【Loyola MBA Application Personal Statement】¶
I obtained my Bachelor’s degree from the School of Economics and Management of Tsinghua University in Beijing in 1986. Tsinghua is one of the top-ranked universities in China. The School of Economics and Management is the first business school in mainland China accredited by AACSB and is the only one with both AACSB and EQUIS accreditation. The former Premier Zhu Rongji was the founding dean of the School. I received my Master’s degree in Economics and Master’s degree in Statistics from the University of Toledo, Ohio in 1993. I was admitted to the Economics Doctoral Program by Cornell University in 1993. Due to my personal financial situation and family responsibilities, I decided to enter the job market and started my career in information technology. During the past 15 years, I have applied my management knowledge into my professional practice and have had increasing responsibilities in various roles and capacities. I worked as an independent IT consultant for several years with my own incorporated company and handled every aspect of the business operations. I was the Vice President of Product Development for a small software product company and led the effort in developing the leading Financial Aid Management System for higher education institutions. With my current employer Lockheed Martin, I also have ascending responsibilities. I was a principal investigator leading a small team on a mission critical R & D project. The team developed a prototype system that was successfully demonstrated to our government customer. The effort received accolades from Lockheed, the customer and our technology partner. I am currently working as an Integrated Product Team (IPT) lead for United States National Archives Electronic Records Archives program, I am responsible for the full life cycle development of the Search & Access project from customer liaison, systems engineering, software development to testing and deployment. I was able to meet every milestone on time with limited resources within project scope and budget constraints. I have received various awards from Lockheed including the prestigious Honors Recognition award in 2008 for my strong technical leadership and my contribution and commitment to the organization.
The theory and practice of management have always been my interest. I enjoy reading books on management, in particular, books by Peter Drucker, the Father of Management Science. I first read his classic “The Effective Executive” when I was in college many years ago and find myself drawn back to it from time to time ever since. I applied his advice and techniques in both my professional practice and my personal life. I am very much influenced by his philosophy of “Efficiency is doing things right, Effectiveness is doing the right things”. I always make sure what the right things are first before I even think about doing things the right way. Former GE CEO Jack Welch’s books are also my favorites. His second book “Winning” has had a profound impact on my professional work. I apply his “4 E and 1 P” framework in my daily work. I am always positive, energetic. I motivate and energize people, especially during tough times such as schedule crunches and unexpected obstacles. At difficult times, I always help the team analyze the situations with a positive perspective and navigate through the storms with the team together. When it comes to leadership and management, I put more emphasis on people than on processes. People are the center of any human endeavor. As Peter Drucker has it, “Management has mostly to do with people, not techniques and procedures. Their engagement is what matters”. I even go further to say that engagement should not only apply to associates and employees. The management and the managers’ engagement in the day to day work are equally important, especially in a large corporation with many layers of hierarchies.
I am also interested in and very much intrigued by ancient Chinese philosophy. As I read the ancient stories and texts, I always relate them to management theory and practice today. Even though they were written thousands of years ago, these books contain theories on management and leadership that are very much applicable in modern society. “The Art of War” written during 6th century B.C. by Sun Tzu is one of the oldest books on military strategy in the world. In its opening chapter it talks about five key elements that define the war strategy - The Moral law, Heaven, Earth, the Commander and the Method and Discipline. It says “The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger “. This is what we all know as vision and mission in business management. It is the number one factor that drives business activities and determines the survival and sustainability of a business. Especially at times of great danger or even chance of defeat, the Moral Law is what binds the soldiers together with the generals and the commander. Heaven and Earth represent the natural, socio-economical environment that businesses have to operate under but have no control over. The commander is the modern CEO who has to effectively communicate the vision and mission to employees and strive to lead the organization into victory and prosperity in a competitive landscape with great uncertainty. To be successful, a business also needs to have the right processes and good discipline. Ancient armies with primitive weapons applied these five fundamental principles to win battles and wars. Modern businesses today, even well equipped with advanced technologies still rely on them as core strategies.
In this ever changing and globally complex economy, businesses and executives face increasing competitions and challenges. For example, the ability to understand different cultures and to manage virtually and globally is now a new skill required for a manager. The management discipline also needs to advance its knowledge frontier and to develop new strategies to help businesses effectively cope with globalization. As a practitioner of management and leadership, I realize the imperative to acquire new skills in order to stay ahead of the game. As a lifetime student of management science, I realize that there are emerging territories of knowledge that are still uncharted or are only being explored recently. This leads me to the search for an academic program that is focused on theoretical foundation, management strategies and leadership development in a rapidly changing global environment with the right balance of theory and application. Loyola College in Maryland Evening MBA Program stands out. Its emphasis on leadership and teamwork, social responsibility and ethics, application of information technology and creation of value in the global market will help improve my skills and performance in my current job and also prepare me for future challenging responsibilities. Its flexible schedule can accommodate my demanding work and family needs. In return, my real-world hands-on experiences in both technology and management can contribute to the success of peer students and the program. I will bring back fresh ideas and polished skills from this program to my work place and further contribute to Lockheed’s innovative culture and full-spectrum leadership initiative.
