Follow the leader

Developing leadership skills is never easy but can be of enormous benefit to young professionals, writes Jayanti Menches

Alice Liu, national president, Hong Kong Junior Chamber

Whether at work, home or on the sports field, leadership plays an important role in our lives. Leadership comes naturally to some, while others settle for simply being part of a team. For those with a yearning to lead, putting this into practice is important - especially at a young age - but schools and universities do not always offer opportunities to learn this skill.

Young Hong Kong professionals aged 21 to 40 can, however, obtain leadership practice from an organisation that devotes itself to developing leadership skills, social responsibility and entrepreneurship. The Hong Kong Junior Chamber (HKJC) allows members to practise skills that cannot be learned on the job, explains HKJC national president Alice Liu. "'Learning by Doing' is our motto," she says. "We conduct different types of community projects, offering our members an opportunity to practise and train themselves."

It pays to participate
Now in its 31st year, the Ten Outstanding Young Persons Selection is organised by the HKJC with the objective of formally recognising young people who excel in professional endeavours, are committed to the community and serve as role models for Hong Kong's youth. "This is an example of a large-scale project that we implement and members have an opportunity to participate," says Ms Liu.

The project takes an entire year to complete. Tasks range from seeking sponsorship to working with an independent consultant to screen nominations, as well as forming a panel of judges, who include well-known government officials and prominent community figures.

Depending on how involved members want to be, they can either attend monthly meetings or fellowship gatherings or can volunteer to participate in projects where they may be involved in everything from setting up a press conference to fundraising. According to Ms Liu, training is another stream. Members can attend Junior Chamber International training courses and become certified trainers within the chapter. Courses taught include leadership, time management, project management, goal-setting, public speaking and social skills. Outside trainers are also brought in to cover topics such as social issues, public relations and government funding.

Established in 1950, the HKJC is a national organisation comprising 18 chapters and 1,200 members. It targets young working professionals and membership is 45 percent male and 55 percent female. Members come from a variety of backgrounds, including insurance, finance, banking and education, and from fields such as computing, social work, real estate and mechanics. Membership fees vary from chapter to chapter and average HK$900 - HK$1,200 a year.

With such a young membership, the HKJC tries to keep up with its alumni, which include senior government officials and legislative and district councillors, as well as private sector leaders, who belong to the senior members' club and occasionally speak to young members.

Personal enhancement
A senior town planner with the Hong Kong government, Ms Liu joined the Hong Kong Jayceettes Junior Chamber (a female chapter of the HKJC) in 1992. One year later, she joined the board of directors and, in 1996, became a local chapter president. She is the national president for 2003.

"As working professionals, we tend to concentrate on people we meet at work or in the same profession," she says. "Joining the HKJC allowed me to form an informal network and get a chance to know about things other than planning," she explains. "As a civil servant, I have no incentive for business involvement, unlike other members who turn networking into business opportunities. I joined the HKJC for myself, in order to form a personal network, for knowledge enhancement and increased exposure."

Taken from Career Times 2003/11/14