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A challenging spirit and charisma are the requirements of global manager
Andreas Dannenberg, CEO of the Ad-comm Group in Tokyo was born in Germany and has visited 47 countries including the United States and China. Dannenberg currently owns a marketing communication agency, Ad-comm Group, that includes 7 independent companies including an advertising agency, PR firm, and international event management company. We interview a new age global manager on his success operating in a culture that is entirely different from his own.
Establishing an advertising agency in culturally unique Japan
Mr. Andreas Dannenberg is living proof that success is achievable regardless of where you are. Having achieved excellence in the specialized field of photography/ design, as well as having visited 47 countries and with substantial experience living and working in different cultures, Dannenberg could have started his own business anywhere in the world. Why, then, did he decide to start his business in Japan? "Japan would be the most ‘difficult‘ place to achieve success for myself" he explains.
This drive to challenge himself by undertaking the most difficult of tasks is what guided Ad-comm Group, led by Mr. Dannenberg, to success. Dannenberg is 41 years old, and describes himself as a ‘European born in Berlin‘. In 1987 he established an advertising agency called Ad-media in Tokyo. The business, originally starting with just himself and an acquaintance, currently comprises 7 companies and is steadily building a firm position in the Japanese advertising industry.
Becoming fluent in Japanese
Mr. Dannenberg didn‘t speak any Japanese when he came to Japan at the age of 25. However, after working at a Japanese company for a few months, he realized that in order to work in Japan he had to be able to speak and understand Japanese.
Even nowadays not many business professionals who come to Japan from foreign companies seriously study Japanese. Japanese language has a very unique system which makes it difficult to learn for people from Indian or European backgrounds. Therefore it is not uncommon for people to live in Japan for many years and understand very little of the Japanese language, particularly as business can be carried out in English.
However, Mr. Dannenberg is different from such people. "Japan is the only country that has constructed an advanced economic system even with a very different culture from the West. I realized that if I want to seriously work in this country, then the only way to be successful is to seriously study the language, one of the factors that supports this high level of culture."
Subsequently, an intensive training in Japanese language began. "It is impossible to learn a language by studying once or twice a week. I had to take private lessons everyday before work for a few years. It was a lot of work," Mr. Dannenberg comments in his fluent Japanese.
The importance of human charisma
When we write this it may seem that Mr. Dannenberg is the type of person who will sacrifice anything for his work, but he is actually the complete opposite.
"Think about it. Would you do business with someone who can only talk about his/her work? You need to have interests in many things other than your work, enjoy your private life, share with other people, and then you will become a deeper human being. This human charisma is what is necessary to become a global manager." Mr. Dannenberg considers that people who are workaholics by nature find it difficult to become global managers.
These days the number of fascinating Japanese business professionals who also have a fulfilled private life are increasing. "However, you need to proactively show your own charisma. If it does not get transmitted to others, then it is considered as not having any," says Mr. Dannenberg.
His attitude towards searching for human depth is evident in the importance he places on developing a multicultural environment. He feels that mono-cultural standards cannot win against multicultural standards. "For example, when looking for candidates for an organization, it is natural that the best candidates can be found by searching worldwide rather than only within Japan. Japan is a country that is framed in a single culture where actions and recognitions are restricted. It is necessary to employ the idea that the world is one ‘brain pool‘."
In addition, excellent people can communicate with each other even if their language or cultures are different. "For example, top-class French, Chinese, and Japanese chefs can communicate with each other when they all get together. Real professionals are inherently the same anywhere in the world." If we turn this around, in order to be successful globally, you also need to be a top class professional no matter which industry you are in.
Lastly, Mr. Dannenberg sent a message to young Japanese people. "These days in Japan, it is not true that the only way to be successful in Japanese society is to get a job at big corporations after graduating college. You can choose to live your own life depending on your individuality and can achieve success through various routes if you are a truly excellent person. The stage is getting bigger."
Andreas Dannenberg
President and CEO of Ad-comm Group
Born in Germany in 1960. While achieving success as a global cameraman for ‘Stern‘ in Germany and ‘Newsweek‘ in the United States, joined Dentsu after working on advertisement photograph for BMW. Participated in the coordination of presentations for global companies. In 1987, established Ad-media, an advertising agency in Tokyo, worked on campaigns for Club Med, Givenchy, and Shiseido and currently is the president and CEO of Ad-comm Group, a marketing communication agency, that consists of 7 companies. Established group companies in London, Hamburg, Shanghai, and New York.
Global Manager, The Institute for International Business Communication, 11/10/2001 Seventh Edition