Years ago, when I was freelancing for a couple of Chinese newspapers, an editor sent me some suggested changes for an article, which caused me some confusion. Among his suggestions were some ideas I’d proposed myself, almost word-for-word. At the time, I saw this as a bad sign.

Perhaps the editor wasn’t paying attention to me or was indicating that he found my e-mails troublesome. Looking back, I now realize it was actually a good sign!

In any country, you have to "read between the lines," and it’s no different in China. If someone you are working for gives you instructions you proposed yourself, that’s good news because it shows you made some welcome suggestions. Of course, they could just tell you that they agree with you, but you can’t expect people to change the habits of a lifetime.

A lot of things go unsaid in China. The point I’d like to make is that you might be doing better at work than you realize.

A friend of mine works in PR, a relatively new field in China and one that can lead to a great deal of frustration. He was ready to quit after the first year, feeling that nobody was listening to the advice he was being paid good money to give.

But then he noticed small changes being made to the information on his company’s website and promotional materials. People at the company had been listening to him; they just never let him know!

A running joke among my friends revolves around how many of our yearly goals we achieve in Beijing. The consensus is that you’re doing well if you get about 10 percent of what you plan actually done. If you have to answer to a superior who is based outside of China, you might have trouble explaining your slow progress, but it’s possible your Chinese coworkers will be impressed with your work.

Before the Spring Festival, I had to give a presentation summarizing a year of my work. I felt embarrassed because some problems had stymied my targets.

But to my surprise, my boss was pleased with my presentation and even said I was one of the most efficient employees he had ever had.

He then took credit for one of my ideas and proposed some "new ideas" for 2017. So, it looks like I have been doing well after all.