Oliver Riess was promoted at work after finishing his MBA degree at BI-Fudan MBA Program in 2010. He believes the BI-Fudan MBA degree has given him the opportunity to grow as a leader.
Oliver believes his course at BI-Fudan MBA Program made him develop further and the practice has helped him keep calm in times when his workload is high and there is pressure to deliver in time.
– To follow a structure helps me a lot. I have two theories about development and learning. You only develop when you are challenged to leave your comfort zone. I have always gained a lot when I made a step forward, like ten years ago when I took the job offer to come to China. It was a different job from my previous one, in a foreign country and culture, with a lot of responsibility and little supervision from my boss in Germany. That made me learn to take responsibility for my actions, and more important for the outcome of the actions. To succeed and fail both help you to grow, but you need to be in charge to feel the pressure.
For the learning part, he does not believe that you learn in the classroom. You only get some input there, some knowledge, theories, data and so on.
– For me learning happens when you can link your daily actions to the new applied knowledge, when you have an ‘aha’ moment and suddenly feel how the classroom knowledge has helped you in a real situation, at that moment you can value the knowledge much more than when you are in the classroom.
In his current job he is leading the operations in China for two manufacturing plants. He also has a background from engineering, project management for production transfer and production management. For the last ten years Oliver has worked in Asia, mostly in China, but also two years in Singapore.
– My dream job is a job where I can make a difference and I can make my own decisions and have the freedom to do what I think is right.
With a high workload and a family to take care of, there is not much spare time left for the German living in China with his Chinese wife and their daughter.
– Unfortunately there is currently not much time for hobbies. I like motor sports and go for go-kart racing from time to time. You need to concentrate fully on the driving, so you forget the work-related pressures. My big dream is to buy a vintage Porsche 911 from the same year I was born, I will do that sooner or later.
To keep fit in the most effective way, Oliver is enthusiastic about a new training technology.
– This training is called EMS training. Basically it means I can have a two-hour workout in 20 minutes, which is exactly what I need to keep fit in short time. I am interested in trying new things, and the workout can focus on your problem areas such as back pain and your belly. With the air pollution in China, it is a good alternative for keeping fit in a short amount of time. I am lucky that the first EMS studio has opened in Suzhou where I live.
He believes that keeping fit is important to have a balance for your health, and that sometimes you need to think about other things to have a good solution for a problem. However, the most important factor in his life is his family.
“My wife and my daughter, and my family in Germany are the most important people to me. That they are happy is important for me. I think especially with the situation in China today, there is a lot of pressure on people to earn a living. We work hard, but we also take care that we spend time together, especially in the holidays. Our daughter has seen more of the world than many adults I know. I think it is an asset for her and I love to bring her to see different parts of the world. We want her to grow up with tolerance for different cultures and openness. To see this happen means a lot for me.
