A Banking Leader's Charisma Emerges from a Disciplined Lifestyle
20 May 2006

Beginning as a shipping clerk and rising steadily into his present position, Mr. Stanley Wong has been a success in the banking industry for almost 30 years. Despite lacking a rich family background or university education, Wong has achieved great things in life through disciplined living and a practical, calm attitude in handling all incidents that come his way. It's quite a compelling personal story for this ICBC (Asia) director and deputy general manager.

Stanley Wong says he joined the banking sector by accident in 1973. "After my Form Five graduation, I first joined a shipping company as a clerk to handle visa applications for sailors. Seeing very limited advancement opportunities in that industry, I wrote three application letters to three leading banks and eventually got a job."

While the emphasis in business may lean toward specialists nowadays, Mr. Wong believes in the value of generalists. He himself has undergone training to handle various job responsibilities in banking. He says - "I worked in almost all of the departments when I was first starting out in the bank. I began as a teller in a district branch then moved into current accounts, foreign currency and telecommunication at the head office. At that time there was an 'acting role policy' so I also had to act as the district manager when he was absent." Drawing on his past experiences, Wong has developed keen insights into leadership, noting that - "In management it is not necessary to know all the details, but one at least must understand the rationale behind them."

Growing up in public estate housing, Mr. Wong has never been afraid of tackling new challenges. In fact, the more difficult and rare the case, the more enthusiastic he tends to become. This attitude helps explains his ability to take decisive and immediate action in the face of fierce competition. He points out that a leader should have charisma and trustworthiness to unite a team and influence staff.

As far as self-enhancement is concerned, Mr. Wong thinks that having a curious mind is critical. Citing his own personal experience, he said he had spent 10 years in evening classes after attending secondary school. During that time when Mandarin was not so popular, he started learning it in 1981 using a Chinese dictionary and taking lessons with teachers from Beijing. In addition, he carefully marked down the excellent words and phrases used by his native English speaking supervisors to create his own English language guidebook, making proficiency in that language as well. This serious attitude in learning undoubtedly laid the foundations for Wong's path toward becoming a respected leader in his field.