Christopher Thomas

Intel's (INTC) 33-year-old deputy general manager for China served as technical assistant to Executive Vice-President Sean Maloney before being appointed to his new job this spring.

Most of the professional world wakes up to a daily grind, and mine is probably much like many others. Always electronically connected. Always demanding the seamless integration of my personal and professional life, because neither really stops or starts. And with success always dependent on personal passion and perseverance, one can only do one's job if one loves it. Thankfully, I love my job. I love my job because putting a personal computer in the hands of any individual is an enormously positive event. I also love it for reasons that seem to set me apart from many of my peers: the global nature of my work and its complexity.

Virtual, distant communication gets better, easier, and less expensive all the time. It seems travel in the physical world gets more difficult and more expensive all the time. But I sense that this will drive a paradoxical outcome—we will not see the end of business travel. As work gets more global and getting around becomes (both absolutely and relatively) more difficult, businesspeople will place a much greater value on those who make the effort. Relationships still matter the most in business—and one will make a much greater impression on clients, customers, competitors and all other business colleagues by being there. People still want to do business with people they like. And nothing replaces sharing a beer or mineral water, or dinner, or a game of basketball for that purpose.

Now, after moving to China, my day is even more "global," but in a different way. Here I must understand the dynamics of managing diverse cultures. The Intel China team is as driven, competent, and "get it done" as any at Intel. But the team does come from a very different place: the oldest continuous national and ethnic culture in the world. The people are proud, desiring to choose their own paths in life and careers, to be independent, and to prove that they can compete on a global basis. But the culture can also be risk-averse, eager to avoid any outward impression of failure or not reaching the goal. This puts me, as the group leader, in a constant balancing act.