By Phyllis Speser, CEO
Wherever you are, much of the real business takes place over coffee and meals. Here in China that has been raised to an art form. Here I am at a dinner with the mayor of Qingdao, the city best known in America for Tsingtao beer. Seating is important, as the closer to the host, the greater the honor. Over toasts and courses of wonderful food, discussions of how to work together mingle with jokes, laughter and all the delight of a pleasant social setting. When you hear about the importance of relationship building for doing business in Asia, this is what is meant. Friendships and trust are built simultaneously. As the Classical Chinese Daoist philosopher Chuang Tzu put it:” If it was not for the fish, the net would be unnecessary. When the fish is caught, the net is not needed. If it was not for the bird, the snare would be unnecessary. When the bird is caught, the snare is not needed. If it was not for the meanings, the words would be unnecessary. When the meanings are caught, the woods are not needed. I am looking for someone who understands the meanings so I can have a world with him.” If we do not spend time together how can we understand the meanings. It is a wonderful Chinese custom.