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"Dear colleagues, our annual meeting in San Francisco this year was a great success, and next year the company has decided to venture to Europe. See you in Paris next year!" As soon as the Queen announced the location of next year’s company annual meeting, the room erupted with applause and cheers. Hundreds of employees from the Asia-Pacific region gathered in the hotel banquet hall were excitedly discussing how they would achieve their targets next year, and what fun activities awaited them in Paris.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvaCoATeAf
Such a glorious moment did not come easily. The Queen, who was the Vice President of the Asia-Pacific region for Allie Medical Technology Company, rapidly established branch offices across every market in the region, transforming the company from operating through agents to direct operations. With this change, the company could offer faster and more personalized support to customers, greatly improving the quality of service. The transition came with many challenges, including uncooperative agents, varying medical regulations in different countries, and the need to rebuild relationships with customers. Yet, the Queen overcame each hurdle, enabling Allie to complete the transition swiftly and surpass its competitors.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02spdJ8h43
Allie Company had recruited the Queen back as the Asia-Pacific Vice President from another multinational corporation. She had grand ambitions and could lead her team with a focused vision. Every employee was aware of the yearly direction and strategy, understanding the collective goal. Even when adjustments were made along the way, they were merely refinements in the approach, not sudden shifts in direction.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrz9mNlfsww
In addition to bringing her prior management experience to Allie, she continuously sought to learn and stay abreast of new trends in the industry. In this rapidly changing era, past success does not always apply to the present. A manager must keep up with the times and engage in continuous, in-depth learning to ensure that their decisions remain relevant and effective. She humbly learned from experts in different fields, enabling the organization to keep innovating and growing. Most importantly, she knew when to empower others, giving her subordinates opportunities and nurturing future successors. She firmly believed that "people" are the company’s most important asset and frequently reminded management that passion is the primary factor in selecting talent. How can someone without passion for their work inspire their colleagues and customers?
She was willing to empower her trusted employees, enabling them to take on responsibilities, build self-confidence, and find a sense of accomplishment in their work. As a result, supervisors could enjoy a lighter workload, allowing them to focus more on strategic planning while identifying potential successors for their positions. When a supervisor gets promoted, smooth transition since someone is ready for their role. Clinging to power only exhausts oneself, but by giving opportunities to subordinates, they often deliver surprising and impressive results.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7wju2kTJP
Many executives tend to be arrogant, preferring to stay in their offices and constantly attend meetings with senior management, directing from a distance. However, the Queen preferred to be on the front lines, engaging directly with employees and customers. Whether in large or small markets, her presence was felt throughout more than a dozen countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Employees were inspired by her charisma and gave their all. Customers, too, would offer direct feedback on areas where the company could improve, creating an environment of mutual progress.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLkvsaRQB1Z
"The best marketing campaign of the year... Hong Kong!"48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRb0qLQZMt
"The best team collaboration of the year... Hong Kong!"48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DfmlZxBOr
The Queen placed great importance on the Hong Kong market, expecting double-digit yearly growth. For large markets, achieving double-digit growth wasn’t difficult, but Hong Kong, with a population of only seven million, was just a small fraction of the Asia-Pacific business landscape. She fully understood that Hong Kong did not compete on volume alone. As an early-developed, mature market, Hong Kong boasted the most experienced doctors, cutting-edge market strategies, and loyal, highly skilled employees. Overseeing the entire Asia-Pacific region and leveraging the unique business value of different markets was a basic principle that the Queen understood well. Hongkongers’ quick response, faced no language barriers that could use all materials without needing translation, making Hong Kong the perfect pilot market for new products.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9dHVujWgG
When Allie launched a new line of budget products, other countries struggled to find the right market positioning. The company then decided to test the products in Hong Kong. Thanks to the efforts of the marketing team, Hong Kong successfully positioned the products in the market, fending off competitors’ price wars. Other Asia-Pacific markets, such as Thailand and Taiwan, followed suit and launched the products successfully.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9F9KktI6oH
At the Asia-Pacific annual meeting, Hong Kong won numerous awards, and whenever the Queen announced Hong Kong as the recipient, the Hong Kong employees would proudly shout from the audience:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCYTmP8nxq
"Hong Kong! Hong Kong! Hong Kong! Win, win, win!"
