CKSAP – Interview 5 Mr. Lin

17 06 2010

This day began with a trip to Taiwan’s Formosa Plastic Corporation’s VIP resturant, where we met with Vice President Jason Lin. He gladly treated us with a splendid meal of smoked Steak, with many delicious side dishes to accompany it. Mr. Lin began with an introduction of his reknown business, the Taiwanese Formosa Plastic Corporation. He explained that this international company specialized in salt, chlorine, and crude oil to produce plastic accessories. FPC is known as one of the top companies in Taiwan, making a name in many countries in both North America and Europe.

He continued to explain what it meant to be a leader; a leader was one defined by honesty and general integrity. He gave a demonstration: There once was a child crying and his taiwanese parents told him to be quiet.  However, there was another kid crying, and the Japanese parents were like it’s okay. The second method was more effective. It was a very deep parable that instilled awe into our hearts. All in all, it was a great experience to meet with this important figure in Taiwan and we are deeply grateful for Mr. Lin’s hospitality and encouragement.


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Categories : Alex, Sam

Lunch With A Vice President – We Meet Mr. Lin

17 06 2010

Imagine being seated at a round table with your own private room, and served delicious food to top it off. That’s exactly how today’s lunch proceeded, but even better: we were able to speak with Mr. Jason Lin, the executive vice president of the Formosa Plastics Corporation.

With a very dignified presence, Mr. Lin spoke to us about his job and his views about leadership and Taiwan. We were regaled with the history of how he managed the first Formosa plant in Texas, and how Taiwan now stands as one of the more accomplished countries in the world. Honesty, he stresses, is crucial to a leader and one of the most important characteristics one must have.(“But,” he winks, “no need to be too honest!”)

The lunch concluded, we gathered for a group photograph.


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Categories : Christina

Of Tests and Caffeine Rushes: the Examination Yuan and the Coca-Cola Company

17 06 2010

Integrity, honesty, professionalism, neutrality, efficiency, and excellence:these are the six traits that the individuals of Taiwan’s Examination Yuan emphasize, and we were also lucky enough to be able to meet with these great leaders today, including Mr. David Yea-Baang Hwang, Jame J.S. Lee, and Mr. Kuan Chung, the president of the Examination Yuan.

The interview was conducted in a very posh room; everyone had microphones and a very cushy chair!

Our interview started off with the classic question: What is your definition of a leader? The reply encompassed both the past and the present; “the leaders of the past ruled with power and authority, while the leaders of the present work together with others to bring out the potential in everyone else. The definition of a leader shifts across the ages.”  Also, encouragement for developing leaders was emphasized. Leaders should both receive and give out encouragement. Helpful advice was given to the children of the new generation: Stay healthy, seek a happy mind and heart, be thankful towards your family, and think about the future.

Our second interview was with Mr. Kao, the general manager of the Coca-Cola branch in Taiwan. With a very affable and energetic nature, Mr. Kao was a very vibrant presence in the meeting room. (We were allowed one drink each, with our choices varying from Fanta to the classic Coke.) Mr. Kao’s definition of a leader is one who starts from the basics and builds upon a solid foundation. Also, leaders must have perseverance, a strong vision, and a taste for challenge. “If you’re given three project choices, with project A very easy, project B slightly harder, and project C which is the most challenging of all, take challenge C!” Mr. Kao recommends letting yourself experience many facets of life to discover your calling, similar to Dr. Covey’s 8th habit: finding your voice. We wrapped up the interview with a photo session, similar to the others.

Overall, today was a very successful day for CKSAP.


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Categories : Christina

17 06 2010

On Day 5 of the CKSAP Interviews, we met the Emamination Yuan’s Secretary Committee and the General Manager of Coca-Cola Taiwan.

When we first arrived to the large meeting room of the Emaination Yuan, the important officers and secretaries came to greet us and exchange name cards. Then we proceeded to watch a 15 minute history and introduction of the purpose of the Examination Yuan. Followed by leadership questions, the Secretary General, David Huang, answered as best he could. He metioned that perserverance, endurance, learning and health should be the main focus of the life of the youth in today’s modern world. He also stressed that we should focus on our studies and to be happy. Also, the Secretary General noted that outer appearance is not important to the greatness of a leader. He brought in the example of our own Pesident Lincoln showing that he was not of the best in outer appearance however he was one of the greatest leaders of our time. Furthermore, when facing difficulty and challenges, we should not be scared to stand up and fight it. We should not avoid difficulty but challenge it with the help of encouragement and assitance from other people.

