As every one, in different professional fields and different phases,I have met some different bosses. Mr. Wu is one of my best bosses who had affected my development in the past 11 years. :-)
That is November, 1993. Mr. Wu gave up his comfortable work condition and good position in Beijing and came to my city to found one of the most important national financial and securities newspaper offices. I was one of the people who were chose to help the work by its biggest shareholder -- Shenzhen Stock Exchange then. After 1 year, the other people who had gone there with me together went back Shenzhen Stock Exchange; I was the one who stayed in the newspaper office...
I chose to stay in the totally new unite with a lower salary and worse matter condition than my original in Shenzhen Stock Exchange for Mr. Wu¨s invitation and for he had given me a bigger and freer development room. During the 8 years, I grew up from an magazine editor to be a newspaper editor, a department manager, a vice general manager; my work area from a magazine to be enlarged to newspaper, database, statistic, wet site, administration, even technology; my studying area from language and literature to be extended to financial and economics, journalism and international business administration; my eyeshot was enlarged from a city to whole of the country, even the world...
In about 8 years, I led my team to set up the first database and first group of data CDs, created and published 8 books with 5 million words, designed and final judged about 6000 papers, built up and run the first web site in my industry, my own professional paper got the first class national award and my department developed to be a network company and now to be a part of the biggest and top multi- medium (TV station, magazine, web sites, telephone system and newspaper) information company in our industry.
As a person who enjoys the creative work, what I most enjoyed was the wide and free work room that Mr.Wu gave me, let me have a room to create and to develop my own imagination and create ability. Can you imagine? Just I had worked for the newspaper office for 3 months, Mr. Wu announced that the technology department could deliver my pages to whole of the country to be printed via the satellite as soon as I had signed my name on it.
As a new department manager and young vice general manger that had little management experience, I often made this or that mistake. Mr. Wu was always with a very serious, but very tolerant way to help me. I remember very clean, in Sep, 1996, we published a piece of wrong information on the newspaper and caused a stock to be stopped to exchange for one day. The engineer and the editor who made the mistake, I and a vice chief- general editor were punished salary for 6 months, 2 months, 1 month and 8000 $... Maybe for the psychology reason, in the follow 4 months, my department made another 4 mistakes, as soon as I heard a telephone, tears were down from my eyes... Instead of giving me any pressure, Mr. Wu was just like a kind elder, he came to my department to conform us, to help us to find the reason and to stand the responsibilities by himself... just by the good help from Mr. Wu, I started to grow up as a real manager and started to have a strong psychology quality. Right now, no matter what difficult situation I have faced, I can keep a calm heart to find the reason and to resolve it...
As a new resident in the totally strange city, I had had so many personal difficulties to keep staying in the city with a young child and to work in the night time in the newspaper office, many times, I wanted to go back to the inland. It was Mr. Wu gave me the biggest help during I was in the most difficult time. I was the only woman employee who got an apartment with 3 rooms and 2 sitting rooms. Mr. Wu allowed me to choose an apartment in any place in the city that I wanted and the newspaper office bought it for me. Of course, I had to sign a contract to work for it for 8 years, and I had to pay 1/3 of the money if I wanted have the property right. :-)
As a scholar who has my own opinion, I have a strong personality and sometimes a little bit childlike. I had abdicated after my opinions did not be accepted by the high management layers in 1995; I never answered any telephone from the secretary of Mr. Wu¨s and I went to the other company. However, after 55 days, I realized that I was wrong and I wanted to come back, it was Mr. Wu and his management team with their wide and tolerant hearts to accept me. I remember very clear, in the same day that I called one of the vice chief - general editors ? now my direct boss, the other 2 vice- chief general editors called me back and welcomed me back soon... just from that time, I started to know what is a manager's wide heart and just from then, I started to learn to cherish...
Since then unitl, I refused 17 invitations from the other companies with a higher salary and position...Included twice from Mr. Wu itself after I came to my current company... :-)
As a woman employee who was major Chinese traditional culture and grew up in a serious family education, no matter what time, I keep my own principle to keep a clean and integrity quality and to keep a distance from any bosses. :-) Can you imagine? Until now, I do not know where Mr. Wu's home is and I have not sent one coin's gift to him and his family, I have not invited him to have one meal... But, Mr. Wu still trusted me and gave me the biggest support and help from the first day I went into his office until I left from his team to start a new company...
Just Mr. Wu, led and helped me grow up to be a manager who is welcome and can do a little things in my professional industry for the country and people.
Now, Mr. Wu has retired for 3 years. For remembering his nice help and leading in the past years, I would like to write this article to remember what he had taught and brought to me at the difficult and delight time that I had worked as his underling in the newspaper office...
I am thinking that maybe now, I can invite Mr. Wu and his wife to have a dinner in some Chinese traditional holiday. Just like a younger to treat the elders. :-)
I do hope Mr. Wu and his wife -- Ms. Liu happy and healthy forever. :-)
--Shirley Written on Tue, Nov 9, 2005 Edited on Sun, Oct 15, 2006
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