Chinese Version

Tuesday, March 7, 2006 SCMP Business Post
Part one of eight

Passion from Within

Vincent H. C. Cheng Chairman, HSBC	Vincent Cheng made history when he was appointed the first ethnic Chinese chairman of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation since it was established in 1865. He spoke to the Richard Ivey School of Business on leadership, the secrets of his success, and what he would do differently if he had it all to do over again.

On leadership

“Leadership is about working together with your team to achieve a goal that you share with all of your team members. It means taking your team forward and making everybody work toward the same goal. It may sound simple, but the process involves a lot of challenges. First, you have to define your goal. Whether you are in a corporation, the government, or another type of agency, this – by itself – is not a simple task. Second, you have to convince your team that this is the goal that you all want to achieve because no one person can do everything by himself or herself. Third, you've got to select the right team players. You’ve got to know each and every one and choose the best person for each job. Fourth, you have to organize the team so that your team members’ individual goals when combined lead to the same ultimate
goal.”

On what it takes to be a leader

“Anyone can be a leader - no matter what their background is - as long as they have a clear vision of what the organization’s goal should be and can lead or inspire people toward this goal. Business, communication, and interpersonal skills can all be learned, but at the end of the day, it is the drive that you possess that counts. You can learn all of the technical skills, but you have to have the will to succeed. You have to have the fire in your belly. Personal motivation is the key.”

On the secret to his success

The secret to my success is that I work hard, I try to work with everybody, I always do my best to deliver what I am supposed to deliver, I have learned continuously throughout my whole career, and I try to stay physically fit to meet the demands of my job. But I must admit that there is an element of luck. You've got to be at the right place at the right time – and to be recognized by the right people. You have to be willing to learn new things and to accept new ideas all the time. I have been in different roles at HSBC and each one requires something different. You have therefore got to be able to change with the times so that you remain relevant.”

On what he would do differently

“If I had it all to do over again, I would have studied harder at school. I would have studied things like art, music, and literature – the nonbusiness sides of education – so that I could have been better equipped for my career while leading a more fruitful life. I would have learned more about history, how to play a musical instrument, and how to sing. But the one thing that I would not do differently is to work for HSBC. It is a great organization that didn’t prevent me from advancing upwards even though I have a physical handicap and even though English was not my first language. Even when I faced difficulties, HSBC always gave me the chance to prove, to deliver, and to move on to greater things.”

Advice for someone just starting out

“Work hard, study hard, and gain the support of your colleagues, friends, and customers. Don’t try to take all the credit. You’ve got to share your success with your partners and enlist their support if there are problems. Don’t focus too narrowly on the immediate task at hand. Always try to extract from your day-to-day routine a little time to think and never lose sight of the bigger picture.”

Global Leadership and Personal Power

Leaders need more than a vision. They need to have a passion that will drive them to realize their vision and the power to enact it. Great leaders have four attributes: the ability to communicate their visions to others, the ability to overcome resistance to change, the ability to mobilize resources in the required direction, and the ability to manage their own ambitions so that they don't self-destruct in the process of leading.

Click on www.ivey.com.hk/iveybusinessjournal.html to learn what Jeffrey Gandz, professor and managing director of Program Design, the Ivey Executive Development Program, has to say on global leadership and personal power.

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