What can we learn from Chinese entrepreneurs?
China is home to some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs and companies. Yet, much of the management thinking and practices we use comes from Western companies.
This episode fills this gap by delving into what it takes for companies to thrive in this dynamic, unpredictable, and hyper-competitive market. Aldo and Sandrine share their collective experience of 60 years of working and living in China, outlining tactics strategic leaders can master, whether operating in China or elsewhere.
They discuss the importance of adaptability, customer focus, data, and having a hunger to succeed. They also reveal the mistakes companies make that lead to failure, especially Western companies looking to enter the Chinese market.
“In the West a thinker is highly revered. In China an observer is highly revered.” - Aldo Spaanjaars
You'll hear about:
00:00 - Start
01:54 - Why was the book called Dragon Tactics?
03:48 - Company success stories in the Chinese market
05:30 - Sources of systemic failure in Chinese markets
06:29 - The biggest business myths
08:34 - The emperor decides but agility rules
11:43 - Transformational vs incremental innovation
16:09 - Is there results-driven ruthlessness in China?
19:08 - Who should we learn from in China?
26:10 - The biggest disagreement when writing Dragon Tactics
27:04 - How to go from OK to great in China
30:44 - The biggest gift of working in China
About Sandrine Zerbib & Aldo Spaanjaars:
Sandrine is the President of Baozun Brand Management and the President of Baozun Europe. Previously she was President of Adidas Greater China and the CEO of Chinese Group Dongxiang and created her own e-commerce operation industry, which was acquired by Baozun.
Aldo manages his own China advisory firm, Dragon Strategies. Until end 2022 Aldo was Executive Vice President, Outdoor at Anta Sports, China’s #1 domestic sportswear company.
Over his 25-year career in China, Aldo also held senior leadership roles at Fosun Fashion Group, Lacoste, Adidas Greater China, and J.Walter Thompson.
Their resources:
Sandrine’s LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/sandrine-zerbib
Aldo’s LinkedIn - / aldospaanjaars
Read their book ‘Dragon tactics’: www.dragontactics.com/
My resources:
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