I am sat with three friends around a table at a local restaurant in Wuhan, China. The table itself is round of course, with a circular glass plate, laden with dishes, rotating slowly at its centre. Our bowls are blessed with delicious food, our glasses are full, our chopsticks are busy, friendly conversation fills the small private dining room, and the world is put to rights.

But not a word of business is spoken.

We talk of art, of culture, of music, of education, of history and of food – the freshwater crab that is perfect right now, the local caitai vegetables that are a Wuhan specialty, the spiced duck, the white fungi and of course the Baijiu. We talk excitedly about family: I had helped one friend’s daughter when she first arrived in the UK to go to university and he was able to update me proudly on her excellent progress. Meanwhile another member of the party had been to stay with us in the UK and asked after my wife and children. And then we talk at length about Wuhan.

As we chatted, my friends joked that Wuhan was my second home and it began to dawn on me that they were right. I have many friends here now. I have visited private art galleries with them, strolled along the banks of the Yangtze River with them, marvelled at the new airport with them and wined and dined with them all. I had seen ballet in Wuhan, light shows in Wuhan, international tennis in Wuhan and, if I had not been filming a documentary about my experience in Wuhan, I would even have been able to watch a little live rugby in Wuhan this very afternoon. My eldest son has been here with me, my grandparents came here before me, and my children’s children will follow after me.

And still not a word of business is spoken.

When I talk of China in the UK it is almost always about trade and investment, revenue potential and grants, free office space, different staff management systems, government engagement and support, intellectual property and branding. For the enlightened few who already know about the other delights of life that are on offer here, this business-only approach might be appropriate. But I realised today that if I am to capture the hearts of others, motivating them to step outside their comfort zones and lift their eyes a little beyond Europe to China then perhaps I should spend more time telling the tales of friendship in Wuhan than the tales of investment and growth.

Wuhan has a lesson for us all.

In fact it is much more than a lesson. Wuhan understands the secret of life, China style. Here is the recipe:

1. Take one round table

2. Fill table to overflowing with freshly-cooked Chinese food

3. Open a bottle of Baijiu (or two, if very brave/foolhardy)
   

   Add friends, and stir gently for 2 hours

   (Additional flavoring: discuss the implications for international friendship and cultural exchange raised by the book Cambridge Notes by YU Tantan of course – found on Tmall and Dangdang in China if you search for 剑桥笔记 or click on this LINK, and available direct from me if you are in the UK – though only in Mandarin at the moment!)

Below: the sights and sounds of Wuhan – art, music, education, history, scenery. AND business!

I am in Wuhan, China this week. I met with Mr Qian, leader of the Wuhan Biolake and Mrs Shen of Wuhan-based pharma company HumanWell yesterday. Over a delicious Chinese lunch, conversation turned first to rugby – Mr Qian clearly being bemused to receive a full size World Cup rugby ball as a gift from me – and then to tennis.

Wuhan holds a major women’s tennis tournament at this time each year. Since 2014 it has become one of the two annual Premier-level WTA events in China and the Wuhan Open typically includes at least 15 of the top 20 women in the sport. It turned out that HumanWell are one of this year’s major sponsors. This was lucky for me because a pair of VIP tickets appeared miraculously from a pocket, just in time for the evening’s play.

Simone Halep meets Johanna Konta

It is rare to get time to relax on these trips but my evening was free so my UKTI minder and I arrived at Wuhan’s spectacular new Centre Court just in time to see Britain’s Johanna Konta take the first set from World No2 Simone Halep of Romania.

For the unseeded Brit ranked more than 60 places below the Romanian, this was news.

Unfortunately Konta’s success didn’t last. Her first set form deserted her and, in the blink of an eye, the second set was lost as the Romanian pounced on unsuccessful drop shots and Konta’s forehand lost its range. Then life turned from challenging to bad: within a very few minutes Konta found herself down by a break in the final set whilst her opponent held her own serve with little drama. Then another break and before Konta had time to think she was 5:1 down in the final set and her dominant and dynamic opponent was getting ready to step up … to serve for the match.

You probably know pretty much how Konta felt at that moment?

Events in life often seem to start well, but can quickly turn sour. And sometimes, suddenly, before we too have had time to think … all seems lost.

So how do we react? What we know of ourselves is that we have a positive or negative course of action that we can take. The negative reaction can be common. But the alternative strategy is in your control and improves your chances of achieving a positive outcome. The table below summarises what I mean.

What to do when being thrashed? A dozen options:

I think that we each have different flaws and frailties that are exposed when the pressure is on. We each suffer from our own set of reactions to serious challenges and we each need to find our corresponding alternative strategies.

So what do you personally add to the list above?
What are your own Common Reactions and their Alternative Strategies?
And what about the fortunes of the struggling Konta?

Well the first thing she did was ask for a ‘Coach conference’. Sometimes we think that asking for help, especially in full view of our competitors, will be seen as a sign of weakness that bolsters the confidence of our opponent. We fear that asking for help at this moment will actually do more harm than good. But advice from a constructive, skilled and objective ‘coach’ can make a very positive contribution. Whatever the coach:player discussion on this occasion, it helped.

Konta began to focus on what she does well. She cut out the drop shots that bounced so high on the immaculate Wuhan surface, giving her opponent the chance to pounce. Konta stopped doing the things that didn’t work instead of repeating them again and again in the vain hope that ‘this time will be different’. She started playing the percentages, forcing Halep to attempt risky winners. A crucial few flew wide. Konta broke back.

She kept her First Serves going. I don’t know how she did that. The precision of a great serve must be incredibly difficult when under pressure. I can only imagine that she linked back in to her training. She certainly maintained exactly the same slightly stylised, pre-serve, ball bouncing routine and … she held her serve. At about this point it started to become clear that Konta’s opponent was not taking the attempted come-back well. One racket was lucky to survive its thrashing on the court’s hard surface and the count of vocal disputes over close line calls started to grow.

Winner! From 5:1 down, Final Set …

The rest is already known. Somehow, steadily, Konta fought back. She did the basics well and used her powerful backhand to great effect. The crowd noticed. The noise level increased, willing the player whom all thought minutes ago to be on her way to a lonely loser’s seat in the changing room to head instead for the winner’s podium. And she did it!

“I wasn’t thinking ‘I can win this’ or ‘It’s over’,” said Konta. “I was just trying to stay out there as long as possible and keep fighting every single point.”

It was a spectacular display of human endeavour and self-control. The challenge she faced will, at some point, become horribly familiar to anyone in business. We have all been there, and the choice of common reaction or alternative strategy is available for us to choose.

You have to love sport if only as a succinct, public analogue of life’s challenges and how to take them on. And next time all seems lost in life or business, think of Konta: 5:1 down in the final set, top ranked opponent stepping up to serve for the match.

Are you intending to head for the changing room or the podium?

The rest, as they say, is up to you …

Wuhan Optical Valley International Tennis Centre