1. Customer Obsession
Leaders start with the customer and work backwards. They work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust. Although leaders pay attention to competitors, they obsess over customers.
Situation - 2014-Sep, our team started one project with Transport Department, NSW. The project's scope is to investigate the benefits of smart motorway signal control in Sydney.
Task - My role is the principle project investigator. My task is to deliverer a Transport Model to the client in 3 months. more importantly, This is our first project with the client, my task is also to earn the client's trust.
Activity - For this project, I found that two most important clients in the project: one is a senior transport modeler Christopher and the other is a general transport manager Martin. They both have strong technical background. So, during these three months, I follow two rules in the communication with clients:
1: Heavy client involvement.
2: Focusing on Data.
Result - I would like to mention some results of our team's work:
1: Clients asked lots of technical questions and involve in some technical decisions.
2: This project was later demonstrated on television to the Premier Mike Baird, as a precursor to the Sydney M4 Smart Motorway Project.
3: Our team signed a much bigger (3+M) project with the client in the end of 2015.
4: When Christopher changed his job to TransUrban, this client relationship brings us new opptunities.
2. Ownership
Leaders are owners. They think long term and don’t sacrifice long-term value for short-term results. They act on behalf of the entire company, beyond just their own team. They never say “that’s not my job".
Situation - 2015-Oct, our team just finished one research Project "Sydney City-scale Transport Insights (SCTI)" and at that time there was one commercial conference hosted by TransUrban in Sydney. It became a good opportunity for us to introduce this project to the potential client.
Task - However, our biz college and my manager have to join another conference in France. So, I volunteered myself to join the event and presented our project to the Technical Manager TransUrban, even through it is not part of my job and definitely not my strength.
Result - the Technical Manager Micheal got interested in our project and later on introduced her college Peterson (the Transport Manager) to me. Then, we scheduled a 2-Hour meeting and agreed to signed the NDA and start a collaboration project. We are currently in the legal process.
3. Invent and Simplify
Leaders expect and require innovation and invention from their teams and always find ways to simplify. They are externally aware, look for new ideas from everywhere, and are not limited by “not invented here". As we do new things, we accept that we may be misunderstood for long periods of time.
Situation - In the area of Transport Modelling, we have developed our own innovation in 2015 and published the innovation in the best Transportation Journal. We were awarded the ITS Research 2015 because of the innovation. This work is one of our core competitiveness and I am proud of this work. However, recently I read another trend of innovation. And I think in the long round, the other method is better than ours.
Task - As the transport research leader, I need to decide whether we need to reinvent our method.
Result - I talked with my manager and we decided to start a small project to reinvent our method. I think it is a correct decision.
4. Are Right, A Lot
Leaders are right a lot. They have strong business judgment and good instincts. They seek diverse perspectives and work to disconfirm their beliefs.
Situation - In Feb 2016, our team decided to step into a new research area named Dynamic Traffic Modelling.
Task - It was my responsibility to set up the technical framework and point out our research opportunity.
Action - A technical framework consists of a number of decisions. If the decision is about Transportation, Algorithms and System Design, I will make decisions and explain to our team. If the decision is about Machine Learning and Mathematics, I will discuss the decision with my senior college.
5. Hire and Develop The Best
Leaders raise the performance bar with every hire and promotion. They recognize exceptional talent, and willingly move them throughout the organization. Leaders develop leaders and take seriously their role in coaching others. We work on behalf of our people to invent mechanisms for development like Career Choice.
Not much experience.
6. Insist on the Highest Standards
Leaders have relentlessly high standards - many people may think these standards are unreasonably high. Leaders are continually raising the bar and driving their teams to deliver high quality products, services and processes. Leaders ensure that defects do not get sent down the line and that problems are fixed so they stay fixed.
Situation - In 2012, when I was in my PhD. One of my friend from MIT and I were working on Traffic Model Calibration. The measurement of our job is the error between the model's output and the real-world measurement. Usually, when the error is <20%, we would think the model is valid.
Action - However, both my friend and me were kind of obsessed with reducing the error. We will take about methods and spend days doing experiments to reduce errors even by 0.1%.
7. Think Big
Thinking small is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Leaders create and communicate a bold direction that inspires results. They think differently and look around corners for ways to serve customers.
No experience here.
8. Bias for Action
Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive study. We value calculated risk taking.
9. Frugality
Accomplish more with less. Constraints breed resourcefulness, self-sufficiency and invention. There are no extra points for growing headcount, budget size or fixed expense.
10. Learn and Be Curious
Leaders are never done learning and always seek to improve themselves. They are curious about new possibilities and act to explore them.
Situation - My career aim is to keep track of new ideas and convert my ideas into products. Following this way, I will think of where I can improve myself in Algorithm, System Design and Data Analytics.
Action: For example, recently I found an online web seminar: BiiTiger.com, the host has been working on Tie-1 Technology company for 10+ years and will explain the design of one hot technique or product every week. If I am not busy, I will spent the whole weekend in following the online course. I plan to follow it in the next 1 year. It will definitely improve my skills in System Design.
11. Earn Trust
Leaders listen attentively, speak candidly, and treat others respectfully. They are vocally self-critical, even when doing so is awkward or embarrassing. Leaders do not believe their or their team’s body odor smells of perfume. They benchmark themselves and their teams against the best.
12. Dive Deep
Leaders operate at all levels, stay connected to the details, audit frequently, and are skeptical when metrics and anecdote differ. No task is beneath them.
13. Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit
Leaders are obligated to respectfully challenge decisions when they disagree, even when doing so is uncomfortable or exhausting. Leaders have conviction and are tenacious. They do not compromise for the sake of social cohesion. Once a decision is determined, they commit wholly.
14. Deliver Results
Leaders focus on the key inputs for their business and deliver them with the right quality and in a timely fashion. Despite setbacks, they rise to the occasion and never settle.
Situation - 2014-Sep, our team started one project with Transport Department, NSW.
Task - My role is the principle project investigator. My task is to deliverer a Transport Model to the client in 3 months. more importantly, This is our first project with the client, my task is also to earn the client's trust. However, I found that I do not have sufficient time to evaluate the model according to the clients' requirement.
Activity - The good thing is that during the project, our team has shown our professions to our clients. Our relationship is smooth. So, I scheduled a meeting with two senior guys from the client company and proposed to evaluate the model using one method instead of two methods.
Result - I would like to mention some results of our team's work:
1: Clients agreed with my proposal but asked to explain the evaluation process in the report. It was very reasonable.
2: This project was delivered in time and later demonstrated on television to the Premier Mike Baird, as a precursor to the Sydney M4 Smart Motorway Project.
3: Our team signed a much bigger (3+M) project with the client in the end of 2015.
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