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Intensive EMBA Issue 573: Where will the growth come from in the next 5 years?
- Jan 5
- 6 min read
Updated: Jan 20
How can we break through the pressure of involution and achieve new growth? Where are the future growth drivers? And how should we strategize?
Under a grand strategic vision, how can an organization stay aligned with the strategy, maintain strategic focus, and steadily conquer the "Mount Everest" of the strategy?
In the current strategic budgeting season, these are essential questions that companies must answer to ensure a strategic approach and a winning strategy before engaging in further battles.
01
Strategic budgeting: win before you fight.
Breakthrough momentum on the hot land of Northwest China
Budgeting involves three steps: first, planning; second, calculating; and third, implementing. Planning involves outlining the overall strategic vision; calculating involves outlining the growth plan; and implementing involves managing the overall operations. Budgeting has become a powerful tool for companies to bridge the gap between strategy and execution.
From November 18th to 20th, the "Intensive EMBA" course was held in Yinchuan . On this fertile land in Northwest China, entrepreneurs and managers from all over the country gathered together. Through a wholehearted learning experience, they conducted a "strategic deduction" concerning the future of their enterprises , wove a "net of heaven and earth" to anchor future growth , and deployed a "landscape sand table" for all employees to work together .
The course featured a large number of well-known companies, including: Youfa Steel Pipe , China's leading welded steel pipe manufacturer; Guangna Coal Industry Group , a leading enterprise in China's new energy materials industry ; Xinya Energy Investment Group , a key coal enterprise in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region ; Yuanyuan Group , a leading enterprise in China's foot health industry ; Baoting New Materials Group , a well-known private energy and chemical enterprise in Northwest China; Dabeinong Technology Group , one of the top ten ruminant feed enterprises in China ; Ningxia Zhongfang Group , the largest real estate developer in Ningxia in terms of cumulative development scale; Noah Holdings , a pioneer in wealth management services for high-net-worth clients; Phoenix Pharmaceutical Group , a leading enterprise in the traditional Chinese medicine and health industry; Ningxia Iron and Steel Group , a leading private steel mill in China ; Ningxia Jiyuan Metallurgical Group , a key enterprise for transformation and upgrading in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region; Tiandong Jinsheng Chemical , an influential chemical enterprise in Southwest China ; Binhe Group , a leader in Gansu's liquor industry ; and China's leading manufacturer of concrete pressure water transmission pipes. Leading listed companies include Ningxia Qinglong Pipe Industry Group , Ningxia Lingyun Group ( one of Ningxia's top 100 enterprises), Bairuiyuan Goji Berry ( a leading enterprise in the goji berry industry) , Ningxia Helan Snow Mountain Spring ( a leading enterprise in Ningxia's drinking water production) , Herui Packaging Group ( a leading enterprise in China's packaging industry), Jianxiaoda ( a leading brand of special medical foods ), Cezanne Dairy (China's first deep-processing enterprise of dairy products) , Everyday Convenience Supermarket (a leading enterprise in Northwest China's convenience retail industry ), Xiaoren Fruit Industry ( a national key leading enterprise in agricultural industrialization) , Shaanxi Tongbian Power Construction Group ( a well-known one-stop full-industry chain power company) , Ningxia Taoli Health Development Group (an influential enterprise in the health service industry) , Deyuansheng ( a well-known enterprise in the traditional Chinese medicine field ), Wofubairui Goji Berry ( a leading enterprise in China's goji berry export industry) , Zhuode Industrial Group ( an influential enterprise in Northwest China's real estate development industry ), Gansu Mogao Industrial Group ( a leading listed enterprise in China's wine-producing regions) , and Ningxia Kangya Pharmaceutical ( a well-known enterprise in the chemical pharmaceutical preparation field) .
Strategic budgeting, streamlining the process from strategy to budget and from budget to growth, requires not only meticulous planning from entrepreneurs but also a management team with the courage and skill to drive growth.
02
Strategic budgeting, organizing effective combat
Organizational momentum on the hot land of Northwest China
Even the most perfect strategy is nothing but a castle in the air if it cannot be effectively executed by an organization. Even the clearest growth path will ultimately become a mirage without the collaborative creation of an organization.
