The traditional Confucius teaching of 'modesty', a core Chinese value for centuries, has made many Hong Kong people passive and that is bad for Hong Kong's future. It is time we change this belief.
We should help young people realise that bragging, boasting or blowing one's own trumpet isn't always improper behaviour. Hong Kong is a great financial centre, and we should tell the world that we are the best Chinese, if not Asian, city to do business with.
In the workplace, if we are experts in certain areas, we shouldn't be ashamed in telling people that we are good at those areas.
Research by Singapore-based management and organisational consultant Jane Horan shows that people who are vocal, visible and love to brag get promotions in multinational companies more often than those who are 'modest' and 'quiet' - which are euphemisms for being passive.
Hong Kong Chinese are no less intelligent or capable than Westerners. But why does it seem that Americans, Australians and Britons always get the promotion in multinational firms while their Chinese counterparts watch with envy and frustration?
In the commercial world, few things are more important than to build a company's brand. That's why companies like Cathay Pacific and Hang Seng Bank spend millions of dollars promoting their image. By the same token, we Hong Kong Chinese should learn how to manage our own brand.
Ditch the traditional conviction that 'achievement speaks for itself'. We need to alter this mentality. We should be bold enough to broadcast our achievements. To many of our superiors, broadcasting what we have accomplished shows that we have confidence and passion in what we do.
