Recruiting a new China GM ? Whether your old one is leaving, or you simply can’t bear your present one, it is a big move.This person can make or break the business you’ve built. Can you get the right one, and get them successfully in place?
Your GM will usually make or break your China operation. Can he or she build a team that actually succeeds?
At SHI Group, we know the right GMs exist. If we ran a job ad, plenty of people would apply. We never hire from that pile. It’s not that we’re biased against them. SHI Group has found, again and again, that they’re not the right match. We know the person you need is out there, because we know how to find anyone. And we genuinely enjoy the challenge of keeping a candidate on the line during that first call.
Why would someone even take that call if they weren’t looking for one? We start by getting to know you first, so that on the first call, we can paint a real picture of the opportunity. No candidate is going to update his resume, or even keep talking, without a reason compelling enough to justify the risk.
Recruiting a New China GM? SHI Group Knows the Way
SHI Group interviews deeply, tracing a GM’s full career arc. No one builds that kind of experience alone, and no one is born already equipped for it.
We dig into how they became who they say they are today. Who did they learn from? How did they learn it? This tells us far more about their real motivations, and about how they’ll actually behave inside your business.
You need that depth of insight from us. We’re also checking for something else: whether this person is willing and able to learn how you do business. That’s a rarer trait than it should be, in a country where GMs like to end debates with three words; “This is China” When spoken in a tone that shuts the conversation down entirely, this shows a problem.
Beyond that, you need leadership ability, and possibly someone who can see and develop the market. Yes, a China GM has to bring a lot to the table.
Finally, you need someone with real talent and real trustworthiness. Only a deep background check can confirm that. People who lie, cheat, or steal are not people who you need. Neither are people who claim credit for things they never actually did. SHI Group draws out these critical facts through background checks built for exactly this purpose.
For the candidates who clear every hurdle — and who you like as well— we give our recommendation to hire. Very few GM candidates make it that far with us. The ones who do are gold, and you’ll be glad you hired them.
Here’s to your successful China operation. SHI Group Recruiting is committed to making sure you get there.