Circles of Change: Conversations with Dr. Zara Larsen
on Change Leadership and Career Fulfillment
August 3, 2008
“Act V: Career Tracks to China”
Guest: John Mowrey
Anchoring Points:
- My first trip to China was in 1985 at the beginning of their automotive industry, and now with two Chinese colleagues in 2005 established an engineering company with 10 project engineers in the US, 40 in Shanghai and six in Beijing, in addition to a technical center in Shanghai as a turnkey base for US and European automotive companies to enter China.
- China is the second largest global automotive market (7-8 million vehicles), half the size of North America, growing at a 20-25% rate vs. 2-3% in the US and Europe.
- Considerably lower labor cost drives a different manufacturing model, with offline manual build common.
- China’s challenges spell opportunity:
- Environmental pollution due to construction dust, coal power plants without appropriate emission controls, vehicles without emission control, dust storms from western China
- Shift to nuclear power and more regulation underway, coupled with a call for those with technology to help
- Education is providing 4 to 5X number of engineers annually compared to elsewhere in the world, yet gaps of trained and experienced middle managers exist. Chinese educated and experienced abroad are returning due to exciting growth.
- Less than mature legal systems and intellectual property protection makes this “The Wild West”; consider leaning on American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai (1,400 members) for partners
- Global careers begin with building relationship, friendships and shared experiences, as well as an appreciation for, not just tolerance of, cultural differences.
- Career Guiding Principles:
- A big company offers valuable experiences and foundational training
- Consider changing one or two times within the first five years
- Find an area of strong interest and become a valued expert
- Establish a reputation for hard work, dependability, cooperative and sharing attitude, and fresh ideas
- Find mentors you can learn from and that have career potential themselves
- Work in a growing field (not a stagnant one) and “ride the wave”
- Get overseas or global business experience asap
- If you find yourself in a weak company or stagnant industry, MOVE
- Good people are always in demand and hard to find – it takes effort and persistence!
I thoroughly enjoyed the phases of my career – education, three large US corporations for 20 years and a software firm for 5; but, the most enjoyable has been going into private business. It is 24/7 and a huge step from the more cooperative corporate environment, but setting my own priorities and making my own choices, in particular relationships, continues to be very rewarding.
|
|
