Richard Homburg

You win some, you lose some.

“Second place is sometimes an excellent position. The difference between number one and “number two” may involve a disproportionately high risk, and therefore may not offer many benefits. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t think big. Think big. Don’t be afraid to risk it all. Change is good. Only ambitious targets can give us ambitious results. And remember that as a manager, you take on all the tribulations because you’re in it for the money”, states Richard Homburg (60) in an interview on his vision on enterprise.

A people person

“Everyone who works for me knows me, and I know my people. My employees call me Richard, not ‘Sir’. I’m always walking around when I’m at one of my companies. You won’t see me sitting behind a desk very often. I don’t mind getting involved and getting my hands dirty. Literally: when I’m at one of our construction sites and the workers are toiling away, I’ll get in there and toil right along with them. It earns respect, but it’s also how I know exactly what factors are in play. That gives me the right to get involved in everything. If I’m in a building that we’re renovating and I don’t like the look of the baseboards being installed along the floor, then those baseboards are out of there.” Talking to people is a major component of Richard Homburg’s management style. That is also one of the reasons why his China venture was unsuccessful.

Communication

The Homburg Group team has been setting its sights intently on China as a fertile ground for new business. “There I learned that I will never again do business in a country where I don’t speak the language. I’m a people person, and I simply cannot make contacts and build relationships with people I don’t understand.” Although he views his Chinese adventure as one of his biggest setbacks, he got over it fairly quickly. After all, his motto is: “You win some, you lose some”.