Why?

I was on my way to Tokyo to meet with the CEO of a large Japanese book publisher. The topic: a possible joint venture.

“Bring a present,” a friend that had done business in Japan before advised me. “Something “golf-ish.”

“Golf-ish?”

“The Japanese are crazy about golf.”

The introduction was formal. I was met in the lobby by a young woman who was to be my guide and interpreter. She brought me to the CEO’s opulent office. He was congenial, but not gushing. There was bowing instead of hand-shaking. The conversation was perfunctory and muted.

I gave him – I don’t even remember what I gave him. His assistant gave me an equally forgettable gift in return.

Our meeting took place in hour-long conversations over the next several days. I had read that the Japanese prefer to make acquaintanceships slowly. During the meetings, I was keenly aware that my behavior – i.e., my manners – would play a big role in determining the outcome. I was careful to stay formal and serious and respectful.

After the penultimate meeting, I was invited out to dinner with several of the senior executives. (The CEO had attended only the first meeting.) After a nice meal, they took me to a “club,” which turned out to be an ersatz old-fashioned Playboy Club. We drank and smoked and none of them even glanced at the servers.

We never did the deal. And I never found out why. Perhaps I was too serious or not serious enough during the meetings. Perhaps they didn’t like the deal. Or perhaps they caught me glancing at a server.

I have Japanese partners now. They are younger and much less formal. Next time we meet, I’ll tell them this story. Perhaps they can explain it to me.

What I Believe: About Affirmative Action

I feel about affirmative action the same way that I feel about charity. I am personally inclined to practice it, but I’m suspicious when it becomes corporate or governmental policy. As an institutional protocol, it can (and often does) do more harm than good.

When it puts people into positions they are qualified for, it can correct social imbalances, if such imbalances are the result of discrimination. But when it puts people into positions they are not qualified for, all sorts of problems arise. For the institution. For the other members of the institution. For the people the institution serves. And for the recipient of the affirmative action.

To make affirmative action work for underqualified people, there must be a commitment to provide them with the extra help they need to succeed. In my experience, that means investing in many, many hours of extra training and personal coaching. And even then, the odds are not good.