Professional Managers

On Saturday (yes, they have us working the weekends here!  No comments from the team members with non-university clients, please.), Tom and I presented to a class of part-time MBA students who were joined by some of the stars of the undergraduate class who had given us such a warm reception the week before.  We were significantly less nervous than we’d been for the first presentation, although we really hoped we wouldn’t be asked to do more Tai Chi in front of a bunch of smart phones with video rolling.  If you know how to search YouTube in Chinese, please don’t let anyone else know.

Hebei University of Economics and Business is on the north side of Shijiazhuang.  During Saturday’s pleasant 20-minute ride I was able to appreciate a bit more of the surroundings than I’d been able to on our prior trip, because this time I was not busy screaming and ducking for cover every time a taxi, truck, bus, or rickshaw swerved violently to miss our car that was moving at about 40% of the posted speed limit.  Along the way there is an incredible mass of high rise apartments that swell into view like the Emerald City on the horizon, only not very emerald at all, really more of a plain cement color.  When you come upon Cement City it’s just high rise after high rise, each probably 40+ stories, and they seem to go on forever.  Apparently Shijiazhuang is planning to make it so, because at least another 10-15 such buildings are currently under construction.

 Dan's photography ruins the splendid imagery relayed in the above paragraph of Cement City rising on the horizon

When we went through Taiyuan on a weekend trip it was the same thing:  endless high rise apartments to satisfy the demand of people moving into the cities.  It’s on a scale only New York City approaches in the US, and it’s breathtaking.

The scale of Jack’s dorm room that we visited en route to our presentation was equally breathtaking, although for opposite reasons.  Jack and five of his literally closest friends are packed into a relatively narrow room.  Their laptops perch on mini stands on each of their beds, although I did notice a couple of small desks.  One desk had a fresh watermelon on it that the guys had bought for our arrival.  We sat and ate, and appreciated the fantastic hospitality from the guys.

The Professional Managers meet the roommates

The Butler did it

Walking through campus is always a spectacle for Tom and me.  Two tall, pale foreigners draw a lot of stares.  Friendly stares, but we nevertheless hurried past the basketball court to avoid being challenged by young Chinese men who would have forever been able to tell tales of the day they absolutely mopped the court with two big white guys from overseas.  After a long walk, we entered the lecture hall to see approximately 50 students quietly applaud our entrance.  The immediate feel was that this class was far more subdued and refined than our previous audience.

It was about 20 minutes into Tom’s presentation when a student in the back of class let out a loud belch.  I stifled a laugh in time to note that no one even flinched, let alone laughed.  Perhaps Tom’s "trusted advisor" topic had them entranced, or maybe the thermos of green tea that every student carried helped them keep their focus, but I suspect it just wasn’t as funny to them as it was to my 5^th grade humor.

I followed Tom with a presentation about Social Business and a bit about my consulting experience.  In all cases the students asked thoughtful and sometimes difficult questions.  One interesting question I received dealt with what sets IBMers apart and how that helps IBM differentiate against the competition.  I immediately said, "Maybe Tom had better answer that one."  Actually, I surprised myself at how quickly I was able to recite the IBM values and tie them back to the exact question.  I guess the subliminal messages coming from HR really do work.

The word of the day was professional.  That was the word Jack used to describe what he thought of our slides.  Our presentation subjects were introduced as “professional topics.”  And Manager Tom was promoted to "Professional Manager Tom" on the spot in the way the students addressed us.  Well deserved, Tom.

-DAN