Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg *** Local Caption *** Charles Li; Chow Chung-Kong; Leung ... [+]
It’s easy to assume that everyone sees the world how we do.
Actually, the American way is really, really weird.
Consider the people who first came here from Europe and established the culture that still defines us. We are descended from a self-selected population of self-promoters, fanatical go-getters, and entrepreneurs.
The Puritans were disciples of a new religion whose fire-and-brimstone preachers got so worked up that they fled the government of their mother country to establish what they saw as a perfect planned community. Add to that tobacco growers, beaver trappers, gold rushers, cattle rustlers, and bootleggers, and you’ve got the blueprint for America.
Self-promotion is literally part of our DNA.
China has, historically, been the complete opposite. Since its Warring States period, it has been a single entity ruled by one central power. Its dominant philosophical traditions—Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism—all emphasize group harmony. And Communism, the dominant political ideology of the past almost-century, isn’t exactly known for its emphasis on individualism.
So you’d think.
Over the past twenty years, the ruling Party has been introducing a form of market economics to combat the poverty that long plagued the country.
Their calculation has worked, and then some.
Chinese exports grew 954% between 1970 and 2010. Per capita household income has increased more than 400% over the past decade alone. Chinese consumers spend $73 billion on luxury goods every year. China now has fewer people living below the poverty line than in the United States. And it has the second highest number of billionaires in the world.
These are miraculous results. At the same time, any change of this scale and speed is certain to bring along with it insecurity and confusion.
For example, it has become clear to many Chinese people trying to survive and thrive in the new economy that it is essential to figure out aspects of “making it” that Americans have taken for granted since its earliest days. For the first time in its history, countless Chinese people are trying to learn once-alien skills like self-promotion, building a fanbase, positive self-talk, and so on. They often don’t know how. And that’s terrifying.
Despite all the excitement about the rapid change in China, many people are still struggling to develop the skills they know they need to truly benefit from it. And they still look to America for answers.
As a result of this dynamic, business authors have an unparalleled opportunity. Right now, there is a nation of 1.7 billion people who want to learn everything you know, simply because you’re an American.
At the same time, this dynamic won’t last forever. In fact, it may not even last for much longer.
A Historical Parallel
Consider Japan immediately after the Second World War. Like China, Japan was a collectivist society. Like China, it experienced immense cultural shifts over a very short period. And like China it had an intense need to reverse a turn toward poverty and hunger among a large percentage of its population.
It solved its problem in a similar way to what China is doing now. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s its companies—with the support of its government—became obsessed with learning everything they could from American business. They hired American consultants. They studied American management practices. They dissected American marketing and branding.
They devoured American business books.
Then, in the 1980s, something changed. They stopped looking to America. Why? Because they had learned everything we knew and started to do it better than us. At that point, we were the ones who started trying to figure out how to catch up with them.
China isn’t there yet. Chinese entrepreneurs and businesspeople still don’t, as a whole, have the soft skills required to get where they really need to go and they know it. But this won’t last forever. Whoever wants to benefit from this seismic shift needs to find a way to get in fast.
If, after reading this, you’re convinced that getting into China is important, it may still seem daunting. After all, China is a long way away. And the people there speak and read a very different (and very difficult) language.
However, distance and translation are surmountable challenges. If you do your homework and reach out to the people of this rising power, they will open their arms to you. With a little bit of research, faith, and willingness to step outside of your cultural boundaries, a whole new world of readers can be yours.
Get my list of 5 unconventional business books that will change your life>>>
