Reviews

This book deserves a place alongside such classic business memoirs as Tim Clissold’s Mr. China (2005) and Paul Midler’s Poorly Made in China (2009), in which otherwise successful Western businessmen find themselves drowning in China’s complex crosscurrents. Those older accounts were often funny, and hopeful that China’s market and business practices would improve. That wry optimism no longer exists. Wilcox’s account is less a tutorial on how to swim in China’s dangerous waters than a warning not to get in at all.

Full of rare insights, this memoir is a valuable guide as the world faces increasing business turbulence when engaging with China.

I couldn’t put down this engrossing tale of Chinese government partners manipulating and milking SVB to create local competitors. While most victims of this all-too-common swindle quietly slink away, Ken Wilcox has the humility and moxie to go public with this cautionary tale.

While working in China, banking executive Ken Wilcox kept his eyes open and became deeply skeptical about the CCP’s willingness to actually collaborate with foreign businesses. The China Business Conundrum is a much-needed antidote to Party bromides about “win-win” scenarios.

This account of establishing a bank for start-ups in China simply gallops along with twists and turns and surprises. It’s a salutary tale of how Western assumptions, hopes, and expectations prime companies for failure in the Chinese context. I’m giving copies to all my CEOs, past and present.

The inside story of how Silicon Valley Bank stumbled in China.

Ken Wilcox is uniquely qualified to offer insights on doing business in China. In particular, his admonitions about the Chinese Communist Party and its ability to control everything it touches are chilling. As the author of The China Business Conundrum, Ken will bring you to understand that you are most at risk when you come to believe that you have a full grasp of your situation. In all probability, You are not even close! Read it once and then read it again!”

A former bank CEO offers forthright advice in this debut business book, “an illuminating bird’s-eye view of leadership.”

As CEO of Silicon Valley Bank for a decade, Wilcox faced a series of daunting challenges. He writes in this candid work that “tech was in the doldrums and interest rates were among the lowest in the history of the Fed.” The author had no choice but to lead through tough times, and his experience led him to craft a practical “field manual” to guide other executives. In three succinct but informative parts, Wilcox expounds on leadership principles and qualities, building teams and managing during change, all anchored by a strong emphasis on corporate culture….

What is so refreshing about Ken Wilcox’s book is the open manner in which he writes – that there is never a hint of the typical superficiality that bogs down similar books. His well-defined humor and compassion are on full display and the images he conjures up are simply compelling. This is clearly not a vanity project or a cunningly constructed monument to his past. Wilcox is merely having a lively and earnest conversation with the reader. Kindly offering up pearls and challenging his audience to dig deeper.

This excellent, insightful book examines the relationship between organizational culture and leadership. It’s superbly written and reflects a lifetime of executive accomplishments as well as keen insight into human nature. Ken Wilcox offers readers a rare treat: experience as a CEO combined with a scholarly grasp of the subject matter. He is both a practitioner and a theorist, and the book reflects these two attributes. My undergraduate, graduate, and executive students have found it extremely valuable, as have I.

A gift to readers and leaders alike. Ken unwraps valuable culture change insights through engaging storytelling, simplicity, and humor. This book is a must-read for leaders, seasoned or aspiring, who desire to positively impact their own organizations.

Ken brings an academic’s discipline to bear, but more importantly, a depth of understanding grounded in real-life interpersonal dust-ups.

A playbook on how to build winning teams… and how not to. Ken writes from the authority of being the CEO of one of Silicon Valley’s most admired institutions. Chock-full of sage and practical advice, this book is a pageturner— which is almost unheard of in the genre of management books. A must-read for anybody leading an organization.

Ken knows how to turn a phrase with great historical and cultural context to show time-tested principles of leadership while navigating a multicultural landscape.

I was shocked to read Ken’s book because almost everything he wrote about managing a bank in America, I experienced when growing a business in China. In Ken’s pages, any entrepreneur—past or present, aspiring or accomplished— will find echoes that relate directly to their professional life. Ken’s book is the perfect companion to leaders of any shape or form, reminding you that you are not alone, and showing how to lead by example and from the heart to serve the needs of others. Warning: Do not read before going to bed—you won’t be able to put it down!

Using a combination of time-tested leadership principles and insights from the field, Ken Wilcox shows how to lead change in a cross-cultural environment, drive innovation, and deliver results. It’s a must-read for anyone responsible for a team’s performance.

Ken’s powerful insight on good leaders being focused on the welfare of their people is critical to how we lead at Oakland University.

Ken Wilcox shares his experiences leading teams to meet performance expectations by reducing his techniques to simple applications supported by leadership theory. Ken shares real examples of how leaders drive organizational culture and provides insight that can easily be put into practice. Ken’s premise is spot on: strong organizational cultures are realized when team members understand their purpose, share the organization’s values, and feel supported by leaders who effectively decide, motivate, communicate, and envision.

Leading Through Culture asks the hard question up front: Do you have a vision, or do you just want to be in charge? Ken Wilcox reminds us that leadership is not just a title, but a commitment to deliberate and thoughtful practices that inspire people. He calls on us to start with ourselves and model the behaviors we value and want people in our organizations to follow. The book offers practical, tested leadership fundamentals that create a ‘how-to guide’ for the new leader or an opportunity for self-reflection for the experienced leader. In today’s complex and constantly changing world, I value the common sense approach outlined in this book and have been sharing it with other leaders.

A positive organizational culture is important in normal times. In tougher times, keeping your team together and inspired is even more crucial. I highly recommend Leading Through Culture. Every new founder or CEO should read this book as a prerequisite to taking investor dollars.

Ken Wilcox gets right to the heart of the matter: leadership is not for everyone. From the very first chapter, Wilcox challenges the reader with a series of tough, direct questions: Do you have a vision, or do you just like to be in charge? Are you skilled in communicating your vision in a way that really inspires people and captures their imagination? And, perhaps most importantly, do you genuinely care about the people you are leading? If you pass this leadership litmus test, then you will find Leading Through Culture an incredibly powerful—and practical—resource for building your own winning company culture. I highly recommend this book to all aspiring leaders and especially to entrepreneurs building their first company.”

“[This] book is different from the rest because its priorities are different. Vastly different and a great deal more meaningful…. [Ken Wilcox] reminds the reader that kindness is a wonderful and desirable instrument for building up a workplace network. That winning comes from lifting up others and forming trust among colleagues. That it doesn’t have to be the stereotype of dog eat dog. That you can be human and share the process with others.