Young Leaders Programme: Yunnan Project
First field project in Haitang village proves strength of YLP model for change
For many in Haitang Administrative Village, a dream is as simple as having water for their walnut trees during the notoriously dry season of far-western China. But dreams cost money, and the lack of it has kept them beyond reach – until now.

Chandran Nair and YLP participants discusses field work findings. Photo: Marco Stark

In a first, leadership trainees from top Hong Kong corporations and NGOs worked with the people of Haitang to fully understand their needs and designed a plan that will allow them to help themselves to a self-reliant and sustainable future. This plan probed underlying causes of their poverty and was fully endorsed by the village head.

They found that in no less need of finance were other valuable cash crops, such as wasabi root and peppers, and better sanitation, which would improve the people’s hygiene.

The trainees were all taking part in the very first Global Young Leaders Programme (YLP) field project. Its unique methodology – designed by the Global Institute For Tomorrow – is that it brings together the business skills of executives and the local knowledge of NGOs with the needs and dreams of villagers to bring positive results with dignity.

They learnt – among other things – that while money is crucial, it is only one component in a process of self-improvement.

For Alex Chiang, a participant from Gammon Construction, working with the people of Haitang touched a chord: “The programme made a real difference – it taught me to think differently and to look at things more broadly.”

In this, the YLP addresses critical leadership needs for future decision-makers: it influences a fundamental shift in the understanding of business, its influence and impacts, by engaging participants in life-changing field projects. Haitang village is the first.

The field project follows and builds on an earlier YLP module that introduced the participants to examine issues in ways that are often omitted from management training courses and handbooks, but that are critical to both everyday and long-term decision making. Leaders must understand the impacts of globalisation, issues of governance, business ethics, the role of civil society, corporate social responsibility, and diversity, among many others, to be effective in our global community.

No-ego zone
The executives from the MTR Corporation, Hongkong Electric, diversified group Shui On, and Gammon were joined by students from the Hong Kong University and filmmakers from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, who documented every moment of the nine-day field project.

Hongkong Electric’s Johnny Kwong found new and deeper understanding – of himself and “especially how to contribute to the need of others”. While Cheris Lee, who works for the MTR Corporation, saw poverty in a different light: “The programme made me understand that money is not the ultimate solution to poverty. It is knowledge.”

Crucial to the smooth running of the project, and to the design of the business plan, was the groundwork carried out by local authorities and organisations, a nongovernmental organisation, and representatives of Haitang. Supporting and lending expertise to the Haitang field project were the Kunming Institute of Botany; the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF); and the Organic Food Development Center of China.

Adam Li, of Shui On Land, found there was unrecognised potential in often seemingly disparate elements and bringing them all together helped realise it: the YLP’s second module, with its many elements – people, backgrounds, perspectives, needs, skills, knowledge, and ideas – “taught me the importance of leadership but also that even without formal organisational power we could work as an organisation”, Mr Li said.

Leadership potential
GIFT founder and chief executive Chandran Nair said: “One thing of great importance that emerged from the energy, enthusiasm, and complete immersion and commitment of these Hong Kong managers was how very well the GIFT-YLP methodology worked.

“This was – and is – a highly interactive process that brought together people from very different backgrounds to work and plan, and they have drilled down deeply to get to the essence of Haitang’s needs,” he said.

“The business plan that they’ve come up with has been fully endorsed by the Haitang village head, Mr Yang De He. It’s detailed, but it’s easy to implement. It’s very practical. It’s not unheard of for large corporations to struggle for much longer than the nine days these young leaders worked on with the people of Haitang with such success,” Mr Nair said.

“To my mind, one of the stories to come out of this project is this: a real hidden talent among Hong Kong managers to achieve wonderful results when they are given the opportunity to. There is so much potential. What the YLP does demonstrate is that companies can help their young talent release this potential by engaging in these sorts of learning experiences whilst at the same time help serve their own interests by developing the leadership skills of their employees,” he said.

The plan that the young leaders have come up with in co-operation and with the guidance of the Kunming Institute of Botany, ICRAF, and the Organic Food Development Center of China focuses on achieving set goals in three stages. At its heart is the goal of raising the living standard of each and every villager.

The short-, medium-, and long-term phases of the plan will build on each other. The first recommendation is that they lay the foundations for their better future with essential infrastructure, such as an irrigation system to sustain crops – among them walnut trees, wasabi root, herbs, mushrooms, and medicinal plants – all year round.

Key here, too, is improved hygiene through better sanitation. Among the plan’s suggestions is an association that will empower farmers, and represent their interests and a sustainable business model that will help the villagers overcome challenges in the cultivation, marketing, and supply chain. It recommends the establishment of pollution-free and organic crop production.

There is also a recommendation to take advantage of a growing outside interest in the village’s agroforestry, and the landscape that it helps enhance, and develop a modest eco-tourism industry.

Taking responsibility
One of the critical aspects of the plan – and which is at the core of the YLP mission – is that the responsibility for these key decisions and actions rests with the villagers.

“This is not about charity. It is a convergence of business knowledge and skills with good causes,” said Mr Nair. “It is about learning from each other and applying new knowledge to the benefit of all – and, crucially, bringing a professional edge to good causes that will drive them to produce tangible, real results.

“By completing these first two modules of the YLP, the participants have been introduced to realities that they may well have heard about, but had no real experience of – and so have had no way of understanding how the extremes of each very different world might be reconciled. They now feel that they are part of a force for change,” Mr Nair said.

And the final word? The MTR Corporation’s Christianne Lam: “The programme gave me a lot of insights, [about] teamwork, how different people think differently, and what it takes to be a leader. It was fantastic and unforgettable.”

About GIFT
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