Even as the Westerners in Thailand celebrate Easter, our team is working around the clock on an extraordinary project. We’re transforming a company from a corrupt, mismanaged IT firm into a thriving F&B enterprise. This turnaround is yet another success story, one that demanded relentless dedication and creative problem-solving, with a laser focus on shifting from negative to positive profit growth in every phase. Now, we’re producing and exporting delectable Thai sauces and spreads to tantalize taste buds throughout the BRICS nations.
Feeling hungry this Easter? Reach out!
How did we achieve this transformation in just 12 months?
While things could have moved even faster, our progress with the owners and project team boils down to one key factor: In Asia, leadership is paramount. It doesn’t matter if you come from automotive, ESG, or mechanical engineering. From the moment you step into the new company, your true capabilities are on display: Are you just spouting empty rhetoric like a politician, or do you genuinely understand what you’re talking about?
Then, you immerse yourself in the factory, identifying the challenges inherent in the products. Customers demand too much, we’re too expensive, too slow, and our quality is lacking – the trifecta of doom! Improving customer ratings has become a critical KPI.
In previous ventures, we consistently emerged as winners, securing more orders and earning “Supplier of the Year” accolades. We’re determined to replicate that success here.
Our recipe is simple: Engage with people on a technical level. This requires expertise not only in lean production on the shop floor but also a deep understanding of warehouse and supply chain cost structures, as well as the ability to contribute ideas in finance, purchasing, IT, and HR.
If you’re eager to learn more about my straightforward formula for organizational transformation and optimization, don’t hesitate to ask.
One thing is certain: the General Manager plays a pivotal role. A core responsibility is to foster a learning organization that is motivated, adaptable, and forward-thinking.
Anyone who resorts to insults, table-pounding, blame-shifting, or firing local employees might as well pack their bags.
So, how do you achieve your goals without doing this?
We achieved this by involving the team and rallying them behind the vision. While a thorough, critical analysis of existing processes in workshops to identify potential improvements is valuable, the team can handle that.
Far more crucial for the General Manager and the company’s success is leading and tracking the milestones set in the plan. A robust plan encompasses strategy development, goal setting, resource allocation, and progress monitoring. This minimizes risks, boosts efficiency, and ensures sustainable business management. Tools like the Eisenhower Matrix, RASIC Matrix, and Skill Matrix can help manage tasks and improve collaboration.
Only then will the General Manager gain widespread acceptance and ensure swift implementation of initiatives.
“Team learning” strengthens the sense of “we,” while challenging tasks foster “individual personal development,” sparking joy and stimulating the intellect.
As knowledge grows and is applied, so does compensation. In Asian families, what’s on paper matters. It’s what employees take to the bank to secure loans for homes or apartments. The higher the salary, the higher the credit.
What do you and your team specialize in?
We are your on-site system doctors and problem solvers, offering self-help solutions.
For Western companies caught off guard by the market and seeking an interim General Manager in Asia to tackle turnaround, transformation, and business development challenges, book a no-obligation consultation at https//calendly.com/karlheinzzuerl. Or call *86 13482438080, depending on where you can reach me faster.
Karlheinz Zuerl
CEO of German Technology & Engineering Cooperation (GTEC)
Experts in the Automotive Industry Asia
You need one, but don`t want to hire one permanently?
Our solution: To rent our experts
- On pay-to-use basis
- Completely flexible
- Contract can be cancelled any time
Clearly represented reports and dashboards inclusive!
