By Kanji Usui
【What I Learned from a Trouble in Bali】
Recently, I've been seeing a lot of articles on sites like Smanyu that say "Third-rate business people do ○○, but first-rate people do ??," so I thought I'd write about something I remembered regarding what it means to be "first-rate."
This is a story from when I was working in Southeast Asia as a JICA expert. During a temporary return to Japan, I had a layover in Bali, but due to an international summit being held locally, my flight to Japan was suddenly cancelled. The airline's response was terrible—they simply told us to "spend the night at the airport."
As everyone became anxious, one group of passengers began to take action. Without being asked by anyone, they persistently negotiated with the airline and ultimately secured hotel accommodations for the passengers.
However, there weren't enough rooms for everyone. The people who had negotiated with the airline and hotel prioritized other passengers and spent the night themselves in the hotel lobby.
It turned out that this group was actually a professional team supporting an international summit, composed of interpreters and central government officials who happened to be on the same flight.
Since I was also positioned as a JICA expert, I gave up my room for others and stayed in the lobby with them. That's when I first learned they were a summit support team.
As a delegation accompanying a summit of heads of state, they were handpicked professionals with exceptional language skills and abilities. Yet, they showed no arrogance whatsoever and naturally moved to help others. I was genuinely moved by their attitude.
On the other hand, some passengers who only complained the entire time and did nothing rushed to claim rooms as soon as we arrived at the hotel, without even offering a word of thanks to those who had negotiated on our behalf.
People who take action for others without seeking recognition. People who quietly fulfill their responsibilities without expecting anything in return. Their actions save those around them and generate respect.
Through this troubling experience, I learned that being "first-rate" might mean maintaining exactly this kind of attitude.