Sicherheit und Risiko

ESPRIT St.Gallen Business Review
and winning a seat in the Senate in 2008. Today Senator
Warner is a most credible candidate for the US President
in 2016.
Running a business requires making difficult decisions
every day. When I was actively involved in running
my family’s automotive business, I was acutely aware
that the decisions I made affected many people, including
our employees, our customers, and my family. Personnel
decisions are some of the most difficult to make
because these impact the livelihoods of people directly.
What land should we buy? Which franchise must we
pursue? How much can we borrow? In 2007 I made the
decision to build a new Volvo store in Winchester, Virginia,
one of the fast-growing markets in the country. We
gathered hopeful investors, borrowed too much money
at too high a rate, and built a building bigger than we
needed. Then, of course, 2008 happened, and our sales
were almost Zero. I have never presided over that much
red ink in my life. It hurt just to walk around the building.
But we had to keep making the bank payments,
and the investor returns – we took the risk, so we had to
take the damage.
When I kick myself, though, for taking this risk
that turned out so poorly, I try to remember another
risk in 2007/2008 – buying a Kia franchise for a decent
price. My beloved and wise father was sure I was crazy.
Kia? So I bought another Kia franchise. Today our family
is selling 800 Kias a year, and another 3,000 to the
rental car companies. We are the largest Kia dealer in
the USA. And my dad is content with my sanity.
Risk and Diplomacy
We are blessed here in Switzerland to have few
difficult problems between our Sister Republics. But
this is hardly true around the world. We have watched
President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
struggle to find the right balance in so many tragic and
terrible conflicts. When is it right to commit American
military force, as we did in Libya, but have not so far
done in Syria? How do we disengage in Afghanistan and
Iraq, allowing those peoples to self-govern and to take
responsibility for their own societies, without running
the risk of civil war or terrorist takeovers? How do we
balance the risks and responsibilities for keeping Iran
from developing a nuclear weapons arsenal?
One thing we must certainly know: it is not possible
to take genuine responsibility, to be a true world
leader, without also assuming the great burden of risk
that comes with these. We will make mistakes. We will
misjudge. History will not always treat us kindly. But
is our choice to avoid such risk? To sit idly by while
billions starve, and billions more are enslaved? Or to
«One thing we must
certainly know: it is
not possible to take
genuine responsibility,
to be a true world
leader, without also
assuming the great
burden of risk that
comes with these.»
advocate and fight for freedom, self-determination, and
human rights?
But one final thought, from Mark Twain: I‘ve experienced
many terrible things in my life, a few of which
actually happened. I know I have worried far too much
about some of my so-called risks, while making too little
effort just to enjoy the ride. Von nichts, kommt nichts.
About the Author
Donald S. Beyer, Jr. took
up his duties in Bern on
August 15, 2009. He is a
nationally recognized political,
business and philanthropic
leader. Over the
last thirty years, he built
a strong reputation in
Virginia, where he started a successful business,
and spent eight years as Lieutenant Governor. In
2008, he chaired the Transportation and Land Use
working group of the Governor’s Virginia Commission
on Climate Change. Before his nomination
to be Ambassador, he was asked by President
Obama to lead the United States Department of
Commerce Transition Team. Ambassador Beyer is
a magna cum laude graduate of Williams College,
where he received a Bachelor of Arts with Highest
Honors in Economics. He and Megan Carroll Beyer
married in 1987; they have four children.
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