Japanese. Secondly, I was at that very point explaining the change.
As I try to explain this, our team leader here in Japan then realizes that he also did not know about this change. It should have been irrelevant - I am in charge of the project, and do not need him to sign off on changes. Nonetheless, he began (also in Japanese) to state how he did not know of this change and is not sure if it is correct, etc. etc. Even worse, when I try to explain, he tells the local counsel that we will have to get back to him on the issue and ends the telephone call.
I am furious. I looked like an idiot, and what's worse, I looked like I did not have the trust of those around me. I am certain that this would not have happened if I was a male Japanese employee. But this is Japan, where direct confrontations are just not done. So do I say something, and possibly make it worse, or do I let it lie, and by doing so, possibly acquiesce to such behavior?
My gut instinct is that if I don't say something, this person will continue to act in a similar manner. So, dear reader(s), what do you suggest? Do I let him have it? (In a polite and respectful manner, of course?) Or do I suck it up? Or something in between??
- LS
