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What Yoda Doesn't Know about Business in China
By William R. Dodson


One of the best kept secrets in the West about Chinese workers is their sincerity in completing a task. “I will try the best!” is a constant refrain one hears in Government and in Business in China…

… I require contact be made between one government agency and another department: “I will try the Best!”

… I need research completed on possible joint venture partners in an economic development zone: “I will try the best!”

… I need pro forma balance sheets and income statements from a Chinese company that has an interested American buyer: “I will try the best!”

Of course in China, as in any society, you have lazy workers. But after having heard this refrain endlessly in China I’ve become curious about what lies behind this approach and its heart-felt execution. What does it actually mean?

For one, whenever a Chinese has told me, “I will try the best!” he has seemed to mean it. Of the hundreds of times I’ve heard the expression in a professional context, I can’t remember once when the Chinese did not extend Herculean efforts to achieve the results I required. It is a scary phenomenon, really: the Chinese who have tried their best will extend their working hours just to meet my request; they will make phone call after phone call and meet with the stiffest resistance to exceed my expectations; they will call on their friends and their family to help me reach my goal – most of whom will “try the best” to support me.

Clearly, this paper could come off as an idle boast, as in, “Oh, Dodson; you’re ability is clearly so great that you’re able to mobilize a cast of thousands of Chinese to meet client requests.” That’s not what I’m trying to say, however; instead, I would like American managers to realize that in a majority of instances they too can have Chinese “try the best” in making their foreign investments constructive and profitable experiences.

What does “try the best” actually mean? It means attending to every detail in an effort and exhausting one’s resources – and perhaps even oneself – in the process.

The concept “try the best,” though, comes off rather weakly in the West. We associate such an expression with a lack of spirit, with a lack of ability and will to succeed. Consider what Yoda said while training young Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Jedi Knight in the film The Empire Strikes Back: young Skywalker whines, “ok, I”ll try.” Yoda immediately snaps back, “Try not! Do! Or Do Not!!” Whereupon young Skywalker levitates the (Evil) Empire State Building. (You all remember that scene, of course).

Yoda’s is a very Western response – a key characteristic of what makes Western culture different from Chinese culture. In the West we interpret action, result – any result – as an expression of sincere effort. Of course, results that come of direct action are held in even greater esteem. The more sparks and flames that fly, the more convinced we are of an individual’s sincerity and of the quality of the result. Whether the individual knew what he was doing is irrelevant – even if he makes a hash of the job.

Chinese society and history make it difficult for Chinese to 1) plow ahead with direct action, and 2) claim victory before they’ve even thought about how to approach solving a problem. Finally, the very real phenomenon of Face and its corollary Facing-Saving make it near impossible for Chinese to keep from hedging their bets, as it were.

When a Chinese says he will “try the best,” he means that he will do everything in his power to realize your goals – he intends not to delude you into believing he is a demi-god with mystical powers that will suddenly make all the complexities that are China just disappear. And that’s just the point: China is complicated – it’s been complicated for thousands of years and it’s not about to be suburbanized anytime soon. Chinese assume obstacles to success will occur; they assume they may have to negotiate with others for some favor or for some piece of action or what not. Their experience in their own lives is that getting from Point A to Point B is NOT a straight line; it’s an arc, or even a circle.

In America, if someone makes a request of an American to do something, the American will invariably say, “No problem…”

…“I need to put a snow making factory in Heilongjiang Province in North China and sell the locals snow cones.” “No problem!” (thumbs up)

It’s no wonder Winston Churchill said, “Leave it to Americans to find the best course of action – after they’ve exhausted all other alternatives.”

If an American were to tell his boss, “I will try the best!” the boss would assume the employee did not know what he was doing and did not have his heart in his job. Likely, the boss would imagine, he will have to goatherd the employee to the result the boss expects. Oddly, we in the West tend to have more faith in the fellow who perceives no problems in a situation than in the soul who admits at the outset she doesn’t have all the answers. Personally, in China, I tend to believe the guy who says at the outset things might be a bit complicated.

So, how to actually get the best from someone who says they will “try the best!” The keys I’ve discovered that work for me are:

o Lead by example;
o Follow-through;
o Do something for the person who helped you.

Chinese are more apt to try their best for you when they see you trying their best for them or for other Chinese people. That means acting with integrity, whole-heartedly, and with little fanfare.

If a Chinese business or government contact says he will “try the best,” follow-up periodically to show you know the trouble through which you are putting them. Follow-up is also an opportunity to ask what you can do to make their obligation to you easier to discharge. Asking about how things are going is not a sign of distrust in China. The gesture is a show of caring for them and for the importance of what they are doing for you.

Bring some small gift for the person who has indeed “tried the best for you,” or immediately do something helpful for the individual. In the least, if they ask something of you, it’s best that you “try the best,” too.

Truly, one of the most endearing characteristics of Chinese culture is the sincere attempt to help someone for whom Chinese care. Indeed, I’ve been so touched by all the people in China who have “tried their best” for me and for my business that I have integrated that ethic into my personal and professional life.

Try it yourself sometime. And may the Force be with you.