(Courtesy of Porsche Indonesia)It was not always easy, but Christoph Choi believes he has benefited from being raised in two different worlds, especially when it comes to managing a business in a foreign land.

Of Korean descent but born and raised in Germany, the newly appointed general manager of Porsche Indonesia has a unique familiarity with different cultures that enhance his adaptability.

“At home I speak Korean and eat Korean food. But outside the house I am pretty much a German and Westernized. I was educated in German schools, which has shaped my personality,” said the 36-year-old Choi.

There were difficulties in growing up straddling two cultures, but he said he realized when he was young that he needed to make the best of the experience.

Based on his previous working experience in Korea and Singapore, he believes Western and Asian cultures have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to business. The key is realizing what is appropriate in each place.

For example, the Western handshake greeting for a customer is replaced by bowing in recognition in Korea.

In Indonesia, he said that building relationships was an important aspect, especially when dealing with customers.

“In this regard, Indonesia is superior compared to other Asian and Western cultures,” he said.

On the other hand, he said, the process of achieving a goal or time management remain a shortcoming.

”I rarely see people here work based on proper time management. For example what I am going to do today, next week, next month and mid-and-long term.

They live for today, last minute and even last second. But the amazing thing is that even though it is the last second, they always manage to finish it,” he said.

“However, Germans focus much more on process, with many guidelines, working or using time effectively. They have a clear structure of what they are going to do during the day. This is something that Germans are good at but are weak in customer relations.”

His conclusion is that both have their merits.

“So, I think it is good to take the best of both Western and Asian cultures. Working in a foreign country requires a high level of adaptability and an ability to think out of the box when having to find a solution to any problem,” he said.

Despite becoming GM of Porsche Indonesia only recently, Choi is familiar with workforce and customer-related issues in the country because he was in charge of management training for Porsche staff in Asia Pacific, including Indonesia.

“My several visits to Indonesia have given me a chance to learn about Indonesia,” he said.

He said customer satisfaction and development of employees were among his top priorities in the initial phase of his term of office.

“A happy customer will turn into an advocate. He will encourage people who are willing to share the positive story about [our company],” he said.

Employees are expected to not only be aware of a clear vision set by the company but also their own respective vision because this is closely related to their motivation as an employee.

“At the moment we are still working on extrinsic motivations, such as salaries, bonuses, gifts, awards etcetera. This is the first part. My goal is actually to bring the people to the intrinsic motivation.

They are eager to work hard for the company because they believe in it. This is actually my goal,” he said.

Efforts continue to allow employees to work according to standard procedures by nurturing core values among them, including forward thinking, integrity, sincerity, consistency and transparency.

Leading by example is how he cultivates the values among employees.

“And I think the only management style that works here is situational style that suits the situation. This means that I think we have to look at the current situation in Indonesia, the market, the company itself, the economic development and then we have to adapt the management style,” he said.

He promised to create a family-friendly environment to keep employees motivated.

“If you feel comfortable in a workplace, then you are highly motivated and willing to work much harder. Employees are the most valuable human assets and that’s why we have to make sure that the workplace is highly comfortable,” he said.

Choi, who is single, said that he should be able to manage time for working and other activities because he is a strong defender of work life balance.

“Work is not everything. You need to have a proper balance. But I am still figuring out what is possible in Jakarta,” he said, adding that visiting friends, playing soccer, listening to good music and playing guitar were among his interests.

He can play a musical instrument, which he said was typically Korean.

“Every Korean child must play at least one musical instrument and when I was 13 years old, my parents asked me to play a violin but I didn’t like it because the sound was like that of a cat. Very awful,” he said.

“Then my parents forced me to play guitar and I did it. My friend taught me to play guitar with chords and since then I began to enjoy playing guitar,” he said, adding that he also went to a music school to allow him to
play well.

Would he be up for a public performance?

“I play music for myself but if you come to my place I can play for you,” he said.

Date of birth: Oct. 10, 1976
City of birth: Hamburg, Germany
Nationality: German

Education

- 1999 to 2004: University of Hamburg, M.A, majoring in Economics, Psychology and Korean Studies

- Sept. 2002 to Feb. 2003: Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul, South Korea, Korean Language Classes Level V & VI (graduated), Economics

- Feb. 2000 to Oct. 2000: Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul, South Korea, Korean Language Classes Level III & IV (20hrs/wk)

- June 1998: Corvey High School, school-leaving examination; head boy

Work Experience

- Nov. 5, 2012 to present: General Manager of Porsche Indonesia

- 2011 to 2012: Training Manager Sales and Marketing, Porsche Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd

- 2008 to 2011: Motorsport Manager, Porsche Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.

- 2006 to 2008: Product and Training Manager, Stuttgart Sports Cars Ltd., Official Porsche Importer Korea

- 2005 to 2006: Management Trainee, Stuttgart Sports Cars Ltd., Official Porsche Importer Korea

- 1998 to 2005 (part time): Export and Customer Service Support, Hanjin Shipping, European Headquarter, Germany,

- 1997 to 1998 (part time): Customer Service, Gruner and Jahr Verlag, publishing house, Germany

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