Radio Show #485: Why mid-sized German companies are a leading force in the global economy—and what U.S. business leaders can learn from them

The volatility and uncertainty of today’s global business landscape is here to stay. Now more than ever, it’s imperative for business leaders to adopt new strategies that will help them successfully navigate economic turbulence and compete on a global scale.

Fortunately, the formula for achieving lasting success may be hiding in plain sights.

 According to world-renowned business consultant and pricing expert Hermann Simon, Ph.D., the answer is as simple as looking to “Hidden Champions,” successful mid-sized companies with annual revenues under $5 billion that have become world market leaders under the radar. Though there are 3,400 Hidden Champions worldwide, a majority are found in Germany.

Simon introduced the concept of Hidden Champions more than three decades ago and has adapted these lessons for modern business leaders as conditions have changed over time. In his latest volume, Hidden Champions in the Chinese Century: Ascent and Transformation (Springer, June 2022), he provides insight into how these companies have quietly dominated the global market and what it means to operate in a new era influenced by the rising economic powerhouse of China.

Hermann Simon is the founder and honorary chairman of Simon-Kucher & Partners, the world’s leading price consultancy, with almost 2000 employees in 43 offices in 28 countries. Ranked on the Thinkers50 list of the most influential international management thinkers, he is considered the world’s foremost authority on pricing strategy. Simon has published over 40 books, translated in 30 languages, including the worldwide bestsellers Hidden Champions, Confessions of the Pricing Man, Price Management and True Profit! No Company Ever Went Broke from Turning a Profit, and recently published his autobiography, Many Worlds, One Life: A Remarkable Journey from Farmhouse to the Global Stage

Join us as we discuss how to play by the changing rules of achieving market-leading positions—and win.

Host: Jo Moffatt