- Published: September 24, 2022
- Updated: September 24, 2022
- Level: Undergraduate
- Language: English
- Downloads: 10
An Interview with Robert Wang Q. Please tell us about yourself A. My is Robert Wang and I am the VP of Farmosa Plastics in charge of the FinanceDepartment.
Q. Are you agreeable to have your responses discussed anonymously in class?
A. I am always keen to help young people and have no objection to the use of this information in any way.
Q. Thank you. Please describe your most significant challenges as a leader?
A. Life is one big challenge and every day you are faced with a new one and are required to face it head-on. In my line of work I have to make financial decisions every day. We undertake huge amount of project work and are in a very volatile market segment. Each day we have banks calling us for business and it is my job to assign projects to them. While the company has arranged partnerships with some bankers to whom we give regular assignments, yet it is prudent to develop new partnerships. The challenge lies in developing now relationships while retaining the old ones. As the partner portfolio grows the task becomes more demanding. During the last 16 years this job has turned my hair grey.
Q. What are the personal characteristics or behaviors that contribute most to your effectiveness as a leader?
A. I have developed a team of 20 people that assists me and their efficiency sustains my position in the company. I pride myself in building an effective team and have confidence in their abilities. I encourage and support them in their endeavours and they too respect me as their leader. I work late hours as well as on weekends and when needed they put in extra time as well. We complement each other in every way. This attitude is the reason of my success.
Q. Who and/or what has contributed to your development as a leader? What was it about this person or experience that impacted your development?
A. I look up to my best friend and boss Dr. Yang who is both a friend and mentor. We have been together for 20 years now. He trusts my decisions and appreciates my sense of humour. He has contributed the most to make me a competent Leader that I am today and I respect him for this.
Q. What are the most common ethical challenges you face as a leader?
A. My ethical challenge is to be a role model for my young son. I wish I could spend more time with him and my family. I do appreciate and place high value on their understanding and unflinching support for me and my work.
The Interview of Robert Wang reveals the following qualities of a Leader.
He is a very frank person and outspoken in praise of his boss, co-workers and his family. He believes in hard work and in total commitment to his job. However his job does not leave him enough time for his family.
These are the key-learnings from the interview.
Collaboration and mutual respect are the building blocks of eminent leadership. A successful leader is one who respects opinions, creates a collaborative environment, builds teams, appreciates and encourages subordinates and takes inspirations from friends and superiors.
The Leader has to work hard to set an example for the followers and to build bridges and confidence between team members irrespective of their positions. This paves the way for a collaborative environment that fosters easy and open communications. For any organization communications, both within and beyond are necessary for smooth functioning and for realization of the corporate vision and mission. It becomes more important when there is cultural diversification and diversity initiatives are required to develop relationships both inside and outside the company. A smart leader is able to cross this cultural divide and creates trust and mutual respect that build stable partnerships with colleagues as well as business associates.
Family life is essential in personality development as it provides the emotional backup required for appreciating fellow humans. A good leader is by default a good family man and enjoys support and appreciation reciprocally with his family.