Cream of the Crop This is a monthly column introducing professionals who represent the best in their respective industries Never afraid of challenging your boss By Chris Johnson A keen focus on communication can create success in the corporate world When looking back on the various stages of a successful business career, most executives can point to one choice or twist of fate which later turned out to be a decisive moment in determining their future direction in life. For Aaron Yim, who is now managing director of Ricoh Hong Kong Limited, that moment came when he quit after one week in his first job after graduating from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) with a BBA in international business. It was no mere impulse, however, because Mr Yim had just been offered a scholarship to study in the US and realised that the opportunity was simply too good to turn down. "I had certainly not been planning to do an MBA because I had no money at that stage, but the University of Dallas came to Hong Kong and offered two scholarships to CUHK students," he recalls. "In my two years there, I focused on information systems management and made a lot of international friends. I also learned to speak better English and became much more familiar with western culture." Mr Yim's family is his source of motivation and energy With this experience, Mr Yim had the perfect springboard to be in at the start of the boom in applying advances in systems and technology in the office environment. He therefore returned to Hong Kong in 1986 and accepted an offer to join Inchcape Group, at that time a conglomerate which managed diverse agencies and service businesses. His first job was as a programming analyst in the systems team, which provided centralised IT support for all group companies. This also proved to be the start of a period of change and learning that led to a succession of moves over the next few years. "A big step was when the buying office division asked me to become a business analyst with responsibility for implementing a new computerised accounting system," Mr Yim says. "This covered about 25 offices in 17 countries and was probably the most difficult time I have had. There was a limited timescale and a lot of politics and resistance, even when dealing with the different cultures within Asia." Keep communicating However, handling such a complex project did shape the management philosophy which still guides him today. Essentially, it made him realise the importance of constant communication and that the best way to tackle problems was by talking openly about sensitive issues and not to make too many assumptions. Golf provides self-challenging opportunities that require a keen focus, strong strategic thinking and decision making ability. "People often assume the other party knows something because of their education or maturity, but this can lead to problems," Mr Yim explains. "I made sure to check everything with different levels of staff and got everyone to tell me their comments and concerns. I also realised that talking to the frontline people is very important because they often know more about the key issues than managers do." This approach obviously paid off, since the project was successfully completed within two years. Somewhat surprisingly for Mr Yim, it also led to an offer to take on a financial accounting role. Despite having no formal accountancy qualification, he had clearly impressed the company financial controller who had been collaborating on the new systems. Because of this and the brain drain in the late 1980s, the department was prepared to appoint someone who knew how the company worked and had a strong business background. What followed was a period of high-speed learning, a later shift to management accounting, and then a one-year secondment to Taiwan to straighten out a number of persistent problems. Having completed that mission, he was effectively on the fast track to senior management level. During a series of corporate realignments in the late 1990s, Ricoh ultimately took over control of their Hong Kong business from Inchcape and Mr Yim was well positioned to handle the extra responsibilities for human resources, sales and strategy that progressively came his way. Mr Yim: Always trust people, and with sympathy you can allow yourself to put your feet in their shoes Asking questions One particular trait made it easier to fit into these new roles and acquire the necessary skills. "I have never been afraid to ask questions or challenge my bosses," Mr Yim says. "Fortunately, I have also worked with a number of people who were very open and patient with me. In return, I have always made the effort to understand their expectations and their difficulties." He now teaches his own subordinates about the need for patience, pointing out how this is usually tied to listening and is therefore an integral part of communicating well. Another lesson he tries to pass on is that much of a manager's skill lies in anticipating situations and knowing when to use a soft or tougher approach to resolve issues. As he moved up, Mr Yim made it a practice to keep learning at every opportunity and most recently took an 18-month postgraduate diploma in corporate administration at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Since completing that, though, his extracurricular studies have been focused on learning how to play better golf! When advising younger people how to approach their careers, Mr Yim recommends that they get as much exposure as possible and to look beyond short-term returns. "They should also learn to have more confidence in themselves," he says. Milestones 1999 Joined Ricoh Hong Kong after they bought out previous joint venture company 1998 Assumed new responsibilities as regional commercial director for Inchcape NRG 1992 Became general manager - finance & administration of Gilman Office Machines 1989 Appointed as a financial accountant and later transferred to Taiwan 1986 Completed MBA and joined Inchcape as a programming analyst Taken from Career Times 8 July 2005 Your comments are welcome at [email protected]