To better leverage the guiding and exemplary role of freshman student leaders and support their growth, the Alumni and Corporate Relations Office invited Ms. Gu Li, an outstanding alumna (Master of Business Administration, Class of 2017), Senior Human Resources Manager (Level 1), and Senior HR Manager at Advantech, to deliver a thematic report on “Leadership Cultivation and Development” for the Tongji University 2023 Undergraduate Freshman Leaders Training Camp and Freshman Growth School.

In her report, Ms. Gu Li shared insights on “What is leadership?”, “How to cultivate leadership?”, and knowledge related to the OKR tool. She expressed hope that the 2023 freshman leaders would gain valuable insights from the lecture to better serve as role models in their future university studies and life.

Key Lecture Content:

01 What is Leadership?

Leadership is not equal to power. True leadership exists only when people have the freedom not to follow a leader, yet they choose to follow.

Leadership is a quality inherent in every one of us. Leadership can be learned.

As the top leader of a team, your style sets the tone for the organization, influencing its behavioral patterns. For example, a domineering leader who does not tolerate dissent creates a team where members feel disconnected from the final outcome.

Why Do We Need Leadership?

Performance isn’t achieved by one person: it’s accomplished by a team. Jeff Immelt, CEO of General Electric, said: “Once you become a leader, your biggest challenge is to inspire the people around you, develop them, and help them learn to change themselves.”

As freshman leaders, you will receive various tasks. These tasks aren’t meant to be completed alone; you need to build your own team. The stronger your team’s capabilities, the greater the achievements you can accomplish.

Outstanding leaders possess strong charisma and appeal. They are sincere, focused, decisive but not stubborn, and emphasize communication. When problems arise, they respond calmly, inspiring others with their positive attitude and driving progress with their exceptional abilities, thereby guiding the team forward to achieve its initial goals.

02 How to Cultivate Leadership?

An excellent leader must be adept at selecting, recognizing, observing, and utilizing people. Beyond assessing professional skills and knowledge, one should also evaluate values, self-concept, personality traits, and motivation. When utilizing people, leverage their strengths and tolerate their shortcomings.

Generally, high-potential talents possess the following traits: positive thinking ability, learning ability, altruism, and a sense of responsibility towards work.

By participating in this Freshman Leaders Training Camp, your first step is a shift in mindset: you are learning and preparing as a team manager. Secondly, regardless of the task received, the first step is to prepare to assemble your team, people come first before achievements can be made. Thirdly, once the team is formed, learn to lead it, enabling members to fight alongside you to achieve goals. This is the transformative journey of an advanced leader.

Conflicts may arise during this process. We can adopt different strategies depending on the situation: yielding when appropriate, being firm when necessary, and collaborating when called for.

03 The OKR Tool

The OKR (Objectives and Key Results) methodology enables layered understanding of organizational goals, from vision and mission down to specific implementation paths, helping each team member focus on critical organizational priorities. OKRs help better focus on goals, unlock team member potential, and enhance team collaboration, and are applied, practiced, and promoted by numerous world-class companies.

How to Set OKRs? First, provide training, so every member understands and knows how to implement OKRs. When setting Objectives (O), ensure the description is clear. It should have explicit business value, be measurable, and be objective.

Conclusion

At the end of the seminar, Alumna Gu Li engaged in friendly interaction and exchange with the students. She encouraged them to always maintain intellectual curiosity, be adept at asking questions, think rationally, and continuously expand the depth and breadth of their lives.