How Jews and Koreans Are Alike And What They Can Teach You To Survive In This Economy.

Posted on | April 12, 2009 | No Comments

[Warning: I take some of my political correctness off in this entry. So please, no hate mail. Oh wait, I was never politically correct to begin with!]

I have always joked that Koreans were the Asian versions of Jewish people. They share very similar characteristics that helps me draw this comparison.

Of all the ethnicities and cultures that have come to this country and thrived, I would say that Koreans and Jews are two cultures that are at the top of the list. Jewish people have done very well in this country and are well represented in many aspects of private and public sectors. The same goes for Koreans. I would say that they, more than any other Asian Culture, have succeeded in penetrating mainstream America. They are relatively well represented.

And now, we can learn from them and apply similar traits to succeed as well especially during such tough economic times. I can name two traits that come to mind.

First, Jews and Koreans are known for being notoriously cheap er frugal. When I delivered pizza as a part time job back in college, my fellow pizza drivers would always joke that we knew we were not going to get a good tip if the last name on the pizza box was a Lee or a Goldberg. I can still remember the remarks, “Damn Dean. 30 dollar order and you’re lucky if you get $2 from Mr. Park.” Most times, but not all, they were right. Ah, those were the days. We thanked the Pizza Gods that we only had to deliver to a Kim or a Feinstein a couple times a night.

But you know what? In this economy, you need to save your money as much as possible. So stop spending so much on needless things that won’t get you anywhere. Learn to prioritize and realize that that jacket from Neimen Marcus isn’t going to help you survive in this economy. Be financially disciplined. Know your priorities. Mr. Oh sure does.

Second, the other trait that has helped Jews and Koreans (or Joreans or Kews) get ahead in society is their ability to support each other. There has been a double-edged perception to them though. Some of us see both cultures as preferring to being to their own kind and being rather reclusive. While others have simply seen them as supporting their own kind. I suppose the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Regardless, of how you see it, they have built a robust community where they support their own. Remember the Virginia Tech rampage shooting from a couple of years ago? The killer was a Korean. I thought it was so weird that the entire Korean community came out united and were so apologetic for one of their own having committed such a heinous act. They really didn’t have to considering it was not their fault. But I thought that was very touching they would accept some personal responsibility during that time.

In some regards, you can say that these two cultures truly understand successful networking principles. They understand they it takes a village to raise a child. They are there in support of each other. By supporting their own, they have created a viable and sustainable ecosystem that helps them gain a competitive advantage in this country.

Are you there for your own? In this economy, you need to understand effective networking principles. It’s not just about furthering your endeavors, but also learning to support your network’s endeavors. Remember- If it’s win/win then we’re all in (Deanism). You need to give to get. What can you do to support your network? How can all of us support each other through tough these economic times? We need to understand that united we stand, divided we fall. We are not an island unto ourselves. This is the networked economy.

Hey, say what you want of both cultures, but they’ve done very well for themselves in this melting pot that we call the U.S.A. Learning to be more financially disciplined and developing powerful relationship building skills that are supportive of each other are timeless traits that any person should learn.

Now if you excuse me, writing this entry has caused me to develop a craving for some bulgogi.