Today's companies don't lack strong operatives, but they lack creative and skillful leaders— managers who can strategize around a plan and use a growth mindset to win before fighting.
Developing the ability to succeed among management cadres was one of the reasons for the corporate team learning in this course in Yinchuan.
•What the students said this time•
Founded in 1998, Wofuberry's business covers the entire goji berry industry chain. Currently, it is a leading enterprise in both national agricultural and forestry industrialization , and a key enterprise in the Ningxia Autonomous Region's supply chain . Its products are exported to 33 countries , with a market share exceeding 60% in North America and the European Union , achieving new growth despite challenging market conditions. Simultaneously, we are actively expanding into the domestic market, pursuing both international and domestic development in tandem.
I started studying "Intensive EMBA" in 2017, and I've also led dozens of my team members to study with me. "Intensive EMBA" is an excellent course; its ten modules cover all aspects of business and truly unify our thinking and actions, ultimately leading to unified results.
We have benefited greatly , especially from our "strategic focus." Why are our exports number one? First, it's because we focus on our products, making them unique and ultimately number one . Second, we put our customers first , establishing a comprehensive marketing and service system, which has earned us a strong reputation—the reason for our international success. At the organizational level, managers' understanding and methods have been upgraded after the training, resulting in an overall performance improvement of over 30%.
Action-based education is a practical school where teachers reinforce theory through practice and then guide practice in return . Therefore, we utilize many courses very effectively. Next year marks the start of our "15th Five-Year Plan," and I led 16 people to participate in this training to unify our thinking and actions, identify shortcomings and deficiencies, and ensure that next year's budget management is implemented effectively. In the future, Wofuberry aims not only to become number one internationally but also domestically. We will continue to strive for excellence in quality, using a good product to build a good company.
03
Strategic budget, system warfare
The momentum of victory on the hot land of Northwest China
Strategic budgeting requires not only winning battles before fighting and organizing effective warfare, but also systemic warfare.
Through team learning, the heads of each management unit can unify their strategic understanding and coordinate growth plans. Even more crucial for future success is the consistency of the company's own management system. By leveraging the power of the system, the organization can continuously anchor itself to the strategy, focusing its efforts in a unified direction, moving from small victories to strategic wins, decisive victories, and ultimately, major victories.
During the course, Action Education reached strategic cooperation agreements with Herui Packaging Group, one of China's top 100 packaging companies, and Baoting New Materials Group , a well-known private energy and chemical enterprise in Northwest China. By working together, they aim to jointly address future uncertainties and competitive pressures, accelerate the sustainable growth of their companies, and strive to become number one.
•What the students said this time•
Herui Packaging Group's main business is green and environmentally friendly packaging , primarily serving leading domestic FMCG brands such as Yili, Mengniu, and Weilong . Our current annual sales are approximately 2.5 billion yuan.
I started learning through action education in 2019, from "Intensive EMBA" to "Principal EMBA", including consulting on performance growth and coaching on financial management.
Each module of the "Intensive EMBA" program has been of great significance to us, from strategic upgrades and organizational capability enhancement to key account strategies and financial control . It has enabled us to consistently adhere to our customer-centric, value-creator-oriented, and cash-is-king business philosophy. As a result, in recent years, while our sales have continued to grow, our debt has been steadily decreasing, and we are now in a very safe and stable operating state. More importantly, the course continuously instills in me a belief in growth; this is an energy field. I also frequently lead my team in learning here together, reaching consensus, then acting together, and finally sharing the benefits.
Investing in action education is an investment in our organization and in our people. I firmly believe it will bring tenfold or even a hundredfold return in the future. As he said, action education is very effective, readily applicable, and easy to implement . More importantly, he has done what action education says, truly speaking out about what he does and doing what he preaches.
"Intensive EMBA" revolves around ten modules of business management : strategic design, value innovation, product strategy, organizational strategy, marketing strategy, user strategy, budget management, performance management, financial management, and capital operation . Based on first principles, it reveals the key growth points and new growth paths of each module, helping companies cultivate business-oriented managers and form systematic growth capabilities, accelerating the company's progress towards becoming number one.