Gong Zhongbao: Enjoy five roles

Many female managers have a manly strength and arrogance, but Gong Zhongbao does not. She exudes shrewdness and ability, and sometimes a touch of gentleness. Gong Zhongbao is the General Manager of SAS China. At the same time, she is a mother, daughter, wife, granddaughter. She has learned to treat the five characters separately and enjoy the joy that each character gives her.

2005 was an extraordinary year for both SAS and Gong Zhongbao. In the past year, China's business intelligence market has developed rapidly, and SAS' performance in the Chinese market has increased by 100%, far exceeding the double-digit growth rate in previous years. The number of Chinese employees has also doubled. And it is Gong Zhongbao, who has just been the general manager of China for one year, who has led SAS to achieve such gratifying results.

The IT industry has always been a male-dominated industry, and competition is fierce. What is the most important thing for you to be where you are today as a woman?

The industry has always been male-dominated. For women, the mentality is more important, that is, do you have the idea of getting a place here.

I have this thought as a very natural process. There are four children in my family, and I am not the youngest. When I was a child, I received less attention from my parents, so I would try to win their attention. I work hard to be the best and be competitive. For example, my grades in school have been very good since I was a child. I will take the initiative to show my report card to my parents, and I will gain a sense of satisfaction.

Before I came to Hong Kong, I worked as an IT consultant in Canada for three years, and I was very interested in the application of IT technology to the business field. At that time, I already had the technical ability of IT and experience in project management. I wanted more A little influence. So in 1994, I went back to Hong Kong and called the then president of SAS Asia Pacific to recommend myself. We talked for a whole day in his office. We all agreed on this industry, and we all believed that BI (business intelligence) was the most promising industry that best reflects the power of IT. I also proposed that BI can be used in two Field Asia Development Program to him. Finally he said, "Okay, then you come." I went to work the next day as a sales manager. At that time, the positions at the same level as me, including the chief financial officer and human resources director, were all male, and my subordinates and superiors were also male.

So if a woman wants to do a career, the most important thing is that you don't care what others think of you, you can't see yourself as a disadvantaged group, and you must think that men and women are equal in ability. Secondly, express yourself in terms of ability, take the initiative to do something, and find ways to get support. Teamwork should reflect the advantages of women and integrate them into the team.

In fact, for the boss, there is no gender difference between employees, and whoever can help him is a good choice. If you think you can do it, be sure to tell him.

You were surrounded by men when you first took office. How did you get them to support you?

There are definitely differences between men and women, but there is no difference in work ability. Not only that, as a leader, my work ability must be stronger than his, and he will obey me. At the same time I want to keep my female character. Because I can't pretend to be a man, I'm still a woman, and women's team building skills are generally stronger than men's. If two men are about the same ability, it will be difficult for them to work together. Women are different. Women and men are more compatible. If your personal achievement is higher than that of men, you will not feel intimidated by men, and you are natural in cooperation, so it is not a problem at all. There is no such thing as a saying in China that "men and women match, and work is not tiring." That's the truth.

The premise is that women must be more capable than him. The ability here is not the ability to manage men, but the professional ability such as understanding of the industry and understanding of customers. Otherwise he will disobey you.

Professional competence is important, it will help you compensate for the disadvantages of female managers. I have five roles: mother, daughter, wife, granddaughter, general manager of SAS Greater China. Sometimes things at home take up a lot of my time. In addition to overcoming these disadvantages, I must have my own ideas at work and share them with others. For example, how will BI develop in the banking field? I will share with my colleagues and bosses based on my own experience and the opinions of manufacturers. I have a lot of support in the company.

How did you approach your five characters?

I have five characters and can enjoy five different kinds of happiness.

I have two daughters, the oldest is 13 and the youngest is 11. When they were younger, I was under a lot of pressure because they needed more of my time at that time. I pursue quality time, that is, the quality of time. For example, I am reading the newspaper at home, and the children are sitting next to each other without communication. This does not serve the purpose of caring for them. Whether I'm with them for an hour or two or three, I make sure to put all the work aside and focus on each child.

When it comes to work, because my family takes up part of my time, my work efficiency must be high. I try to take every second I can to work. Especially after having children, I pay special attention to time management and improve my efficiency.

First of all, don't gossip in the company. You will find that inefficient people always spend a lot of time on the phone, chatting with colleagues, etc. In fact, these things are not allowed during working hours, and it is too luxurious for me to do these things.

Second, I have a spreadsheet where I prioritize each thing in order of importance, and then schedule each day in order. After finishing the work, I must communicate with the people below with my timetable, explain my timetable clearly to them, and tell them my work priorities. Otherwise, they will think that you look busy and will not want to talk to you about some things. Every six months, I adjust my schedule according to the big work plan.

In addition to time management, learn to separate work and life. I rarely talk about things at work at home. When I get home, I am my mother, wife, and daughter, just an ordinary person.

I feel that even if you put too much time into your work, you may not be able to do it well. It would be better if I worked hard with my limited time, and I still have more space. Therefore, I work until 8 o'clock at the latest every day, and at 8 o'clock I will put down all work and get off work on time.

Doing this has another benefit, giving my brain a rest. Because when the roles change, the areas of activity in my brain also change. For example, if I have a problem at work today and have not solved it, after I go home and rest, I may suddenly come up with a solution tomorrow. This is also a way to use the brain.

The five roles must be done well, presumably it will be a lot of pressure. Is there a way to relieve stress?

My kids have high expectations of me, it takes my time, and my boss has high expectations of me, and it's actually quite difficult. Later I learned to manage expectations to deal with stress. For example, children say to me, "Mom, why do you have to go to work? It's better not to go to work." This is their expectation. I have to set a time with them. The time I give them is dinner and two or three hours after the meal. During this time, in addition to watching their homework, I mainly give them a massage. Because my children especially like physical contact, I give them two hours of massage every day, while chatting with them, one hour per child. Throughout the process, I want them to understand how much time I can give them, and they need to get used to it. It was more difficult for them to adapt when they were young, and it was much better when they were older.

It's the same with your boss. The boss assigned me a task and said you had a few goals to achieve. If I don't think it's possible, I'll talk to him about what I think is acceptable for the whole team. So learn to bargain with the boss, otherwise it will become an impossible task and the pressure will be great.

Of course it takes skill to talk, and I'll find numbers to back up my ideas. For example, if I think his sales target is too high, I will use market research data to support my idea, which is generally accepted by the boss.

Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, once mentioned that some male colleagues would take clients to bars and other entertainment venues to discuss business, but did not take her there. Have you ever encountered a similar situation when dealing with customers? Do women have communication barriers when dealing with male clients?

My clients are generally senior managers, 70% male. My boss also asked me this question, how do you manage male clients? I say easy, that's the women's advantage. It is often easier for women than men to call men to get a list.

Men talk about business, usually like to play golf or go to bars together, and they don't talk about the same topics as women. But when I do business with male clients, I can totally avoid these venues, and they will definitely have other hobbies. I will also have other ways of dealing with clients. For example, I have a very good relationship with the wives of some clients. We hold some meetings or hold some activities, and I invite their wives to also go. They feel very comfortable and the effect is quite good. Of course, if the client wants to go to the bar, I can go too; if the client wants to play golf, I can ask my boss to cooperate. Division of labor and cooperation is also an advantage for women.