International Lecture: "An American Businessman in Asia" by Mr. Michael Buisán

Michael Buisán is a businessman that worked for Nike for 21 years, many of them in high level managerial positions. During his time with the company, he lived and worked in a variety of countries including Taiwan, Korea, China, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Buisán related his experiences and offered advice for students seeking to develop the skills to work and navigate leadership positions abroad. He began his career with Nike from the bottom - as a mailroom clerk. However, he quickly set his sights on advancing in the hopes of achieving the opportunity to work for the company overseas. When a position in Mexico opened up, he applied, highlighting to the company his ability to speak Spanish. Buisán didn’t get the job, but he had made it clear that he wouldn’t be deterred. His perseverance eventually paid off, although not quite in the way he expected. “My manager said to me, ‘Mike, we’re sending you to Yugoslavia.’” Buisán remembers. “I looked at him and said, ‘...where’s Yugoslavia?’ I had to look it up on a map!”

Undaunted, Buisán and his wife packed their bags. In Yugoslavia, they discovered hurdles to overcome while working in a foreign country. The first lesson to learn was the importance of navigating the language barrier. Learning even just a little bit of the language was vital to the process, and it also showed to people that Buisán was making a sincere effort to communicate with them. He urged us to be mindful of the fact that we’re a minority in a foreign culture, and we must learn to adapt rather than expect to be accommodated. Another key discovery was that the process doesn’t stop after the shift ends. Adapting to another culture is a 24/7 job. It requires learning how to navigate the day-to-day living. Buisán stressed the importance of having a basic understanding of the culture before going overseas, because the more awareness you have the easier it will be to connect with the people. Connection is the key to success. In Yugoslavia, he received invaluable support and resources from the shop floor people. He became involved in their lives, and highlighted the significance of being invited to someone’s home for the first time. “They had nothing but they gave me everything,” he recounted.

He expanded upon this notion by providing examples from his experience in other countries. He attended weddings in Taiwan and church in the Philippines. He participated in a puja ritual in India. These examples of interaction with people on a personal level proved that he respected those he worked and interacted with, and that he wasn’t just an outsider but a teammate. In Taiwan, when members of his team shaved their heads after a serious mistake to “save face”, Buisán followed suit. This action showed to the others that he was one of them despite their cultural differences. Also in Taiwan, Buisán discovered how to respond to different styles of leadership in an unfamiliar environment. He learned the value of being patient and organized. In China, he learned how to deal with rapid company growth as shoe sales jumped from 600,000 units a month to 4.5 million. He related the importance of investing into your people. In India, he learned to be sure there is understanding and acknowledgement from the team before proceeding. “If I get a blank look, it means I can’t leave yet!”

In the Philippines, Buisán realized the necessity of establishing a base of people. I feel this is key too, because it provides a system of support and resources to rely on when your own abilities come up short. I drew a lot of parallels between his discussion and my own experiences in leadership positions in clubs at Santa Fe. To minimize mistakes, it’s important to build that resource base quickly. I also really identified with his advice to seek out mentors to learn skill sets from when developing your own leadership style. By observing and identifying those skills that others excel at, you can gain an understanding of their success, and then adapt or modify those behaviors into your own practices. Michael Buisán was a fantastic guest speaker. He offered useful advice to students seeking to work abroad, and provided concrete examples from his own life that led to his success. Insight into his process makes that goal attainable. We were fortunate to experience such a valuable lecture.