December Reflections- what do we take for granted in the US [that we can’t find elswhere]?

We live in a society in which the negative things make the news. There are many of us immigrants who live in the US and – in spite of the political disaster of the past (almost) 8 years – find things to be grateful for in this US society which we don’t find in other places. This was my Rotary Club, 4 minute vision statement, for Dec 2007

A “Personal Ode to America” or what I am grateful for:

I am grateful for:

• Being in a society which values diversity!

Where else can I have a birthday party with friends from 15 different countries – AND, that’s normal

• Having had 3 businesses which went nowhere, and having people around me encourage me to do something different again.

• Walking barefoot in my house, and my clients and friends rush to take off their shoes when they see that; in Germany, I was lectured, “ you can’t do that, Frau Doctor.”

• Being given the chance to accomplish something because of what I was able to do and not because I was from a “famous family”, —-as was in the case of Hal Loucheim, who let me pitch classes to him for Stanford’s Continuing Studies and then gave me the opportunity to teach them.

• Having a real equal opportunity in the little things, such as getting into swim classes for my kids because I was in line early (no one cut ahead because they knew the director)
• Not having to bribe the butcher to get a good cut of meat because the country is exporting the best and keeping back the bad, as in the case of Brazil when I lived there.

People coming here to this country value that there is a fair system for all (or it tries to be).

• Being surrounded by incredible people (smart, successful) —- and they talk to me and take me seriously! [For my interview research project, I went to over 40 different leaders in the Silicon Valley and they all gave me their time, a commodity which is priceless here.]

Would they have done that in France, Germany or Brazil?

• Having a chance and the freedom to push and develop my business in any direction and there are no barriers put up by society and no one tells me, “this won’t work”

• Experiencing the generosity of this community which helped me write 2 books in the last 16 months.

It is the American way to wish others well.And lastly, I am grateful for being a part of this group of wonderfully, warm, caring people who make me feel welcome.

Comments from an Aussie blogger on our book: Communicating the American Way

Des Walsh recently wrote a blog about our book, Communicating the American Way; I appreciate his comments (and I don’t know him) and for his taking the time to write a thoughtful review. He certainly is correct with some of his criticisms and I appreciate him pointing out items that don’t work for him. I don’t agree with his point, however, that when we talk about networking, we should have included Facebook, LinkedIn or other types of social networking – Web 2.0 – sites.

Networking in person still seems to resonate more with people, I think,  maybe because it is a recognized good way of doing business in the Silicon Valley. I didn’t include online networking in the book, as I think that while social networking sites may often come from the US, it is not THE American Way and is popular around the world.

I had his whole review on this blog, but as I learned, it is against blog etiquette to post a whole blog taken from someone. So in the spirit of fairness, I will link to his blog, http://deswalsh.com/2008/01/31/communicating-successfully-in-corporate-america/  and hope that readers will visit his blog, leave a comment and help me make good on the blog etiquette I violated.

They Made It! – in French on YouTube

This is a first in trying to explain the “recipes for success” from my book, and it is in French. It is uphill from here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oei-cUVz2-w

Foreign – born workforce necessary when Baby Boomers retire

I recently came across this reprinted article from Forbes magazine (2007) that Paul Heller commented on his blog. As he is an immigration attorney, he seems to understand the necessity (and maybe the urgency) of our attracting and keeping these motivated foreign-born entrepreneurs.

As an executive commented to me yesterday, when the Baby Boomers retire, we will need at least a 40% new workforce of educated, focused people working in our economy. And where will they come from (in such large numbers) if not from overseas? Our government, luckily a new one coming in soon, has to be made aware that the US workforce alone is not enough to keep us in the running globally.

One of the reasons I undertook the study for They Made It!, was that I saw – and still see – the great need to let other people know how much foreign-born entrepreneurs have contributed not only to the Silicon Valley, but also to the rest of the US.

First Published in Forbes Magazine in early 2007..

Letter From Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley’s Immigration Problem
Reposted Article:

If you could choose between starting a high-tech career in India or the U.S., which would you pick?

Indian immigrant Rosen Sharma opted for the U.S. in 1993 and has done extraordinarily well here. But if he were just coming out of college these days, he says, he would pick India. The business opportunities are better, he says, and quality of life issues are at least as good: Nice housing? Schools? Safe streets? The chance to feel prosperous on a young engineer’s salary? India is holding its own just fine against the U.S., he believes.

Sharma’s answer is unnerving. A big part of the U.S. tech boom over the past 20 years has come from our ability to pull in the best and the brightest from India, Taiwan and other Asian countries, year after year. We’ve taken it for granted that these talented immigrants want to come here and that they will help the next generation of American start-ups achieve greatness.

But Sharma’s perspective demands our attention.

In 1993, he says, after graduating with flying colors from the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, Sharma headed straight for the U.S. So did most of his classmates. Of the 40 people in Sharma’s graduating class at IIT Delhi, he says, all but three came to the U.S.

It was a smart move for him and a great deal for the U.S. Sharma earned a Ph.D. from Cornell University and has since started more than a half-dozen companies–building products, generating revenue, rewarding investors and creating jobs. Now he sits on five company boards and runs his own start-up, SolidCore Systems, in Palo Alto, Calif.

The U.S. is home to Sharma now. He’s applied for U.S. citizenship. He’s raising his children here. He wants the U.S. to be an engine of innovation, for U.S. companies to build sought-after products and to generate good returns for workers and shareholders.

But Sharma, who is president of the IIT Delhi Alumni Association, says the next generation of Indian engineers are unlikely to feel the way he does: Last year, only 10 of the 45 IIT graduates who went through the same program Sharma did decided to pursue jobs in the U.S., he says.

If this represents a trend, it will have significant consequences for the U.S. AnnaLee Saxenian, now dean of the School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley, has devoted years to tracking the impact of immigrant entrepreneurs. Along with researchers at Duke University, she reported in January that foreign-born immigrants helped start one of every four U.S. technology start-ups over the past decade. Together, those companies employed 450,000 people and generated $52 billion in sales in 2005, according to the study.

As America staggers toward the next national election, we’ll hear plenty of slogans about making the U.S. “more competitive.” Candidates will debate tax policies and vow to fix our public schools. Chances are you won’t hear them talking about making the U.S. more receptive to ambitious graduates from overseas. But they should.

But take another look at my first question: It doesn’t just apply to foreign nationals. If you’re a bright young person born in the U.S., where should you begin your career? In this country or abroad?

“Overseas,” asserts Sharma–but this time, for positive reasons. In order for U.S. companies to be competitive, to serve the largest number of customers and build the most suitable products for customers all over the globe, they will need executives who have broad global experience.

Students are already sensing this trend: Several months ago, when I spoke to business school students touring Silicon Valley about job prospects, many said they were actively considering international opportunities, too.

It sounds like a contradiction–that the U.S. should continue to try to try to woo the best and the brightest from overseas even as homegrown emerging stars seek their fortunes outside our borders. But in a world where competition is truly global, that kind of exchange program makes sense–particularly if those Americans eventually return home and help build stronger companies.