Link & Covey as "The Ugly American Tourists"

Believe it or not Stephen and I have rarely spent free time together.  When we travel on business together once or twice a year it is usually just that, we do the business and immediately fly off in different directions.  We enjoyed the 4 hours we had together in Beijing immensely. It turned into quite a memorable adventure. We happened across the network, familiar to most savvy international travelers, of starving art students that speak English and love to “show their work” to international tourists.  Actually it was refreshing to see first hand that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in China.  Stephen and I were an easy mark. We stood out like a sore thumb as we tried to jam days of sight seeing into a few hours.  We were approached by a college student (read lead generator) who suspected we were lost.  He offered to walk us to Tianimin Square.  

My propensity to trust waned however, as he attempted to convince us that we needed to turn right, away from the square,  when we clearly had two blocks left to go.  (He did not realize that I had been there before.)  Undaunted he graciously served as tour guide but ultimately managed to lead us out the side entrance of the Forbidden City which conveniently led us to his Art Studio on a side street.  From there we experienced a sales process second only to the American timeshare industry.  Turns out, the shop is owned by his “Art Professor” and the student was trying to raise money for a trip with the professor to the USA. Never mind that they contradicted each other several times on what cities they planned to visit. The art was actually quite impressive.  Stephen really liked one of the professor’s pieces, but loving soul that he is. did not want to offend the student by not buying one of the student’s pieces.  Voila, in a masterful tour de force that I thought was exclusively American, the student turned Stephen over to the Professor (known as a T. O. in the car and timeshare industries) who generously solved Stephen’s dilemma by offering to throw in the student’s work if Stephen bought the more expensive Professor’s piece (known as the drop in the US car and timeshare industry).  It was really  beautifully orchestrated.  The good news is that the art Stephen bought is an extraordinarily beautiful Oriental ink drawing.  As we laughed about our experience while we walked back to the hotel taxi stand to return to the airport it dawned on us that neither one of us had any idea the market value of the art.  Fortunately value is in the eye of the beholder and both Jeri and Stephen love the piece and Stephen and I have a great road warrior story and a great laugh together.

Birds Nest with rare blue sky

Yang Yuanqing

Stephen was pleased to speak again to Yang Yuanqing, Chairman of the Board of Lenovo.  Lenovo is rapidly becoming a major global brand after acquiring the IBM PC and as the one of the lead sponsors of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  This merger was one of the most visable multinational mergers between a Chinese and a U. S. firm.  Stephen first met Yang Yuanqing when Stephen led a global executive team 2 day  meeting for Lenovo last year.  They have an impressive collection of talent and an excellent product and are poised to be a powerful force in their industry.  Of note is the decision that Lenovo made to drop IBM from their product  branding long before their rights to use the IBM name expired in their contract.   This was a bold vote of confidence in their global brand and reputation.  Well done!

Yang Yuanqing is a local rock star of business much as Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are in the U.S.  He was mobbed by dozens of press and TV cameras as he left the stage.  Stephen managed to speak to him for several minutes. Yang was genuinely pleased to see Stephen again.  We gave him as set of the Speed of Trust 13 behavior cards translated into Chinese.

QQ.com is the #1 internet portal in China reaching over 90% of all web users in China with over 273 million active accounts.  That is nearly the entire population of the U.S. or Europe both children and adults!  In a lengthy interview Stephen and I were struck by the similarities of the questions and the high level of interest in the topic of Trust consistent with what we experience in other countries.  There was no sense of caution as the interviewer pointed out the low levels of trust that still exist in China between the government and business. The Speed of Trust is published in both simple and Complex Chinese and is selling well.  

Stephen emphasized the common ground of the topic of trust in relationships with team members from various nations.  He pointed out that the 13 behaviors of high trust leaders are common to leaders around the globe regardless of nationality.  There was significant interest in Stephen’s assertion that trust many times can be restored  or to a great degree improved after it is broken.  It is not black and white.  This resonated as a hopeful concept for China as they tend to consider dire consequences to loosing face or damaging your family or business reputation.  Stephen also discussed the gains in market trust and brand reputation gained by China due to their hosting the Olympics.  The national pride in China fueled by the Olympics and rising economics is evident in conversations with local leaders. 

