Looking back.... The first year of Thailand Tales

Let’s start......

Larry: First of all, thank you for joining me today. I would like you to tell our readers a little bit about your background.

Kriengsak: I am Marketing Director for Kepner-Tregoe Thailand (KT), which is a branch of KT USA. KT is an international management consultant. I am responsible for selling, delivering, designing and providing consultation around Kepner-Tregoe Technologies.

Larry: How did you become a consultant?

Kriengsak: I used to work in Ericsson Communication, Citibank, and DHL Worldwide Express. Most of my background was in selling and marketing. from sales representative to sales & marketing manager. I learned that sales & marketing has a lot to offer to the role of consultant. Particularly in the service industry, you provide thought leadership to your clients. I was also, in-house facilitator for various programs in sales, customer service, and management, in addition to my sales manager work in Citibank. So, I enjoyed very much helping other learn. When there was an opportunity at KT, I accepted.

Larry: How did you become the writer of this column?

Kriengsak: I met Rod Davies, the Principal of Orient Pacific Century and founder and co-convenor of the Asia Pacific Management Forum. He invited me to do the monthly Thai column. He offered to help me fine tune my English. I accepted with the understanding that it was a net-social contribution (means no money (:-).

Larry: How do you create the topic of each month? What are your criteria for selecting each topic?

Kriengsak: I don’t have clear cut criteria. Let’s me tell you how I have worked. I usually send the column to Rod around the end of each month. I start my outline early in the month. Usually, the outline is not written. For me it’s just the back up thought. At the end of the month, I come up with an idea which is most of the time triggered by questions from readers or my work at KT. I usually write in the very early morning of Saturday or Sunday. For example, I wrote the April 1997 column because an MBA student asked me some questions based on the March column. June, July and November came from input from my clients' stories. May and September came from working experience with American KT’s colleagues. ...tAnd the combination of life before KT.

Larry: Which one do you like the most?

Kriengsak: I like them in different ways. I like April and August because they were used in academic papers for MBA students in the USA. I like June and July because they were used by Swedish Chamber of Commerce for Swedish businessmen orientations. I like September, personally because it’s the story that Thais are familiar with but rarely heard by foreigners.

Larry: I heard that you get good feedback from readers? Why? Kriengsak: Indeed, yes. I did some mini research, the following are examples..

“Thank you for your column, I am using your column in teaching Swedish companies visiting Thailand for business. If you have more information about Thai business culture, then I am interested”.

Hokan Eriksson
Swedish Thai Chamber of Commerce, Sweden

“It is the real face of Thailand...general but interesting, while other information sites give too much positive and negative ideas toward Thailand”.

T.G Mangkang

Masters Degree Scholarship student, UK : Sheffield

“Great to hear you are still getting good feedback on Thailand Tales. Some of our more academic people always wonder why your column gets good hits when it does not have all the sophisticated research they do! The answer is simple of course... It is unique. It is a Thai writing about Thai management as only a Thai can! So many falangs write about Thai management and business but it is usually the Western view. It is hard to get Thai's to write, as of course English is very much the second language. Even academics who are paid to write, teach and research, find it hard to find the time... ...But you are carving out a great niche for yourself. I think Thailand Tales is a great example of how Asian people and foreigners can work together to produce something useful and avoid all the problems that your column often talks about”.

Rod Davies

Principal of Orient Pacific Century (Kuala Lumpur, Brisbane, San Francisco) and founder and co-convenor of the Asia Pacific Management Forum.

Kriengsak: Please tell me what do you want to read in my column. I am planning 1998. The easy way is write to me asking for more specific information about Thais or Thailand in business. You can write to me for any help that I can offer to you. I have helped many readers in many different ways. Mostly, the suggestion of who to contact, how, and in which way...

Kriengsak Niratpattanasai
DBS Thai Danu Bank, Bangkok, Thailand