Trust Across Borders
Chapter 2: The Values That Shaped My Career
Published as part of the Trust Across Borders series.
People Often Ask Me Why
People sometimes ask me why I spend so much time writing free articles in English.
Why I explain Chinese law to complete strangers.
Why I openly publish my lawyer’s license.
Why I invest years building a website before seeing meaningful business results.
The answer is surprisingly simple.
These are not marketing strategies.
They are the natural result of the values that have guided me throughout my professional life.
Those values were not formed overnight.
They were shaped over many years.
But one year in Tokyo had a particularly profound influence on the way I think about work, business, and professional responsibility.
A Different Definition of Success
When I studied in Japan, I was exposed to a way of thinking that was very different from what I had grown up with.
In many places, success is measured by income.
Or status.
Or promotion.
Or how quickly someone becomes wealthy.
Those things certainly matter.
But they are not enough.
What impressed me most was that many Japanese companies seemed to think differently.
They cared about reputation.
They valued long-term relationships.
They made decisions with future generations in mind rather than focusing only on immediate results.
For many business leaders, a company was not simply a tool for making money.
It was an institution that should continue creating value for society for decades.
That idea stayed with me.
“A Company Exists for Society”
One memory from that period has remained vivid for more than twenty years.
Around 2004, I watched a television program discussing the well-known dispute involving Livedoor and Fuji Television.
During the discussion, one commentator said something that immediately caught my attention.
“A company exists for society.”
What surprised me even more was that nobody in the studio questioned the statement.
Everyone simply accepted it as obvious.
For me, however, it was a completely new way of thinking.
Growing up in China, I often heard that people should contribute to the country.
At the same time, many people also believed that the purpose of business was simply to make money.
This was the first time I had heard someone say that the purpose of a company was to serve society.
The more I thought about it, the more I agreed.
A business that creates value for society is far more likely to survive over the long term than one built only for short-term profit.
Process Matters
Another experience in Japan strengthened this belief.
I watched a legal television program discussing a workplace dispute.
An employee had violated company rules.
However, his actions ultimately benefited the company.
The question was simple:
Should he be rewarded because the result was good?
Or should he still be disciplined because he broke the rules?
What surprised me was that nearly every lawyer on the program reached the same conclusion.
He should still be punished.
Not because the result was bad.
But because the process mattered.
That discussion introduced me to a concept that has remained with me ever since.
A good result does not always justify a bad process.
Today, Japan has also become more results-oriented than it once was.
But I still believe that sustainable success depends on good processes.
Without integrity, discipline, and respect for rules, even impressive results are often temporary.
Creating Value Before Receiving Value
Years later, when I became a lawyer, these ideas naturally influenced the way I practiced.
Instead of asking,
“How can I attract more clients?”
I found myself asking,
“How can I create more value?”
That is why I spent years writing English articles without knowing whether anyone would ever read them.
That is why I explain Chinese legal procedures in detail.
That is why I publish my lawyer’s credentials openly.
That is why I invest in long-term trust instead of short-term marketing.
None of these decisions were based on immediate financial returns.
They were based on a simple belief.
If I consistently create value for others, trust will eventually follow.
Trust Is Earned Through Process
Many people think trust is built through successful outcomes.
I disagree.
Successful outcomes certainly strengthen trust.
But trust usually begins much earlier.
It begins with honesty.
With transparency.
With professionalism.
With doing the right thing even when nobody is watching.
Clients may remember whether their case was successful.
But they also remember how they were treated.
Whether promises were kept.
Whether advice was honest.
Whether their lawyer acted with integrity.
In my experience, professional reputation is built one decision at a time.
And those decisions are guided by values rather than techniques.
A Principle I Still Follow Today
Looking back, I now realize that my years in Japan did not simply teach me about another country.
They changed the way I think about my own profession.
Being a lawyer is not only about solving disputes.
It is about deserving the trust that complete strangers place in you.
That trust should never be taken for granted.
It should be repaid through careful work.
Through honesty.
Through responsibility.
And through a sincere desire to help others make better decisions.
For me, that is not a business strategy.
It is simply the way a professional should live.
Continue Reading
← Chapter 1: Why I Started Writing
→ Chapter 3: Helping Before Being Hired
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Trust Across Borders
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