Recruiting in China

Eva Wong, chairperson and president of Top Human Technology Limited, is to meet me at her office on the 58th floor of Plaza 66. The office exudes a confident, plush Oriental modernism and, with the view clouded, I absorb the rarified atmosphere as I wait.

The motto of Top Human is this: "Re-engineering the talent of people." Lofty or what! Wong's slight delay is due to her having just flown in from Canada, yet there's not a trace of long haul about her. As fresh as a daisy, Wong has the air of someone who has just enjoyed a good joke.

"I've been living out of my suitcase for years now. I'm always traveling, I love it," she laughs. One wonders how big her suitcase is.

Wong's new book "The Power of Ren - China's Coaching Phenomenon," co-written with Lawrence Leung, outlines her unique philosophy for business management and coaching. As the name suggest, her philosophy puts people at its core.

The Hong Kong native's approach involves elements of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism, and more than 100,000 top Chinese business people have benefited from the wisdom of Wong over the last 12 years.

My question as to how much she reckons her advice has added to the Chinese economy in total is met by knitted brows, followed by another heartfelt laugh. She turns to her able and attentive assistants, saying: "We should find out that sort of thing," before exploding into laughter again. The answer is a whole lot, by the way.

Mystical might be over-egging it a little but there's something about Wong that's hard to fathom. Captains of Chinese industry, a demanding lot to be sure, pay handsomely for Wong and her colleagues to tell them how to improve their businesses. "Most of our business comes through word of mouth," says Wong.

"I retired in 1990 and from then on I've been making my vision come true - of Top Human and of teaching people how to live their dreams and live their lives," says Wong, President of China Coach Association.

Having formulated her vision, strategy and philosophy, she started out coaching just one student in Hong Kong in 1995.

She's still the chief trainer, although now Top Human has offices in Vancouver, San Francisco, Singapore and in 10 major cities in China employing 500 staff. It's one of the biggest coaching companies in the world. Preparations are well underway for public listing next year. Soon Top Human will occupy all of the 58th floor of Plaza 66.

"The coaching concept came from the States and from the sports field, so that management executives become the coaches who treat the staff like their athletes," says Wong.

Top Human coaching, the power of Ren, is based on a nine-point plan in this order: Passion, commitment, responsibility, appreciation, giving, trust, win-win, enrollment and possibilities.

This point system stems from Confucianism, with two key points at its center: "Only when a man lives in accordance with his knowledge of both nature and people and becomes a well-learned person, can he manage his country and the world," from "The Doctrine of the Mean." From "The Great Learning" comes: "From the Son of Heaven down to the people, all must consider the cultivation of the person the root of everything else."

"We have two main roles," says Wong. "Firstly we coach senior business people, helping them improve their management style and their business. The other is to train people to become coaches."

"In China, business is inextricably linked with personal relationships which is quite different from the West," says Wong. "Entertaining business contacts out of the work environment is much less common in the West. Colleagues' trust must be earned in China - then they will go the extra mile."

The coaching takes the form of a two-hour one-on-one session where the client's needs are determined. There then follows a six-month course with regular evaluations and team teaching, where those being trained can compare notes.

Courses cost 30,000 yuan (US$3,860). Courses mostly take place in Mandarin just now but moves are afoot to extend Top Human offerings to Westerners. See www.tophuman.com for details.

The book is a must-read for those doing business in China, particularly those who have found their Western- style approaches frustratingly ineffective. It's a well-presented book that's accessible, readable and packed with interesting case studies.

It can be bought at the Shanghai Foreign Language Book Store (tel: 6322 3200) priced 180 yuan (US$23).