Presentation Recap: Leadership Advice to My (Even) Younger Self: Panel Discussion

 

By Geetha Gopal
Head of Infrastructure Projects Delivery and Digital Transformation
Panasonic Asia Pacific

I had the honor of moderating a featured Rising Leaders panel discussion with two of this year’s PMI Future 50 honorees, at the PMI Virtual Experience Series 2021 on 6-7 October 2021.

Future 50 is an annual list which features 50 rising leaders using bold and innovative thinking to transform the world through notable projects. Our two Future 50 panelists, Hanan AlMaziad, PfMP®, PgMP®, P3O, PMP®, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, KSA, and Jie Li, Project Management Office Head of Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research & Design Institute, shared their thoughts on how they are transforming their ideas into reality. Hanan and Jie Li are proving to the world that young people are actively shaping a better future.

When asked the question, "What is the one piece of advice you would give to your (even) younger self?," they provided diverse responses with so much humility. Li candidly recounted his very personal early career experience of being in the quality department and once signing off a lower quality deliverable by mistake. When he was worried about this discovery, he received timely advice and guidance from a senior colleague on how mistakes should not bring us down but must be acknowledged, faced boldly, and addressed. Li mentioned that this was a great lesson for him which he tries to practice consciously.

Hanan shared her experience of working harmoniously with the different generations at the workplace and learning from each other. She has great hopes for the future in the healthcare industry.

When asked about the important role diversity plays in making a big project successful, Li mentioned that including a younger generation in his program teams was a major contributor to its success. He recounted how job shadowing was effective, and his best practice recommendation was to pair different generations together for better outcomes.

Here are my key takeaways from these two wonderful young leaders: 

1. We always don’t get the opportunities we seek, and life puts us on unexpected paths. It is important to take up the opportunities that come our way, be the best we can be through commitment and passion and push forward. Success will follow.
2. By striving to be the best version of ourselves, we define our growth, inspire others in the process and help in the organic growth of others around us.
3. We must embrace the younger generation into the workforce and facilitate a collaborative environment among the different generations.

 Being the first Saudi to hold the Triple P certifications, Hanan is a great example of how by focusing on our goals with the right efforts, women can achieve tremendous things and be role models for others. Li, who wanted to join the automotive industry but was offered a nuclear role in which he has grown to such heights, is a stellar example of the rewards of passion and making the best use of our opportunities. I believe the younger generation will continue to grow to greater heights through such passion and commitment.

 I want to respond to one question we received from the audience. The question was, “In addition to the skills you discuss, how important is luck to success?” I quote the Latin proverb - audentes Fortuna iuvat - “As the wise have always held, fortune (luck) favors the bold and the brave!”

 The overwhelming response and feedback we received post event gives me a sense of deep satisfaction that this topic was truly impactful and inspirational to the next generation. Many thanks to PMI for putting together such a wonderful topic and event and for the opportunity to participate! The presentations from this program will be on demand through 31 January 2022. Visit PMI Virtual Experience Series 2021 for more details.