Every Hong Kong employee wore expressions of honor and satisfaction, reflecting on the hard work behind the awards, and relishing the sense of achievement after their efforts. Morale was high, and the Hong Kong branch was at its peak at that moment. But how did Hong Kong transform from the original agent model to a self-operated branch, achieving such unprecedented success in just three short years? It all began when the Queen appointed Kenji as the Business Director of the Hong Kong branch.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdruptKKwTb
When the company first transitioned from using agents to establishing branch, there were only a few staffs switched over from the agency. Due to the limited business volume, these employees had to handle everything themselves, including product delivery. The company’s systems were far from complete. Like many foreign companies, Allie decided to establish its first branch in Hong Kong. At that time, there was no clear leadership in Hong Kong, and the Queen successfully poached Kenji from another multinational company. She appointed him as the Business Director of the Hong Kong branch, tasked with expanding operations, recruiting a strong team, and striving to make Allie the industry leader in Hong Kong within three years.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTOOcjoMqv
Kenji had rich management experience and knew that in order to truly understand the industry, he needed to be well-acquainted with the clients and have a deep understanding of their needs and expectations from Allie. Upon taking office, he wasted no time and spent most of his days visiting the top clients in the industry. He sought every opportunity to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner with them, humbly learning from their success stories and gaining insights into their visions for the industry. Within three months, Kenji had already visited the majority of clients, who became familiar with him and were willing to open up and share the challenges they faced in their work.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrr1lvPHPQg
Managers must always remember: if you can’t do the work yourself, how can you inspire confidence and passion in your subordinates to execute these tasks? No one knows everything, and life is about continuous learning and humbly seeking advice. Only by getting involved and winning can earn the right to lead.
After gaining a deep understanding of the market, Kenji began restructuring the company, implementing more systematic management, and creating a more organized workflow. Gradually, Allie transformed into a well-established multinational company.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjf27fAHWX
Although Allie possessed advanced 3D printing technology, allowing plastic materials to replace traditional metals, Hong Kong doctors remained cautious about the products. For them, the safety of any new product had to be guaranteed 100% before they felt comfortable using it on their patients.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6W9ER39Gdh
In this industry, key stakeholders are typically divided into specialists, general practitioners, clinic nurses, and patients. Kenji recognized that each of these groups had different needs. He understood the esteemed position that specialists hold in Hong Kong. Specialists often handle highly complex cases, so they are very conservative in selecting medical products. For them to feel reassured, Allie needed to provide sufficient international medical literature and endorsements from overseas experts.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡof0gjKbmVo
General practitioners treat a lot of patients daily, handling more simple cases. They will refer complex cases to specialists. They tend to be more open to innovation, so the challenge was to encourage them to take the time to learn about Allie's new technology. Clinic nurses, by nature, are more passive; their primary focus is on caring for patients. They find satisfaction in ensuring patients have a positive experience.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3eTESZD0V7
As for the patients in Hong Kong, they generally follow their doctors' recommendations. If they have a pleasant treatment experience, they will recommend the doctor to friends and family. Clinics do their best to manage patient expectations and provide a smooth and satisfying treatment experience.
