Business in China and Controlling Risks
Does Business in China have to be like this tightrope walker? My friend, Kent Kedl, is Managing Director of Control Risks for Greater China. They very literally helps companies control risks in risky regions.
Kent has a video at Asia Society that you can see here. In it he talks about complexity in doing business in China and how to think about it.
Calling Kent is a good call for lowering your risk in any market and certainly in China.
Business in China and Controlling Risks in People
We focus on controlling risks in placement of people in your company in China. Let me speak from my 21 years of focus on this question
We think that finding talent is the easy part and finding the truth about how someone will work in your company is a very special skill that was not in the market. That is why I started my company.
We are not quite sure why many companies put up with people placement by hit and miss. Whole companies are dragged down and most certainly cannot fly. They keep recruiting in China like their Dads’ did in Kansas, and are surprised to find it does not work the same.
Yes, we are not in Kansas anymore. I met a GM the other day who imported a couple million US$ in raw material for his manufacturing line only to find out the sales forecasts were largely hollow. He fired the sales manager, but what is he going to do with all his inventory? Oops. Seems he hired the wrong salesman, but I assure you that guy had a great resume and interviewed well.
So, controlling risks has many facets that Kent can talk with you about, but we will lower your hiring risks way down here in China. People with Integrity and Talent can be found in China, and it can be worth Millions.