To be able to further develop my career in HR field, I decided to accept the 6 months assignment to work in our headquarter in Nagoya when this opportunity knocked at my door 4 years ago. I was very pleased to return to the country where I fulfilled my dream as a teenager, which was to obtain a scholarhip and complete my bachelor degree in a foreign land.

It was a great experience working there. Although it was only a 6 months assignment, I felt like I have learned a lot and those exposures I had was unavailable elsewhere. It has broadened my perspectives from regional to global level. It has further deepened my understanding of not only the Corporate culture but also enabled me to build a human network that is beneficial to my personal as well as professional growth in the organization.

Although Japanese language and culture are not alien to me, I still encountered some “Cultural shock”initially. As one of our group missions was“Globalization of HR practices”，there were lots of “Nemawashi” and“Horensou”need to be done. Knowing the language is definitely an advantage to me, however the real learning only happened by watching and listening carefully to how and what my seniors did with various business units and levels of people. These are critical skills to acquire if you want to succeed in the Japanese organization.

During my stay, I was given a few stretched projects to work on. Initially, I felt like being thrown into a deep end and what I could do was just kept on swimming. The“stretch”was big but fulfilling for me and without the support of my friendly colleagues and mentors, I would have been “torn apart”by the “expectations”．Some of the key projects I was involved in were:
(ⅰ)Development of“Global HR Appraisal system”;
(ⅱ)Review and facilitate in“Globa l Leadership Program (GLP)”and
(ⅲ)Establishment of“Global HR network/ community”

GLP was my first project and I worked with a group of people who were passionate about“people development”．Although there were different opinions among members, things were sorted out through“constructive confrontation”and open communication. Everyone was clear about the direction and worked toward the common goals. I was impressed by the“Team Spirit”，the ways information/ ideas (including problems) were shared etc. The process itself was indeed a great learning journey.

After I came back I was assigned to be one of the HR members in the newly setup HR center in Asia Oceania Region. Our mission is to work with country HR manager, to harmonise Global, Regional and Country HR strategies and level up overall HR functions in the region. I still apply what I have learned during my assignment and work towards my goal to be an“Global HR professional”．I really appreciate the opportunity for the overseas assignment. Without it I would not be what I am today.