Lei’s Six New Year Aspirations – Trust, Try, Learn, Evolve, Laugh, Give

Lei's new year aspirations

I started this tradition last year and really liked how it influenced my decisions and actions the rest of the year.  I am doing it again this year to define my new year aspirations

1. Define ways to build new habits instead of setting goals.  I found this is helping me evolve into a better human being. ...  read more

Happy 2017 – Say Yes

hot chocolate 15K 2017

Happy New Year!  Sunday was my annual Hot Chocolate 15K race.   My friend Agnes got me into it 3 years ago.  It’s a great way to start off the year – a long run (9.4 miles) followed by a nice cup of hot chocolate and an amazing natural high all day.

Well, I didn’t go this year.  I woke up at 6:30am and it was POURING. San Francisco had flood warning all weekend.  While the race was still on (I couldn’t believe it), I have never ran in pouring rain before and couldn’t imagine being drenched for an hour and half.   I was packed but at 7am I decided not to go. ...  read more

My Biggest Lessons Learned this Year

Happy Holidays!   Thank you for your interest and support of this blog.   I appreciate every email, comments, questions I got this year.  Whether it’s a thankful email or constructive criticism, I value them all.  Thank you for taking the time to engage with this site and with me.

I hope you are taking some time to enjoy this holiday season with your friends and family.    December is the best time to reflect on this entire year ...  read more

How to Get Promoted as a Generalist in a Company Full of Specialists

generalist specialist

Are you a “Generalist” or “Specialist” at your company?   Both exists in most companies and serve distinct purposes.  According to Merriam-Webster dictionary

  • Generalist is defined as “a person who knows something about a lot of subjects.” –  a Partner in a consulting firm is  a generalist as he or she would sell work, build relationships, and lead execution teams.
  • Specialist is defined as “a person who has special knowledge and skill relating to a particular job, area of study” –  a Director in a consulting firm is a specialist who usually go deep on a topic but focus on a specific set of tasks (e.g., Lead execution or serve as SME for all Salesforce implementation for financial service industries)

Are you more likely to be promoted as a “Generalist” or a “Specialist” in a company?   Many may actually say Generalist are more likely to be promoted.  This is because many of our famous leaders, including the US President, are “Generalist.”  Our president needs to deal with domestic issues such as gay marriage, abortion, health care, education, etc.. and at the same time know what to do in foreign policy with every major country. ...  read more

“Life is Always Just Beginning”

life is always just beginning

I went to a seminar last month and heard this saying “Life is Always just Beginning” from a 82 year-old lecturer, Bill McKeown.   I have been thinking about these 5 little words ever since.  It has helped me re-frame my perspective on life and my inner dialogue.

Do you ever notice how much we speak to ourselves everyday in our own head? ...  read more

3 Leadership Lessons from KungFu Panda 3

leadership lessons from kungfu panda 3

This weekend, our family went to see KungFu Panda 3 and loved it.   It was both entertaining for the kids and educational for us all.   I was amazed at how well the story line conveyed some fundamental leadership lessons while being utterly adorable at the same time.  If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it. ...  read more

3 Unexpected Lessons from My 15K Race

hot chocolate run 2016

Two weeks ago, I ran in a 15K race in San Francisco.  It was the Hot Chocolate Run.   I didn’t run fast nor break any records.  On the contrary, I didn’t train for it, had only two hours of sleep the night before, and almost didn’t make it to the race.   This was not like me.  This article is less about the race and more about the three lessons I unexpectedly learned along the way. ...  read more