Stephen and I attended The World Economic Forum in Tianjin, China.  Stephen presented the Speed of Trust and participated on several panels. At the close of the World Economic Forum’s “summer Davos” we participated in a general table discussion on the topic of what are the top challenges facing organizations in the coming year.  Each table of the 2000 plus participants identified one issue and then using keypad voting every one voted to force rank the top issues (now keep in mind this was taking place the weekend that the US congress and Senate were working on a rescue program). We were all surprised that the global financial crisis was voted #2.  The #1 challenge was a crisis of Trust and Confidence.  The consensus was that the impact of the financial crisis is exasperated as trust declines.  The financial crisis at is root is a trust crisis. Especially because it involves credit and everyone is afraid to part with their cash and are rightfully reluctant to risk because they do not know who they can trust given the downfall of several hundred year old institutions. Think about it—credit is trust and trust is credit. 

On the weekend that the U.S. Congress and Senate were debating a financial package Stephen and I attended a BBC televised  debate from the World Economic Forum on the impact that the economic crisis would have on China.  It was fascinating.  The woman pictured was from Taiwan, others were from Mainland China and Western firms.  Consensus was that China has not yet gotten involved in the financial industries like the west.  Their economy is still growing in the more stable and traditional industries of manufacturing, agriculture and real estate. They are also cash rich and actually may benefit by buying Western assets for low prices.  The ultimate threat is lack of demand for their exports if other economies loose buying power.

Stephen had an engaging in interview this morning on CNBC China that is broadcast nationwide and is considered one of the leading sources of business news in Asia.  He was interviewed by David Arkless a distinguished member of the Board of Directors of Manpower, a $20 billion global conglomerate.  In an engaging discussion Stephen discussed the core impact of Trust on business relationships across national lines.  He pointed out that in his presentations in over 30 countries on The Speed of Trust business and government leaders resonated with the relevance of trust to their current business strategies and objectives.  Trust neutralizes nationality and gender focusing on the track record and credibility of the person and not other factors.  We trust people that come through for us.  Trust is a universal principle that applies to all human nature and cultures even though it may be expressed locally in different ways and practices.  In China, as in all of Asia the practice of saving face is an example of preserving your trusted reputation.

This very articulate woman from Pakistan made a powerful case for the underrepresentation of women in leadership through out the world and even on the panels of the World Economic Forum.  I attempted to speak to her but the press of the nearly 2000 people in the room prevented me from getting to her.  I also have searched the photo album of participants to find her name but was unable to find her.  If you know her, email me.

I resonated with her straight talk in respectfully confronting the forum about this unfortunate reality in business and government.  I am a staunch advocate for women in leadership and have a bias that they have traits of intuition, vision, and empathy lacking, or at least way underdeveloped, in many of their male counterparts.  It has also been my experience that women are more influential in negotiating.  This is the purest evidence for their case as a disproportionate number of women excel in sales which is the ultimate level playing field with no ceiling, glass or otherwise.  Trust is an extraordinary gender neutralizer.   We trust people based on their integrity, performance and behavior regardless of gender or ethnicity.

“Politics” – the antithesis of trust and standard operating procedure for many industries, governments, organizations, and relationships. In today’s world, everyone is a politician, trying to get ahead, but it is an illusion, spin. Add to that the very real consequences of stop-loss measures like bailouts, leaving what many media outlets call a “crisis of confidence.”  We call this a crisis of trust.  

A recent BBB-Gallop poll indicates a 24% decrease in trust of business during the past year.  This was before the current financial crisis. Steven Cole, President and CEO, National Council of Better Business Bureaus, asserts, “The continuing decline of consumer trust is just not sustainable for businesses, but, interestingly, the issue highlights a clear opportunity for competitive advantage among businesses that embrace consumer demand for trust in the marketplace.”

The fastest way to get the US economy back on track: rebuild and restore trust, in every industry, every organization, every government, and every relationship. Seventy-two percent (72%) of those surveyed in the BBB-Gallop poll say it’s as simple as businesses “doing a better job delivering on their promises.”

The numerous endorsements by CEOs in The Speed of Trust obviously indicate the appeal to executives, but the real proof is that organizations around the world are embracing The Speed of Trust by having it presented to their most important audiences.

 Proving the economic case for trust and demonstrating that it can be measured AND that the needle can be moved is what engages the executives.  This topic resonates! 

 Trust is a mission-critical competitive advantage in the new global economy, and the good news is that it can be dramatically increased by learning 13 behaviors common to all high trust leaders around the world. 

Trust is being spotlighted on the global stage; Stephen and I are currently en route for him to present The Speed of Trust to 1,500 leaders from over 60 countries at the World Economic Forum. in Tianjin, People’s Republic of China, September 27-29, 2008.  The China forum is a meeting for what are termed “Global Growth Companies.” This second “Summer Davos” will bring together the emerging multinational companies – the New Champions – that have the potential to reshape the global economic landscape. Under the theme “The Next Wave of Growth,” CEOs of the New Champions will engage with a diverse group of the most important players shaping the future of business and the global agenda.