Quiet Is a Superpower

INTRODUCTION

ON A SUMMER AFTERNOON FILLED with brilliant rays of sunlight, I sit down in a cafe in Taipei’s busiest business district with a group of young, college-aged women. The air is filled with the wafting, sweet aroma of pour-over coffee. When we look out the floor-to-ceiling glass windows next to us, we see the abundant greenery that fills this street scene, which is similar to much of Taipei. The nine-to-five crowd is speed-walking by at a busy pace, chock-full of energy.

We are sitting here for one reason—a competition. Students who have made it through a gauntlet of previous competitions can choose to interview any of the professional senpais, or senior mentors, who are working in an industry the students are interested in. The women ...