On Edge

OJ returned from Thailand & Hong Kong yesterday, and we got back into the swing of things again. The time away has allowed all of us to recharge a bit, and personally reflect on the status of clients and their respective progress. It's all a bit concerning, but not enough so that we cannot remain cautiously optimistic.

I suppose it can all be chalked up to the fact that the boots on the ground are young. Yes we have the gray-hairs that can and frequently do go to bat for us accompany the group on trips and to meetings, but at the end of the day, the memos going out to clients come from the young guys. Our clients, like any I'm sure, want to get as much as they can for free. This is neither new nor novel, and you cannot fault them for that, it is perhaps our own mistake for not being more aggressive on these deals, and that is something that only time will allow us to do.

That being said, we are also growing weary of the "it's Asia" excuse for the long and drawn-out nature of doing business out here. Whether it be Chinese holidays, random vacations, or God knows what else, things here do not move at the speed of business you or I are accustomed to, and the excuse goes back to our relative geography. It's unfortunate, and if anything I think it is a crutch that too many foreigners here rely on to allow for unnecessary delays, or at the very least, allow for small delays to compound into larger ones without much loss of sleep. This may be a safety device; one that keeps people here a bit less stressed out. Not really my area of expertise, but it's enough to be noted.

There are politics at play (internal mostly) within our deals that I cannot elaborate on, but the line we walk is fine and the edge is ever-present, and if I had another lame analogy I'd toss it in as well to complete the triumvirate.

Cautiously optimistic, keep trudging along, head always up if someone is looking my way.

PS: came across this article yesterday in my Osama-bin found news binge. If you like dogs and American ninjas, you'll dig this: href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/science/05dog.html?ref=asia">Americas ninja dogs