Later that afternoon, we met with the General Manager of Coca-Cola Taiwan. He seemed very laid back and happy. He had a certain air of satisfaction and achievement and was very proud to be called one of the top leaders of Taiwan. His advice to us was also very inspiring! To the contrary of the Vice President of the Taiwanese Hospital System, the General Manager, Mr. Kao, said that instead of being speciallized in only one area, we should be well rounded and experience everything we can in life. And when asked the question, “How should we deal with stress?”, he replied that sports, music, and relaxation are all wonderful ways to relieve the difficult days in life. What I personally thought was very inspiring is when Mr. Kao said, “In this life, we either let the world change us, or instead, we change the world”. He explained that the 3 most important traits of leadership is Preserverance, Stradegy Thinking, and the Happiness. He also told us that we should always pick the most challenging option, the option nobody else would want to take, the option that is the most difficult, so not only do we gain knowledge but to also have more mistakes to learn from. He explained that mistake and failure are not bad, they are simply learning opprotunities. However, being a leader is also very stressful. Mr. Kao warns us that the imagery of leadership is like a pyramid. The bottom consists of the most people and at the top, there is only one tip, one man, on leader. This leader not only enjoys the view from the top but unfortunately, faces all the storms, the hails, the snows, first before all the other people. We ended the meeting by funny group pictures in front of a Coca-Cola logo. Our group felt that the advice given by this leader has been the most inspiring and pleasant of the interviews so far.


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Categories : Sam

Second Day of Interviewing

15 06 2010

Today, we again had the opportunity to meet with important figures in Taiwan. We began the day with a trip to the Taiwan Examination Center. It is here that the examinations are made, distributed, and graded. This building is essential to the city of Taipei, and all of Taiwan. Here, we were given the privilege to hold an interview with the president of the facility. Despite the fact he was unable to stay the duration of the interview, we were still allowed to ask questions of the Secretary-General, David Yea-Baang Hwang. We learned a lot about leadership; he believed that a leader was one who worked well with others with perseverance. He alluded to Sun-Yat Sen, praising him for his consistency and bravery. He also mentioned President Guan, who led with a clear vision and goal.

With this, we continued our journey and met with the president of the Coca Cola Company of Taiwan. We had the chance to even taste some of the Coca Cola Products. Then, we sat around his table and asked him about his definition of leadership. With this, he explained to us that leaders were those who motivated and inspired others, seized opportunities when available, were persistent and consistent, and were successful in what they did. In conclusion, we were all thankful to have had this opportunity to meet with such important leaders in Taiwan.


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Categories : Alex, Sam

Vice Headmaster of Taiwan Hospital

14 06 2010

After our interview with the head legislator, we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to meet the Vice Headmaster of the Taiwan Hospital System: Keh-Sung Tsai. After our general greetings, we were seated at a conference table to begin our discussion. First, we watched an informational video on the history of the Taiwanese Hospital System. The video described the various aspects of the hospital, providing detailed videos on different procedures happening in the hospital. After the video finished, the interview commenced. We questioned Mr.  Tsai, each of us asking a question regarding leadership and his position in the hospital. Mr. Tsai generously provided us with on-the-spot answers, answering questions regarding his career and his personal life. He answered questions ranging from the qualities of a leader to opinions on life choices. His ideal leader consists of perserverence, endurance, and kindness. After our interview came to a close, we exchanged small tokens of appreciation. All in all, Mr. Tsai shared a wealth of encouraging tips to the future leaders of CKSAP.


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Categories : Alex, Christina, Sam

We’re Alive! CKSAP 2010 in Taipei

14 06 2010

Today, CKSAP had the opportunity to meet with the esteemed head legislator Mr. Jin-pyng Wang. He shared his perspective of the real meaning of a true leader. After a formal exchange of greetings, Mr. Wang opened his speech with an old anecdote:  Confucius’ parable of the three rice bowls. In this symbolic story, Confucius parallels the three rice bowls with three separate characteristics; Control and Restraint, Magnanimity, Selfishness. In this situation between the two people in this story, the distribution of the rice represents and reflects these aforementioned characteristics. One bowl of rice represents the basic necessity of man. The second bowl of rice can represent either magnanimity or selfishness. If one were to take this unnecessary bowl of rice for himself, this would be an act of magnimity. However, if one were to take this bowl for himself, this would be deemed an act of selfishness. Lastly, if one were to obtain all three bowls for himself, this act would be regarded as aggression.

Mr. Wang also emphasizes other qualities such as good etiquette, respecting elders, and  compassion for the needy. The application of these characteristics contribute to the making of a great leaders.

Unfortunately, due to his extremely busy schedule, we were unable to ask any questions. We concluded the meeting with a photo session.


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Categories : Alex, Christina, Sam

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