Eat alone if you aim to succeed abroad

Following essay was posted to monthly magazine "Staff Adviser " home page.

http://www.staffad.com/bilingual/shinbori/shinbori02_en.html

Eat alone if you aim to succeed abroad

●Advice received from Mr. Akio Morita, founder of Sony

"If you go abroad, you should become someone who can eat alone in a restaurant".
This was a piece of advice I received from one Mr. Akio Morita, the founder of Sony.
If someone were to ask me “Who do you respect?” Mr. Morita would be a name I would reply back with without hesitation.

Mr. Morita was a really global-minded person who was active on the world stage while also maintaining a wide network of acquaintances in the business & political world.
Mr. Morita was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century as someone actively influential in the world economy.

I had several opportunities to meet and talk directly to Mr. Morita while I was a Sony employee. On one occasion, I met with him just before I was transferred to Sony’s U.S. Office.

At the time, I was 30-year-old employee with no title. Mr. Morita, the chairman of Sony, gave me the following advice.
“When going to U.S., make sure you go to a restaurant alone, and enjoy a meal by yourself.”

I think the usual advice given to young Japanese employees about to be transferred to the U.S. is, “Study English and work hard.” Honestly speaking, I was a little bit embarrassed to hear such advice as “Enjoy your meal when at a restaurant.”

●Eating a meal alone is not such an easy task

What exactly did Mr. Morita’s advice, “Go to a restaurant alone and enjoy a meal by yourself” mean?
・ Appropriate dress is required when you go to a first-class restaurant
・ A reservation needs to be made beforehand
・ You may need to ask about the day’s special to the waiter at the dining table.
・ You will need to take in information on what wine is suitable for the meal
・ Of course, you need to understand the description of dishes outlined in the menu
・ If you have difficulty understanding the menu, you will need to ask the waiter for help
・ You order the dish you would like to eat
・ Once you have finished eating, you may praise the chef on a finely cooked meal or give some comments.
・ Sometimes you may need to engage in small-talk with the waiter
・ After you finish paying for your meal you will need to give the waiter a tip to show gratitude

The whole experience is quite a challenge. It is quite different from a meal at a fast food restaurant such as McDonalds, Subway or Domino’s Pizza.

●Common aspects in global business

When you take a moment to consider Mr. Morita’s advice you realize that it contains many of the basic elements you need to consider when carrying out business on a global scale.
That is,
・ The ability to communicate in English
・ The sociability to be able to maintain a dialog with anyone
・ A considerate mind
・ The ability to converse on subjects other than work
・ An understanding of the food culture and manners of the country you’re visiting

Ultimately, it is the building of a satisfactory relationship between the party supplying the food and the party receiving it. That is:
・ The ability to build a win-win relationship

A true global businessperson is one who can form win-win relationships in the global business scene. Mr. Morita must have hoped to mould his employees into people who could excel globally.

Many years have passed since I received this piece of advice from Mr. Morita. However, I still haven’t reached the level of ‘going to a restaurant alone, and enjoying a meal by myself.’ It requires a certain amount of bravery to dine at a first class restaurant alone when abroad. Sometimes I am not taken to a good table seat and am not treated well.
If I am the kind of person who projects a highly refined ambiance, the waiter may give me a warmer reception.

However to my regret, it is hard for me, with my humble appearance, to pull this off.
Frankly speaking, if I get the chance to go to a first-class restaurant, I hope it is with a graceful lady.
Thinking this way is what probably prevents from being the global businessman that Mr. Morita was...