Each Step Up Changes the Challenge: Taiwan’s Number One Must Be Reassessed Globally

The personal story of American sociologist Corey Keyes From a sociologist’s perspective, changing yourself through willpower alone is extremely difficult. It is better to change your environment first—the principle behind the story of Mencius’s mother choosing a better neighborhood. Keyes did well in high school but was not free of his environment’s influence. He came from Three Lakes, a remote Wisconsin town with just 605 residents in 2010. Only three of his 53 graduating classmates went to college, including Keyes. In college, however, his small-town background became apparent: his grades hovered near failing in every subject. An English professor even told him, ‘I do not think you belong here.’ What a blow. A small-town young man overcomes difficulties to reach college, only to be told he does not belong. But Keyes refused to give up. He worked hard, graduated with excellent grades, earned a sociology doctorate, and later became a sociology professor. #Wan Weigang’s 精英日課 6 ---- Robin: ‘This resonates with my own experience growing up in Pingtung, at Taiwan’s southern end. Staying there would not have been impossible, but the people, situations, and opportunities I encountered would have differed. Young people from small towns should, if possible, step beyond them for more stimulation and challenges. My classmates working in finance in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, London, or Wall Street would have perspectives and horizons far beyond mine. The same applies to entrepreneurship. After fierce competition in Taiwan, you might become an important player in your field. Yet viewed across Asia or the world, you may again seem insignificant. Each level changes the difficulty completely. Even outstanding performance in Taiwan’s professional baseball or basketball leagues is different from playing in Japanese professional baseball, Major League Baseball, or the NBA. The challenge rises several levels. Taiwan’s number one may be mid-ranking in Asia and need enormous effort just to keep pace globally. Imagine building a software team of over 200 in Taiwan, becoming number one in its field, with no second team of that caliber in Taiwan. It may even be among the world’s largest in its particular software specialty. Yet competing outside Taiwan, on the global stage, changes the landscape completely. Some ventures can still start in Taiwan: fields where Taiwan is far ahead globally, such as semiconductors. With Taiwan already the strongest, a semiconductor startup has talent, customers, technology, and the chance to grow alongside the largest companies. But if you choose a field where Taiwan has little global presence, carefully consider targeting the world or your main market from the outset.’