There are some days you just have to shake your head and giggle (in a slightly maniacal fashion) at what utterly ridiculous situations arise. I have worked for two years and have finally come to a full understanding of how I fit into the puzzle that is this company. Or rather, I should say, how I don’t fit. My title may say in nice bold letters on my business card, ‘International Marketing Manager,’ but in reality I’m just the white guy sitting at the table in the middle of the room.
You would figure with a title like mine I would be making calls around the world, traveling to far away places, wheeling and dealing with the big boys so to speak. Everything regarding the company’s dealings with the world outside Japan should by all means be run past or at least mentioned to me so that I could keep the international ’stuff’ unified. After all, that is my job…right?
‘Michael, do you have the English version MSDS for product X?’ my coworker suddenly called out to me from across the room cradling a phone between his shoulder and neck. I looked up from the ‘how to’ video I was in the process of making. ‘Yes, and so do you. I put it on you computer about 6 months ago. It should still be there.’ A moment passed, ‘Oh, thanks, I found it.’
My focus began to shift back on to my project but suddenly there was a nagging in the back of my head. I waited a few minutes for my coworker to get off the phone. ‘Why do yo you need the English language version of the MSDS?’ After all, there was no real good reason for a person who dealt only in domestic sales to need one.
Five seconds, ten seconds, then finally ‘I don’t know.’ I looked at him patiently. Another five seconds, ten seconds, ‘Maybe they can’t read the Japanese version or they want the English version,’ he said staring at his monitor. An awkward silence ensued as everyone else studiously looked at their computers.
Or perhaps the boss has met some possible customers from Singapore, Taiwan, or China at one of the trade shows and wants to send them information. I hear those names bandied about quite often in the office but whenever I ask about it everyone gets oddly quiet or makes a joke about international sales. Why they would keep that information from me I have no idea. Do they really think I haven’t figured out what is going on and how much they ‘value’ me?
At least they should take the time to think up a lie that’s a little more believable. Perhaps something along the lines of, ‘one of our large customers is thinking of selling our products through their subsidiary in the US and need the English language data for the overseas personal.’ There, that took about thirty seconds of thinking and sounds logical, something that I could easily believe.
Oh well. The more they keep me out of the loop the more they lose out on the benefits/services I can provide. Our paths are diverging anyways but until my last day I will do my best despite the forces against me.
Only in Japan.
