FEATURE STORY
Alumni Perspective: HistoriCal Connections BY LIZA ROBERTSON
Mike Fitch, Class 3 International Seminar: Taiwan, Phillipines, Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan / 1975 Historical Connection: Traveling to China shortly after normalization of relations When Class 3 fellows traveled to China in 1975 for their international seminar, they were one of the first five American groups to enter the country after the normalization of relations with the United States. Due to logistical reasons, only 20 individuals were allowed to travel with Class 3—19 fellows and Dean Brown—for the China portion of the seminar. Mike Fitch was part of the group and recalls they were at first apprehensive about traveling to China and fearful they would be severely restricted. However, once they arrived they felt comfortable in the country and found their hosts to be very amenable. The group’s request to visit people’s homes and farms was respected and they were surprised by what they found. Q: What did you learn about China during your international travel seminar? The trip was a surprise in many regards. First of all, the fact that we were able to be accepted into China was incredible. We learned that the primary reason we were allowed in was because they were thirsty and anxious to hear about agriculture in the United States and in particular in California. They asked a number of pertinent questions and I felt it was a good dialogue.
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They were very industrious people and, frankly, they were much healthier than anticipated based on what we knew about communist governments. I felt their best ambassadors were the children we met. They were all seemingly very happy and healthy. I came away with the impression that they were pretty content with communist rule and the idea of letting government make their decisions for them because we found that the basics were taken care of.
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At the same time, I felt there were small indications that they did miss their freedom. The Chinese government felt everyone was equal, but in reality, the individuals were trying to be unique. The clothing was all black and the same, but every once in awhile, we would find someone wearing something that set them apart. The bicycles were all identical too, but some tried to make theirs unique. We came away with the feeling that they still did want some freedom, individuality and individual respect. Q: What lessons did you draw from the experience? We all, including the Chinese and Americans, share some common needs and wants. If we can open our hearts and ears to one another, it’s amazing the communications we enjoy. Coming from very conservative backgrounds, I think we felt that these people were so far different from us, that there was no way we could communicate, but we found just the opposite. Q: How did traveling to China change your perspective? I think it made me more open to everyone. I’ve subsequently been fortunate to have been involved in a number of trips with the People to People International Foundation. The organization was developed by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower who believed that the real avenue to world peace was to get people together one-on-one. The experience in China helped prepare me for those types of exchanges. To be able to sit down with people from all backgrounds and experiences was very meaningful. I found that those people I met had a lot of the same wants and needs that I did. Q: What is your advice to leaders? As with all communications, the paramount ingredient has to be to listen intently and hear the other person’s perspective. At the same time, you need to be sure they listen to your
perspective too. If you first sincerely ask and listen for their perspectives, it opens them up and it opens you up as well. I found that people were much more comfortable with us if we first listened instead of immediately wanting to state our position. Q: What is the most powerful lesson you learned from Ag Leadership? I feel that having been raised in agriculture and having had all of my career in agriculture, the tendency has been, and to a certain extent still is, that the urban community doesn’t understand us in agriculture. Through Ag Leadership I learned I wasn’t doing a tremendous job trying to understand people first. We can be much more effective by first listening and recognizing that others too have problems that we need to be considerate of. Q: What was the most impactful lesson you had during the program? Public speaking. If anyone had told me when I left the ranch that I would ever be a public speaker, I would have said “there’s no way on Earth.” Ag Leadership gave me the confidence and practical experience I needed. I was able to go on and speak quite often to large groups. I owe all that to Ag Leadership.
“WE ALL SHARE SOME COMMON NEEDS AND WANTS. IF WE CAN OPEN OUR HEARTS AND EARS TO ONE ANOTHER, IT’S AMAZING THE COMMUNICATIONS WE ENJOY.” -MIKE FITCH (3)
