RFP: Diary of an institutional salesman, part 34

They talk a lot about the concept of ‘face’ here in Asia. You have to ‘give face’ to make people feel suitably important and valued. You should stay amicable in conversations in negotiations, regardless of how much of an asshole the other guy is, in order to ‘keep your face’. And, on no account, especially in front of subordinates (or cute girls), do you ever want to ‘lose face’. Well, dear diary, that is exactly what happened to me: lost face, big time. Passed over for the CEO …