Working with Chinese investors is not quite as Forest Gump would make it out – that is, as a box of chocolates. But it’s a close analogy. In my column in the December 2009 issue of  Eurobiz Magazine I write about the lessons learned of Westerners who are managing Chinese Outward Direct Investment (ODI) projects. One of the managers, an American working near Shanghai, suggests managing investors the same way you would order for a Chinese banquet: give them lots of options to pick from when soliciting their thoughts. Still, Western managers agree, what Chinese investors may lack in management acumen they more than make up for in flexibility and speed to market.