There are no German or US companies, only successful ones.
– The Wall Street Journal
The world is flat and spiky. We are a global economy. We are highly interconnected. There are fewer US companies. There are more global companies. This fundamentally changes how global managers perceive the U.S. market.
Senior managers in many companies believe in open markets; global competition where customers are accessible; products move seamlessly across borders; technology is universally accessible; and logic dictates business decisions. These seem to be shared values among senior executives whether they’re from Lloyds, Daimler-Benz, IBM, Microsoft, Proctor and Gamble, Coca-Cola, or Toyota.
What does this mean for you and me? As we become more of a global economy, this affects us in ways we probably don’t like. Companies don’t have a local focus, identity, or loyalties. Offshore markets, market share, margins, and revenue growth are more important than local considerations. Executive decisions are often made through detailed analytics. Head trumps heart and gut. So, the company decides a plant shuts down. Supply base is cut. Company downsizes.
Bottom Line: Companies may not care what happens locally. It’s not personal. It’s just business. It’s a risk-revenue decision. They are going to invest in jobs and capital equipment, where there’s relatively low risk and higher returns.
Life Lesson Earned: Understand what makes your company competitive. Understand what drives its business decisions. Most importantly, understand what you offer can help the company enhance its competitiveness. This is a first critical step in identifying your unique value proposition.