How can you increase your chances of success when asking for something in a business relationship?
The key is to focus more on the #timing of the ask than on what you are asking for.
While in western culture, it’s common for people to develop work bonds based on the confidence that they feel in another person’s accomplishments, skills and reliability.
In the eastern world, trust is relatively more “relationship-based” and is built through developing a personal bond. It arises from feelings of emotional closeness, empathy, or friendship.
So for those looking to ask for a favor in a relationship-based society, they must consider putting more time and effort into organizing meals and social events where they can drop talk about work and make the effort to build personal bonds.
Watch this highlight from our #TCPLive on “How to ask for what you want in East Asia”, where Jan Kot, Media & Cultural Coach, shares about cognitive and affective trust and how not understanding the difference can put a business relationship in peril.
About the Speaker:
Jan Kot is a certified coach specializing in intercultural storytelling with her S.T.O.R.Y model.
The former journalist was born and raised in Shanghai, educated in Hong Kong and the US. With a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in creative writing, Jan has over the years taken a ring-side seat in witnessing and documenting China’s rise to global power.
During her earlier career, Jan worked as a reporter for a number of news and business publications in the region with a focus on China’s social and cultural transformation as the country in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.
She was also one of the first Chinese writers to report on Chinese in Africa. In 2011, Jan became a founding member of Juwai.com, an international property portal for the Chinese.
In 2019, Jan founded The Tale Blazers in Shanghai, a consultancy agency that empowers brands and businesses to tell better stories. Jan speaks English, Mandarin, and Cantonese.