Saving Face – How to Preserve Dignity and Build Trust

Saving Face
224 Pages
ISBN 978-1523088607

Organizations now need to attract, retain, and motivate teams and employees across distance, time zones, and cultural differences. Building authentic and lasting human relations may be the most important calling for leaders in this century. According to management and global leadership specialist Maya Hu-Chan, the concept of “saving face” can help any leader preserve dignity and create more empathetic cross-cultural relationships.

“Face” represents one's self-esteem, self-worth, identity, reputation, status, pride, and dignity. Saving face is often understood as saving someone from embarrassment, but it's also about developing an understanding of the background and motivations of others to discover the unique facets we all possess. Without that understanding, we risk causing others to lose face without even knowing it. Hu-Chan explains saving face through anecdotes and practical tools, such as her BUILD leadership model (Benevolence, Understanding, Interacting, Learning, and Delivery). This book illustrates how we can give face to create positive first impressions, avoid causing others to lose face, and, most importantly, build trust and lasting relationships inside and outside the workplace.

Maya Hu-Chan

About Maya Hu-Chan (San Diego, California Author)

Maya Hu-Chan

Maya Hu-Chan is a globally recognized keynote speaker, author, leadership educator, and ICF Master Certified Coach. Ranked Top 8 Global Solutions Thinkers by Thinkers50, World Top 30 Leadership Gurus, and Top 100 Thought Leaders in Management & Leadership, Since 1988, Maya has worked with thousands of leaders mainly from Global Fortune 500 companies. Maya is the president of Global Leadership Associates, a global consultancy that partners with organizations to build leadership capabilities and enable profound growth and change. Her book “Global Leadership: The Next Generation” was a Harvard Business School Working Knowledge book. She is a contributing author of 10 business books and a columnist for INC.com. Her new book “Saving Face: How to Preserve Dignity and Build Trust” will be published in June 2020 (Berrett-Koehler).
Born and raised in Taiwan and living in San Diego, California, Maya is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and English. She earned her Master’s degree from University of Pennsylvania and B.A. from National Chengchi University in Taiwan. Maya has lectured at the Brookings Institution, University of California, San Diego, University of Chicago, University of Southern California, and Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.