“China is not difficult to understand — it is difficult to lead in if you try to run it on titles and slide decks instead of trust, relationships, and speed.” — Dr. Guido Maune, Managing Director of Maersk Container Industry in Qingdao, on why Western companies keep misreading China: not because the market is “hard,” but because relationships, speed, and customer-first execution matter more than titles, playbooks, or product perfection.

In this episode:

• 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱: trust in China is built through relationships, not just competence, credentials, or org charts

• 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮’𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: from copying to improving to leading in areas like battery tech, AI, and manufacturing execution — and what Europe gets wrong about “how that happened”

• 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘃𝘀 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀: why “best engineering” can still lose if you miss the features customers actually value (and how this shows up in automotive)

• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: why “de-risking” to Vietnam or elsewhere often fails without supplier density, and why China’s infrastructure still changes the cost-quality equation

• 𝗛𝗤–𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: the paradox of directness, why bad news gets suppressed, and practical tactics to communicate hard truths with facts, humor, and solutions

• 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲: lowering power distance, getting “hands dirty,” building psychological safety, and creating a culture where people speak up

• 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗼𝗻𝘀: why many Chinese companies will accept 2–4 years of losses to win a market, and why European firms struggle with that patience model

• 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: why the best local leaders leave slow-moving Western orgs, and what HQ must change (cadence, visits, response time, decision rights) to keep them

If you lead across borders, manage China operations, or sit between HQ intent and local execution, this conversation will sharpen how you think about trust, speed, and leadership culture in China.

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Produced by Bonjour Podcast (Melanie Hong), Leaders in Motion blends storytelling, strategy, and data-driven insight, giving today’s leaders a roadmap to anticipate tomorrow’s challenges and lead with intention.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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18. Building Trust and Performance in China’s Factories, Dr. Guido Maune, Managing Director Maersk