Chapter 2. Introducing Mr Li, Project Survivor
I first met Mr Li in a smoke-filled office in Beijing in 1992.
The room was thick with cigarette smoke. Ashtrays overflowed on the desk and windowsill. Mr Li lit a new cigarette from the end of the last one with the casual efficiency of a man who had repeated the ritual thousands of times.
He wore a purple-brown leather jacket and permanently tinted glasses. When he grinned — which he did often — it revealed a large gold tooth. He stood about five foot eight, carried a growing paunch, and projected the easy confidence of a rising Beijing entrepreneur in the early days of China’s economic awakening.
On that project, Mr Li played an important role.
But the reason I mention him here has very little to do with that particular project.
It is because I kept meeting him again.
Not in Beijing.
Not called Li.
Over the years he appeared in different companies, industries and countries. The details changed slightly — the clothes, the language, the culture — but the character remained remarkably consistent.
Mr Li is the survivor who maintains the status quo.
He reassures the sponsor that the project is still on track. There are one or two things to address, he will explain. Once those are resolved, everything will improve.
He is always a key player on the “go-to-green” recovery plan.
Executives love him because he helps them to believe in the plan.
And when the project finally fails and the organisation quietly restructures, Mr Li is usually still there.
Like Thanos, he is inevitable.
