Describe one or two accomplishments in which you demonstrated leadership. (limit 500 words)
I have been playing leadership roles in my company for years. But my first days of being a highly independent manager were the most memorable.
By a deal I made with the China Textile Resources Corporation, I took over its chemical products division as something of a contractor in 1995. The deal was made after this division had suffered lackluster performance for years. Under the deal, a 10 million yuan line of credit was made available to me at an annual interest rate of eight per cent, in return for which I would have to generate half a million yuan in net profit of half a million each year for the company. By good organization and aggressive networking, I easily reached the target and made a significant income for myself.
1. The way I did it was to delegate as much responsibility as I could to my employees while I exercised control over the main events. I had only three people on the staff, but they were each given a clear scope of duties. The girl would serve as the secretary, and the two young men would be responsible for import and export, respectively. Together we set out to specialize in trading in sulfur, sodium sulphate, phthalic anhydride, tartaric acid, rubber and etc.
2. I laid down strict rules of performance to ensure accountability. I would be involved in the negotiation and signing of every contract the value of which was beyond 200,000 yuan in Chinese currency. My employees were expected to handle most other responsibilities the best they could, with me coordinating among them. I demanded a written report every month about each and every on-going project, sweeping away the indolence that was then characteristic of state-owned companies.
3. I made sure that remuneration was closely tied with performance. Incentives were clearly spelt out and promptly paid up. Under these incentives, the staff members were highly motivated, since they could see that their personal incomes were growing hand in hand with that of the business.
4. I encouraged the staff to undergo whatever training they could possibly receive in relation to foreign trade. Whenever necessary, I made sure that cost of such training is paid for. Such training enriched the employees' expertise and broadened their horizons. Such training proved highly effective in updating my people's knowledge and heightening their sensitivity to special circumstances.
5. As the boss, I focused on creating synergy in this small group people, with each and every one backing up all others when called upon to do so. Exercising my superb communications skills and dealing with everybody above the board, I easily enjoyed everyone's trust and loyalty. Although we did not have too many people, our teamwork compensated for the lack of hands. I understood that the number of employees did not necessarily matter much as long as the employees were all quality people bound together by team spirit. I am glad to say that I achieved a strong measure of synergy in my office.
I believe that all of the above were qualities of a good and effective leader. Over the years, I have continued to refine my management approaches. The synergy resulted has served my business very well. I have no doubt that, with MBA training, I will be able to shoulder much larger leadership roles than described here.
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