Kenji designed the structure of Allie’s Hong Kong branch with consideration of the various stakeholders mentioned above. He recruited talent from different industries. The "Law of Attraction" seemed to play a role here: the passionate Queen found Kenji, who shared the same passion, and in turn, Kenji discovered Dr Fang, one of the most prominent and passionate figures in the Hong Kong medical field, to lead the medical department.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSaH0VJ8qax
At the same time, the sales department was split into two teams—one focusing on specialists and the other on general practitioners—each with its key performance indicators (KPIs). The marketing department also established a "consumer promotion team" that educates potential patients and adopted a business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing strategy. This approach aimed to promote the company’s products directly to consumers, which required a deep understanding of market trends and consumer preferences to create effective campaigns. Faced with growing demand, the customer service team enhanced its technical training to ensure all clients could smoothly use the technology to help patients.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBdfw0UBn1
Dr. Fang, deeply fascinated by Allie’s new technology, was relentless in her pursuit of mastering it. Her dedication inspired many other doctors to join her in exploring these advancements. With the participation of these doctors, many of the technical obstacles that had once seemed insurmountable were overcome, turning the impossible into reality. Thanks to the selfless spirit of Hong Kong’s doctors, the first wave of successful adopters of this technology were willing to share their experiences and results with their peers, serving as lecturers for Allie and spreading knowledge and expertise. Some doctors were even invited to become Allie’s consultants, offering advice to the research and development department to further improve the quality of the products.
At the same time, the sales team worked diligently, actively promoting the technology to doctors and smoothly adopt to clinics, while also exploring ways to raise patient awareness and address the challenges clinics faced in their daily operations. They provided training for clinic nurses, teaching them how to explain the benefits of the technology to patients, thereby enhancing the overall treatment experience. The strategic promotional activities initiated by the marketing department were also proving successful, as the general public increasingly inquired about the details of the technology, igniting a surge in demand.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzktaQJkPYe
Although the workload increased significantly, the employees of Allie Company maintained high morale. Each employee was well aware of the company’s direction and their own mission, and they were happy to come to work every day knowing they were helping many patients. To further strengthen customer support, Allie Company launched the "Comprehensive Service Plan." In most companies, only sales representatives interact with customers, and customer needs are understood through that single channel, which often doesn't provide a full picture of the customers’ requirements.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvsXU0m4C1
The "Comprehensive Service Plan" created a small team composed of a sales representative, a customer service officer, and a medical technician, working together develop potential doctors in 360 degrees. Initially, the employees were skeptical of the plan, but after a few months of practice, it became clear and found that employees in different roles could unlock untapped potential. With everyone working toward a common goal, the influence of teamwork became evident. The medical department staff, improved their communication skills, becoming more empathetic when discussing medical technology with doctors. Meanwhile, customer service officers, usually focused on selflessly providing service, began proactively asking salespeople about their performance.
The Hong Kong market rapidly developed, creating one legend after another, becoming the talk of the town. A small clinic in Cheung Sha Wan remained bustling at midnight; a young female doctor’s clinic in Mei Foo was fully booked every day; in a remote clinic in Fo Tan, patients continued to wait in large numbers even after the shopping mall turned off the air conditioning. There were heartwarming gestures, such as a clinic giving out flowers on Valentine’s Day, and on the popular online forum, Golden, a ranking of handsome doctors emerged.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6H2YI0EVta
Good news travels fast, and doctors from other countries across the Asia-Pacific region began visiting Hong Kong clinics to learn. Hong Kong’s lecturers were frequently invited to speak abroad, sharing their experiences and contributing to the growth of the industry.
As the Queen often said, passion is the primary criterion for selecting talent. Hong Kong’s success was not only due to its passionate employees but also the many passionate doctors who tirelessly strived to provide the best possible treatment for their patients. Passion is contagious, and many sales representatives from competing companies saw Allie as a model to learn from, with some even setting a goal of joining Allie.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtD9srfDflj
At the height of Allie's success in Hong Kong, the headquarters made a surprising decision: they would open the first showroom in Asia, located in Causeway Bay, to further promote Allie's new technology to the general public. This was a significant investment, and it represented a vote of confidence from the headquarters in Hong Kong’s potential.
The development of the showroom solidified Hong Kong's position in the industry, and under Kenji's leadership, Hong Kong officially became the market leader within three years.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxgPpzxGqV
While Hong Kong was at its peak, the Taiwan market was just getting started, with An Zhiren newly appointed as the General Manager.
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