Home and Abroad: My Friend Lily

Posted October 18, 2009

Lily Jiang is the Director of HR for Kohler China. During the 3 and a half years I was in Shanghai I came to rely on her for advise and guidance as I attempted to work in a new culture. She was always very frank and forthright with me. While we did not always agree, we came to trust each other and cemented a strong friendship. Lily has been to my house in Kohler, and I have had the pleasure of visiting her home in Shanghai and met her wonderful husband and son.

Lily is an incredible example of the resilience and strength of China. As a teenager during the cultural revolution she was taken out of school and sent to work in a mill. (Her brother had already gone to the countryside to live with the peasants). At a young age Lily had to support her family. In addition to caring for her two parents and working full time, Lily, on the advise of her father, prepared herself for the time, as he said, "this will be over one day". She taught herself English, went on to work as the assistant of the mill manager, then when China opened up to new investment, she had English skills and office skills. She joined Coca Cola as a secretary. Since then she has finished college and her MBA and is Director of HR for one of Kohlers largest businesses.

This fall Lily took a three week trip in Europe with her son, and she stayed a weekend in Paris on her way to Rome. We enjoyed a lovely day together.

Before she left China for her vacation, Lily had done her homework. She had a list of 7 things she wanted to see. We managed to see 5. We could have done more, but Lily is a more introspective tourist than I am, so on occasion we went down unplanned streets and had diversions. We spent a whole hour sitting in the sun watching children sail boats in a pond near the Louvre.
In the lobby of her hotel before we start the day.