Jamie Law, a final-year student at the University of Hong Kong, never imagined that a CEO would “hustle back and forth” between physical stores in an attempt to understand her sales teams’ needs and improve their working environment. But that’s exactly what she saw when she spent three days with Anna Yip, CEO of telecommunications operator SmarTone, as part of the Shadow a CEO Programme.

“An unexpected part of the programme was the opportunity to visit SmarTone stores and street stalls with Ms Yip and find out more about front-end sales operations,” said Law, who is studying a BBA in accounting and finance. “SmartTone focuses on providing exceptional customer service and we saw the way in which customer-focused values were instilled in the sales teams and how these ideas were presented in the stores.”

Law was joined on the programme by Janice Li Pui-man, a final-year student at Hong Kong Polytechnic University studying a BBA (Hons) in global supply chain management. During the three days, the pair got to see exactly what it takes to run one of Hong Kong’s leading telecomms operators, receiving eye-opening insight into both the commercial and technical fronts.

While the students sat in on briefings on digital strategy and business development, they also learned how SmarTone maintains a reliable and stable mobile network during their visit to the company’s engineering and operations division.

“This programme was a great opportunity to gain exposure to the telecommunications industry,” Li said. “SmarTone’s HR staff arranged meetings and sharing sessions with managers from a number of core departments.”

On the first of their three days, the pair were taken on an office tour. Li said she was amazed at the scale of the support team SmartTone has behind the scenes and the number of projects going on at the same time.

“For example, we got to visit the newsroom and see how editors post the news to the SmarTone app,” she said.  “By visiting the engineering department, I now understand how we ‘connect to the world’ so smoothly with our mobile phones. We should be proud of the telecommunications service in Hong Kong, because the standard is so high.”

Another highlight for Law was the opportunity to have lunches with Yip, which gave her the chance to pick the CEO’s brains on a number of work-related issues. “We asked her questions about our career options and how she releases the stress of her daily life,” Law explained, adding that she found Yip friendly, welcoming and more than willing to share her tips on achieving success in the corporate world.

Yip was keen to ensure her two shadows understood that successful leadership depends on getting the best out of the people who work for you. “I think that during their time with me they learned the importance of teamwork and team spirit,” she said, adding that they were “very engaged with the content of what they saw and heard”.

Li said her time on the Shadow a CEO Programme has only reinforced her ambition to work hard and join a company as a management trainee when she graduates. “Rotating through different departments would equip me with the perspective I’d need to deal with a range of issues,” she said. “Before I graduate, I will keep searching for, and participating in, programmes which help widen my network.”

A key takeaway for Law was when Yip told her that young people should take chances and not be afraid to jump out of their comfort zone.

“She said we should be open to new experiences and take advantage of opportunities when we have them,” Law said. “Only by taking chances can we transfer the skills we acquired in previous situations and apply them to new challenges.”

Both shadows also said the experience taught them the value of working in diverse sectors and of listening to staff. After discovering Yip used to work in a consulting firm, for example, Law said she could see how the CEO was applying the experience and perspective she had gained there to the telecommunications industry. “She treats her co-workers with respect and does her best to see issues from their point of view.”

This article appeared in the Classified Post print edition as Finding the answers at SmarTone.