What does an American expatriot living in Shanghai and working as a global business consultant do when he needs to choose a Chinese name for himself? He forms a committee, of course, made up of his Chinese friends. Kent Kedl explains in the China Business Blog and Podcast the significance of names in China, and how he got his own Chinese name with its own unique meaning.
In the post, Kent quotes from Confucius’ words on the subject of names as an indicator of roles, pointing out that if a leader doesn’t act like a leader, the result is chaos. This is especially important right now as economic turbulence can be so difficult to adjust to, with huge, sweeping changes. It can be easy to just react without thinking. Leaders whose firms will survive the economic downturn have strategy foremost in mind.
Kent is general manager of Shanghai-based consulting firm Technomic Asia, which is part of Tompkins International. Listen to Kent’s podcast or read the text transcript.
____________
Looking for more supply chain resources?
Subscribe to the Global Supply Chain Podcast, produced by Tompkins Associates and hosted by Jim Tompkins, for the latest every first and third Tuesday of the month on supply chain industry best practices, global sourcing, and issues and trends on all components of the supply chain, from transportation to warehousing.