John Lennon once said: “Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.” That couldn't be more true with respect to the experience we've had writing this book.

What began as an idea to capture Sharon's insights and experience about global etiquette gradually transformed into a deeper look at the differences between business relationships in Asia and the West. Rather than rely on a single expert voice, we broadened our scope in order to collaborate with over 100 professionals and executives who so generously shared their in-the-trenches experience. Certainly we recognize that their stories are personal anecdotes, and are therefore subjective; however, this book is not a scientific treatise and was never meant to be the final word on the topic of intercultural exchanges. Instead, we hope the insights in this book give you a sense of the nuances found among diverse cultures, a desire to embrace new concepts, and the curiosity to learn more.

In developing what we hoped would be an essential guide to building trust, inspiring respect and creating long-lasting business relationships in Asia, we've learned a few things ourselves. After all, didn't the Roman philosopher Seneca say, “While we teach, we learn”? And, in that respect, we'd like to leave you with three of the most surprising findings we gained from speaking with our Asian and Western interviewees. These were glimpses into the natures of these cultures that might not have surfaced if we'd merely engaged in online or desk research.

The first concerns a theme dear to both our hearts: the topic of women across cultures. We often wonder if women in Asia are more disadvantaged than women in our own culture, but a review of Forbes's lists of Asia's rising stars and female power brokers shows just how much women across this continent have achieved. We wanted to illuminate such successes within our overarching framework, which is why we added the eighth question, How is the concept of women in business handled?

Certainly our focus in each of these sections in the country-specific chapters was to offer practical advice to international businesswomen traveling to the ten Asian countries included in this book. We suspected that the treatment of international businesswomen would be different, at least in some respects, than that of their Asian female counterparts. We all know how important inspiring role models can be and so we also wanted to acknowledge the achievements of the many CEOs, entrepreneurs, founders, politicians, and other female leading lights in Asia.

Consider, for example, that although the U.S. has never had a female president or vice president—at least not yet—Asia has already achieved this milestone. Corazon Aquino served as president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992, the first female in Asia to be so elected. A few years later, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo served first as that country's vice president, and then as president from 2001 to 2010. In 2012, Park Geun-hye was elected as the first female president of Korea.

Malaysia's first female cabinet minister, Fatimah Hashim, took office in 1969. Before then, Indira Gandhi's first term as prime minister of India ran from 1966 to 1977, and the second from 1980 until her assassination in 1984.

Long before these achievements, of course, China's Lü Zhi¹ had amassed considerable political influence as the wife of the founder of the Han Dynasty, and became Empress Regent in 202 BC. In Japan, also, Suiko Tennö became the country's first reigning empress in the sixth century A.D.²

Although we naturally applaud the business or political achievements of women like Chew Gek Khim of Singapore, Cho Sun-hae of Korea, and Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar, let us not forget that Asian woman have been forging paths in political and business arenas for considerably longer than many of us realize. And they have done so while navigating the expectations of females in their respective cultures, which included marrying young, having large families, maintaining a home, and looking after in-laws as well as children.

This segues nicely to the second of our three findings: generational differences.

We wanted our book to offer salient, practical advice on vast and diverse business cultures, and so we tried to find interviewees representative of different regions within a country—such as those familiar with the way business is done in Shanghai as opposed to Beijing, for example. One of the key differences we became aware of while researching this book was how long-held cultural expectations are changing, however glacially, as younger people take on leadership positions in Asian businesses.

One important piece of advice is to be mindful of the age range of your Asian counterparts when applying the guidance offered in this book. India is a prime example of how the millennial generation, and even a few that preceded it, are gently breaking from tradition and adopting different approaches both to business and life. As pointed out in the India chapter, young Indian women ride motorcycles, expect to choose their own career paths, start entrepreneurial businesses, and adopt leadership positions within the corporate world as much as their male counterparts, especially in high-tech cities like Bangalore and Chennai.

Bear in mind that your experiences across Asia will differ depending on the generation to which your Asian counterparts and decision makers belong. While we have only scratched the surface of this increasingly important topic, it is as important to understand how to engage different generational cohorts as it is to know the differences inherent in dealing with high-tech start-ups compared with traditional multinational companies.

Our third finding has been a central influence throughout the two years we took to research and write this book: relationships. Certainly, we both feel honored to have met and interviewed so many new business colleagues and friends while embarking on this project, from the gracious and warm hosts of Sharon's most recent trips to China, Hong Kong, Japan, Myanmar, and Vietnam, to the incredibly hospitable Indians who invited Liz into their homes and made her feel like a part of their families.

For leaders everywhere, placing emphasis on building strong, authentic, human relationships is of fundamental importance. As more people consider themselves to be global citizens, intercultural communication and awareness becomes more important. The most effective way to cope with change is to create it. Although it's important to adopt a greater understanding of and respect for cultural differences, we should never lose sight of the ways in which we are—all of us—fundamentally alike.

Finally, we would like to leave you with a favorite quotation: “Life is a journey, not a destination.” Sharon invites you to think of this book as the beginning of an ongoing conversation and hopes you will contact her at [email protected] to share your thoughts and experiences. What helped you? What could be done better? What new understanding have you come to appreciate from working with your Asian counterparts?

Recently, Sharon received an email from a young entrepreneur she had coached regarding his first business trip to Japan: “I was a huge hit with my host family and made my first international friends in Tokyo. I truly felt assimilated in a foreign land when my host family would remark on how I looked like a salaryman headed out the door. I would be dishonest if I didn't say that a part of me didn't want to come home. It's as if my heart was left in Tokyo. I can't wait to learn the language and return for an even more fulfilling experience. I can't thank you enough for your instruction. Approaching people using the proper protocol simply made them far more open to me and the ideas I would go on to present to them. I don't think I would have had such a wonderful trip without you.”

It is our fervent wish that Sharon's passion for intercultural awareness, along with the wit and wisdom of our interviewees, will produce similar successes for you.