Thought leadership: Why a hearing could end up with both legislators and competitors listening

People often throw around terms like “thought leadership” without the accompanying evidence to make an impact. However, every once in a while, an example of thought leadership emerges by itself. The recent appearance of Michelin chief executive Florent Menegaux before a hearing of the French Economic Commission feels like that.
What stands out from the hearing is that Michelin is overtly facing both the hard realities of lost market share as well as the difficulties of being competitive while manufacturing in mature Western markets. At the same time the company is fighting back against what it calls an “invasion” of low-cost imports with requests for a more level playing field – i.e. legislation balancing competition with lower cost import markets as well as standard-raising rules and with technological advances in both its products and its manufacturing processes.
Comments