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“Building Trust from Scratch” requires dedicated communicationHaruki HayashiHaruki Hayashi is Regional CEO, Europe and Africa, for Mitsubishi Corporation, one of Japan’slargest diversified conglomerates, with over 200 offices and subsidiaries in approximately 90countries worldwide, a network of over 600 group companies, and a multinational workforce of over65,000 people.Africa became a major part of my life when I was made boardmember and subsequently chairman of a resource company inSouth Africa. Engaging with a unique group of multi-nationalshareholders during those six years was a continuous and toughchallenge, but I learnt so much- especially when it came to creating‘trust’ in an African context.In any environment, building trust is the critical start to anyrelationship, but it seemed to me that building sustainable trustbetween black South Africans and other international stakeholderswas more difficult and took longer to achieve than usual.Always respecting the local wisdom, I tried hard to engage withlocal stakeholders on a one-to-one basis, with a view to whereverpossible sharing common views with them between board sessions.Though prior consultation was initially appreciated by individualmembers, their actual responses at the board meetings wereoften opposite to what was expected by me. Some membersmisinterpreted my actions as a “divide and rule” tactic, whilstothers simply said what I was doing was not enough. The usualthree-hour board meeting often transformed into eight-hourmarathon debates, calculated to prevent some board membersfrom walking out without a resolution being reached.Some said my experience at the time in South Africa was unusual,but personally I concluded that it took four years of patience anddemonstrating personal respect to my colleagues that eventuallywon their respect for me. Even now, 20 years after the end ofapartheid and 60 years of independence for many other Africanstates, it is still hard for people to trust each other. I understandthat.To be part of Africa’s growth process, and to become fullyintegrated within the business environment in the Africancontinent, we need to make a concerted effort to understand what“diversity” means within the continent. We must then demonstratedue respect through proactive and long-term personal engagement.Only then, will we contribute to a sustainable and democraticenvironment based on mutual trust that will enable the continentto grow and mature and start paying off its much-needed ‘trustdividend’.The most enduring and important image of Africa in my mind, isthe picture of the smiling faces of schoolchildren seen through thewindows of many school buses across the continent. For me, thesechildren represent the future Africa; it is a future that fills me withenergy and hope.Africa 2030: Realizing the possibilities47