You may ask yourself: "What do I look for in a manager for a Chinese business?" "Who can I trust to run the business as it should be run?" Basically, how do you choose the right people? Who do you trust? When working in China as a foreigner, these are important issues that too many people skip past. I have made many of these mistakes, and try to help others avoid them.
It takes time to find and train the right managers for any venture in China. For successful business, more face-to-face time will be required, time to see and evaluate (with your own eyes, and not from reports) how the manager functions and to help them do the job as it needs to be done.
Even in the West, we should hesitate giving responsibility beyond the proven ability or understanding of the workers and managers under us. In China, though, this is especially true, because we are dealing with a completely different culture. Prepare to spend more time than you orignally thought.
Too many foreigners skip from manager to manager, saying, "He just did not catch on," or "He does not know what he is doing." Maybe that is true. Maybe, though, he was just guessing what to do because the explanation of his job was not thorough enough for him to understand what was expected of him. If using a translator, often the translators themselves do not understand exactly what we mean, and obviously will not be able to clearly communicate our message to the project or business manager.
Be patient, and try to understand how much can be lost in translation. Even when communicating with Chinese people using Chinese language, these misunderstandings abound. Just a few days ago, I was negotiating the price for some training sessions and did not clearly say "X amount per hour." They understood "X amount per session." And for a two hour session, that means they get it for half of the intended price. My mistake.
Of course, if I had written out a simple contract to go along with that conversation, all would have been cleared up. Contracts too, are very helpful. Even if that contract does not cover every potential legal problem, the contract itself can help clarify points that might have been missed along the way and smooth out problems before they even happen.
Do not get offended. Be patient. Listen. And when I say listen, I do not just mean to words, but actions, tones, attitudes, and if using a translator, listen carefully to all the possible meanings of what is said. That is a good first few steps to successfully finding a manager in China and beginning to train them how to do their job as it needs to be done.
