E. Describe the most outstanding leader you have worked with. Indicate some aspects of the way you work that are similar to the way this leader works and others that are different.

Maggie CHENGApril 2014

What does an outstanding leader mean to me?

A good mentor

A competent leader

A professional manager

A good mentorMy previous manager at Natixis is a good motivator, a good listener and very good mentor:

He often challenged my opinions in internal meetings so as to reinforce my conviction to my opinions; he often defended and supported my points of view in front of other people

He expands his team members’ strengths not their weaknesses, he sees different potentials in each individual.

He often, praises his team members in front of the senior management he believes in his team members

A competent leader He possesses not only in-depth knowledge in financial analysis (financial

statements analysis, industry dynamics, complex company structure etc), but also in relative value analysis (the tradeoff between risk-and-return)

He does not stop there, he continues to acquire new knowledge in new industries, new companies, and new business concepts in the ever-changing market environment with his team members

« It is not the strongest of the species that surivives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change. » Charles Darwin

A professional manager He is always calm and flexible. He always makes time for his team

members whenever they have questions

He often tries his best to pass positive messages on management’s organizational decisions to us

He is decisive and is willing to share the responsibility in our common decisions regarding the internal ratings on the companies. He understands well he is paid to take responsibilities. He is one of the most respectful manager I have ever met. During economic crisis in 2008-2009, many managers were rather afraid of taking responsibilities but blamed others.

He values diversity, different cultures and different competences

Applying the way my previous manager works in my new job

After joining a new company 4 months ago as a senior credit analyst, I try to be always available and patient in coaching two middle-level credit analysts all the time

I am generous in sharing my knowledge and often asks constructive questions to stimulate their thought process in financial analysis

(Patience)

Not applying the way my previous manager works in my new job

I cannot always be kind if the person does not respect other team members, team goals or the person is generally impolite to other people. I shall repeatedly warn this person.

I cannot always accept coffee breaks when people ask

NO

Conclusion

A good leader or a good manager is almost like a Buddha, he guides us along the way. However, we are the one who must put our best effort to strive for excellence.

« You yourself must strive, The Buddha only points the way » The Buddha