BCR_NO_CITY_REPLACE<\/p>\n
Chapter 2: The Values That Shaped My Career<\/em><\/p>\n Published as part of the Trust Across Borders series.<\/em><\/p>\n People sometimes ask me why I spend so much time writing free articles in English.<\/p>\n Why I explain Chinese law to complete strangers.<\/p>\n Why I openly publish my lawyer’s license.<\/p>\n Why I invest years building a website before seeing meaningful business results.<\/p>\n The answer is surprisingly simple.<\/p>\n These are not marketing strategies.<\/p>\n They are the natural result of the values that have guided me throughout my professional life.<\/p>\n Those values were not formed overnight.<\/p>\n They were shaped over many years.<\/p>\n But one year in Tokyo had a particularly profound influence on the way I think about work, business, and professional responsibility.<\/p>\n When I studied in Japan, I was exposed to a way of thinking that was very different from what I had grown up with.<\/p>\n In many places, success is measured by income.<\/p>\n Or status.<\/p>\n Or promotion.<\/p>\n Or how quickly someone becomes wealthy.<\/p>\n Those things certainly matter.<\/p>\n But they are not enough.<\/p>\n What impressed me most was that many Japanese companies seemed to think differently.<\/p>\n They cared about reputation.<\/p>\n They valued long-term relationships.<\/p>\n They made decisions with future generations in mind rather than focusing only on immediate results.<\/p>\n For many business leaders, a company was not simply a tool for making money.<\/p>\n It was an institution that should continue creating value for society for decades.<\/p>\n That idea stayed with me.<\/p>\n One memory from that period has remained vivid for more than twenty years.<\/p>\n Around 2004, I watched a television program discussing the well-known dispute involving Livedoor and Fuji Television.<\/p>\n During the discussion, one commentator said something that immediately caught my attention.<\/p>\n “A company exists for society.”<\/strong><\/p>\n What surprised me even more was that nobody in the studio questioned the statement.<\/p>\n Everyone simply accepted it as obvious.<\/p>\n For me, however, it was a completely new way of thinking.<\/p>\n Growing up in China, I often heard that people should contribute to the country.<\/p>\n At the same time, many people also believed that the purpose of business was simply to make money.<\/p>\n This was the first time I had heard someone say that the purpose of a company was to serve society.<\/p>\n The more I thought about it, the more I agreed.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Another experience in Japan strengthened this belief.<\/p>\n I watched a legal television program discussing a workplace dispute.<\/p>\n An employee had violated company rules.<\/p>\n However, his actions ultimately benefited the company.<\/p>\n The question was simple:<\/p>\n Should he be rewarded because the result was good?<\/p>\n Or should he still be disciplined because he broke the rules?<\/p>\n What surprised me was that nearly every lawyer on the program reached the same conclusion.<\/p>\n He should still be punished.<\/p>\n Not because the result was bad.<\/p>\n But because the process mattered.<\/p>\n That discussion introduced me to a concept that has remained with me ever since.<\/p>\n A good result does not always justify a bad process.<\/p>\n Today, Japan has also become more results-oriented than it once was.<\/p>\n But I still believe that sustainable success depends on good processes.<\/p>\n Without integrity, discipline, and respect for rules, even impressive results are often temporary.<\/p>\n Years later, when I became a lawyer, these ideas naturally influenced the way I practiced.<\/p>\n Instead of asking,<\/p>\n “How can I attract more clients?”<\/p>\n I found myself asking,<\/p>\n “How can I create more value?”<\/p>\n That is why I spent years writing English articles without knowing whether anyone would ever read them.<\/p>\n That is why I explain Chinese legal procedures in detail.<\/p>\n That is why I publish my lawyer’s credentials openly.<\/p>\n That is why I invest in long-term trust instead of short-term marketing.<\/p>\n None of these decisions were based on immediate financial returns.<\/p>\n They were based on a simple belief.<\/p>\n If I consistently create value for others, trust will eventually follow.<\/p>\n Many people think trust is built through successful outcomes.<\/p>\n I disagree.<\/p>\n Successful outcomes certainly strengthen trust.<\/p>\n But trust usually begins much earlier.<\/p>\n It begins with honesty.<\/p>\n With transparency.<\/p>\n With professionalism.<\/p>\n With doing the right thing even when nobody is watching.<\/p>\n Clients may remember whether their case was successful.<\/p>\n But they also remember how they were treated.<\/p>\n Whether promises were kept.<\/p>\n Whether advice was honest.<\/p>\n Whether their lawyer acted with integrity.<\/p>\n In my experience, professional reputation is built one decision at a time.<\/p>\n And those decisions are guided by values rather than techniques.<\/p>\n Looking back, I now realize that my years in Japan did not simply teach me about another country.<\/p>\n They changed the way I think about my own profession.<\/p>\n Being a lawyer is not only about solving disputes.<\/p>\n It is about deserving the trust that complete strangers place in you.<\/p>\n That trust should never be taken for granted.<\/p>\n It should be repaid through careful work.<\/p>\n Through honesty.<\/p>\n Through responsibility.<\/p>\n And through a sincere desire to help others make better decisions.<\/p>\n For me, that is not a business strategy.<\/p>\n It is simply the way a professional should live.<\/p>\n \u2190 Chapter 1: Why I Started Writing<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2192 Chapter 3: Helping Before Being Hired<\/strong><\/p>\n To read the complete Trust Across Borders<\/em> series, search:<\/p>\n Trust Across Borders<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" BCR_NO_CITY_REPLACE Trust Across Borders Chapter 2: The Values That Shaped My Career Published as part of the Trust Across Borders series. 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\nPeople Often Ask Me Why<\/h2>\n
\nA Different Definition of Success<\/h2>\n
\n“A Company Exists for Society”<\/h2>\n
\nProcess Matters<\/h2>\n
\nCreating Value Before Receiving Value<\/h2>\n
\nTrust Is Earned Through Process<\/h2>\n
\nA Principle I Still Follow Today<\/h2>\n
\nContinue Reading<\/h2>\n