What I learned from Mr. Lin Yanqing at Huawei

Continuing from last week, I am sharing today a lesson from my short stint at Marketing during my days at Huawei. Mr Lin Yanqing was the Head of Marketing at India when I was leading the marketing efforts for Networks Division for India.

Never let first impressions rule yourself.

He had commissioned a report on Aircel, one of the prominent and fast-growing Carriers in India. The report required great detail of study of the Carrier, including strategy, financials, competitive positioning, suppliers, network evolution, business plans and services evolution etc. The result of the study was to come up with recommendations for Huawei to engage effectively with Aircel and help create win-win scenarios.

It took me about two months to complete the study and I shared the report with him. After a week I reached out to him and requested feedback. I was a bit disappointed when he said the report was ok. I believed that there were some key findings in the study that needed company attention. I requested for a chance to present the study myself.

He gave me the opportunity and gave me one full hour to present it to him. He gave me undivided attention and asked me relevant questions. At the end of the session he was very pleased with the study and appreciated the hard work. That study later became a benchmark for other studies conducted for various other Carriers Globally. It also helped shape Huawei’s strategy for Aircel and helped win majority share for the Transport vertical in both packet and optical.

He taught me that if we let first impressions rule us, we might miss something. We must allow room for conviction of your team members and offer them a chance to present their version in their own style, sometimes we might discover new or great things.

I wish you all can overcome your own “first impressions” to offer another chance to your team members. Stay tuned for more next week.