The secrets of success attracted more than 70 Department of Management  students to a workshop featuring some of Hong Kong’s leading business leaders. “Creating Your Own Success – Insights from People Who Made It,” was the department’s fourth Residential Workshop under its Career Development Programme aimed at better preparing graduating students for the real-world challenges ahead. The two-day workshop was held 18 and 19 December at the Regal Riverside Hotel, with the keynote speech presented by Mr Frederick  Ma, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of the Government of the HKSAR.

“We hope that the final-year students who took the workshop will be inspired to work on their own weaknesses through the lessons learned from top Hong Kong executives in various industries,” said Professor Leung Kwok, Head of the Department of Management, in opening the workshop. He stressed that self-learning is a key to success after university graduation.

“Success is not defined by wealth,” said Mr Ma. “It means being successful in every respect. It also means winning the respect of others, including partners and subordinates.” Mr Ma shared his experience in overcoming early challenges as a banker and a Chinese stock analyst in Canada and emphasized three essentials to success: vision, confidence and persistence. “Life is full of frustrations, but you should not use them as excuses.” He encouraged the students to rise up to their challenges and overcome frustrations.

Mr

Michael Leung, Chairman and CEO of Yeah group Consulting Inc., stressed that “long-lasting success is based on the courage to take up responsibilities. Those who shift their responsibilities can earn only temporary success.” In his speech, he also elaborated on leadership and corporate competence, which was warmly received by the audience.

Mr John Lai, an instructor in the Department of Management, has been the workshop organizer since its inception. He pointed out that holding such an activity outside campus allows students to communicate with speakers in a more casual way and helps them build a network with business leaders and with their fellow schoolmates. He encouraged the students to implement their ideas. “We cannot control the outcome, but we can take the first step,” he said. He believes that we can succeed by creating opportunities rather than waiting for them to happen.

The studen participants were enthusiastic about the workshop experience. Ms Sandy Lam, a final-year student majoring Human Resources Management (HRM), said: “The speakers’ success stories provided me with a picture of my future challenges. I can foresee the barriers I will have to overcome, but I feel I am better prepared now.”

Another HRM student, Ms Cathy Kwok, was deeply inspired by the workshop. “The speakers’ experiences let me know that there are unlimited ways to success. And  confidence is crucial.”

Workshop speakers included Mr David Lam, Managing Director of Experiential Development, Ms Shirley Cheng, Founder of Power Capsule, Ms Winnie Lau, Managing Director of Pret a Manger, Mr Sherman Chin, Regional Human Resources Director, Comverse Network Systems Asia Pacific Limited, Mr Tom Wang, Vice President (Asia pacific) of LSG Skychefs (Lufthansa Airlines) Hong Kong, Mr Masaki Iizumi, Managing Director of Staff Management Consultancy Ltd, Mr Yukiyoshi Kurosaki, CEO of Anchor HRM Consulting, Mr Allan Chan, Superintendent of Police, Hong Kong Police Force and Dr. Frankie Lam, DAC Chairman of the Department of Management, CityU.

The speakers led the students through a range of topics, from Leadership Leading to Corporate Core Competence to The Essence of Working with Others in the Workplace.