Success in the workplace through the cultural connectivity of comic books

Author: Ka-Wai Au

I was a big comics fan when I was a teenager, following the weekly adventures of Batman, Iron Man and many others.  I was fascinated by the worlds the comics painted, where heroes and villains alike would have fantastic superpowers. Like many, I asked the quintessential childhood question:  What would it be like to have a superpower of my own?

Growing up in the UK after immigrating from Hong Kong when I was 10 with my family, comics became my primary source for stories. They were more accessible than the books my peers enjoyed, fueling my imagination and providing a path for me to connect with the new culture I found myself in. I had to be creative in making friends at school because I was still learning to converse in a new language. Intuitively I leaned into the universal cultural pillars of sports, music, TV, and indeed, comics. These were formative years when I learned to appreciate my differences and embraced being multicultural.

"My childhood experience gave me the tools to easily adapt to a new environment."

Fast-forward 15 years later, I am in my first job as an IT Analyst for a global consultancy firm. I was placed in the United States to work on a large system implementation program. Barely out of university and early in my career, I surprised my colleagues with how quickly I had adapted to American life. My childhood experience gave me the tools to easily adapt to a new environment. When the program introduced offshore teams from the Philippines, I realized my skill set could also be transferrable to help others feel comfortable quickly too.

For context, at this time, multi-country IT teams were rare even for large organizations. Imagine a working world with no video conferences, shared screens, or smart phones with messaging apps. Emails and a telephone line were as good as it gets. Without the communication tools we may bemoan or take for granted now, the program struggled to effectively integrate the new teams that were 12 time zones away.

In light of this, I found myself gravitating to work with the new teams.  It was novel and exciting for me to work with people from Asia. Where others would struggle, it would come naturally for me to adapt to different ways of working and communicating. I began acting as an informal bridge between the teams, helping smooth the transition.  

My managers took note, which led to my assignment in Manila where I was tasked with not only training the offshore team in the system and technology, but also coaching them on how to be effective in their new work environment. This valuable and enriching experience at a formative part of my career led to further interesting roles that often worked across international teams.

"After I joined Mastercard last year, I saw first-hand how a multicultural workplace could be the norm, and recognized the extraordinary way our company culture embraced all forms of diversity."

It is clear to me now that my multicultural upbringing helped me succeed in the workplace.  Who knew reading comic books would grant me my own secret superpower? After I joined Mastercard last year, I saw first-hand how a multicultural workplace could be the norm, and recognized the extraordinary way our company culture embraced all forms of diversity. This is a key ingredient of the "secret sauce" that not only makes Mastercard a great place to work but also succeed as a business. At this point in my career, I’m now at home surrounded by people with the same superpowers.