Before joining the programme, I saw myself as an opportunity-taker who had been passively staying in my comfort zone, not daring to take any risks……Now, I am proud to say I am more of an opportunity-seeker, critical thinker and risk-taker. 

It was a moment of unprecedented clarity.

Our group is a very culturally diversified group as we have groupmates from China, Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong. For me, I think this is a unique experience as, throughout my four years of studies in HKUST, this is the first time that I am having a culturally diversified group.

The most distinct takeaway for me is to appreciate self’s failure, setbacks, and adversities. Appreciation does not mean just letting those challenges go, but accepting this failure, understanding the problem, eventually, taking one more step further hence standing up again.

If you want to be a good leader and gain inspiration, this is the right workshop for you.

Must-go in your life.

The most dense course in terms of get inspired. I get inspired every minute.

Learn something regular lectures cannot teach you.

It’s a meaningful and inspiring uni experience that would guide you in life.

You will never regret waking up on the Saturday morning for 10 weeks because you will be walking away from this workshop with great values, good advice, lifelong mentors and friends.

I would say this is an opportunity to understand more about yourself and the world, that it might even change your life, it’s a worthy experience you would never regret or even forget.

It’s life-changing, inspiring

It has given me a much clearer understanding of who I am and why people do what they do. My best memories are of listening to my mentors’ stories, sharing meals with them, and discussing things with them.

I have learnt so much from everyone and I feel equipped to walk on this journey of love, gratitude, humility, holding on integrity and a heart of serving people around me! So thank you for all the effort putting things together…

I have learnt to prioritize my goals and learnt how to build concrete relationships. Moreover I have also polished my interview skills and gained advice about my career path which will help me while I build my future career.

The most important thing I’ve learned is to help others in any stage of your life.

This course will bridge you with mentors who will enthusiastically help you.

Successful life is not necessarily about well-paid jobs or fame. It should be the core values inside us which I want to pursue in [my] lifetime. I learned more about myself and the direction I want to move in.

I have learned that knowing your passion, values, and goal in what you’re doing is more important than what you know.

This workshop has inspired me to reflect on the value of integrity. Even though people nowadays may not value integrity, integrity is what truly defines us. Without integrity, there would be no trust and no relationship… I became concerned about what our society would become, with “takers” dominating our society… I am very grateful that this course has reminded me that I need not compromise, but I just have to do the right things, to stand firm in what I believe in and not give in despite difficult circumstances. This course is much needed to remind young people of the right things to do, especially elite young people who will one day become leaders of the society. This can ensure Hong Kong will be led by a group of leaders with noble values, making the world a better place to live.

I was encouraged by mentors and other group members to share thoughts and experience in an open manner. I have never imaged myself to be open about the silly life goals I have, the mistakes I committed, regrets and failures. I am happy that I did talk about them and had received very genuine and sincere response form mentors and group members…

I have undergone fundamental upgrades in my communication skills and career planning abilities, taking a pivotal step toward the journey of becoming a leader. In the process, my attitude and concept of ‘service’ and ‘leadership’ continuously evolve as I gain a more complete understanding of these qualities. Coincidentally, I’ve also gradually developed a passion toward this new way to success, and am determined to put it to good use in life and at work. I’m grateful for ‘The Way To Success’ course, and the inestimable sacrifice made behind the scenes by each and every mentor, teacher, companion and friend: you have made me who I am today… Throughout the past semester of experiential learning, ‘The Way To Success’ had undoubtedly left its mark on me, and I recall many precious memories from this experience… Looking back on my take-aways from ‘The Way To Success’ experience, and my attempt in integrating them into my life, I would sum up this journey with three words: ‘Maturation’, ‘Progressive’ and ‘Passion’.

During the workshop discussing work-life balance, there were moments when I dug deep into the sediment of myself… I evaluated my previous footsteps in studying medicine and pondered again what I would like to create in the future. I am thankful that the program allowed me to think about something I seldom have a chance to touch in the daily life. Whenever I encountered frustrations and difficulties, I reminded myself the qualities of leadership. The collaboration with teammates was delightful and successful. More importantly, I have found my motivation back for studying medicine and living a life. I maintained a structured schedule, exercised regularly, and enjoyed in socializing with teammates. Hopefully, I would be able to retain these qualities as far as possible. Without the CEO global program, I may not have a second chance to regain my motivation and the prospect for my life.

I used to take up different leadership roles in my secondary school life……. When I entered the medical school, I gave up all my habits, not joining any clubs and societies, but focus on only studying and studying……. CEO Global has once again sparked my interest in leadership as it has given me new thoughts and new directions… A servant leader needs a true heart that is willing to serve the community…….. to look from the target population’s perspective… every little act counts and should never underestimate what we can do for [others]. CEO Global has definitely instilled [in] me a new perspective on the meaning of leadership. It made me reflect on my past experience, taught me what I should do at present and motivated me to improve myself in the future. It is, with no doubt, an inspiring and meaningful course…

Servant leadership was initially a strange concept to me. How can a leader, who is supposed to guide their followers, be in a position of servitude?… Servant leaders can be at the top of their professions, yet still show a great amount of humility and compassion. They inspire people to work towards a common vision, yet also actively seek to improve themselves by listening to their followers’ suggestions. They show responsibility to their organisation by nurturing their followers to be the next potential leader. They use their power and influence to work for the betterment of their community, instead of exploiting the powerless… Servant leaders are serving their followers, organisation and community by unifying like-minded people and being their guiding light. …..they would even be willing to [become] stepping stones for their colleagues… It showed me that being humble and helping others achieve their goals are good qualities of a servant leader.

I have more profoundly realized that when a person wants to have the so-called “leadership” or “success”, it is most important to hold a caring heart, that is, to hold a servant mentality. It is a prerequisite for integrity (consistency) and leadership. It’s been a month since the summer camp, but our connections are never broken. From this big family, I have learned to change myself, influencing the people around me.

The most significant value the course brought to me is the concept of Servant-Leadership. Servant Leadership is different from Command Leadership in that the sole purpose of a Servant Leader is in ministering to those around them instead of securing their own place of authority. The Servant Leader is more like a beacon than a whip, illuminating the way for those around them instead of forcing their own way onto others. To become a Servant Leader, it is essential to establish your own goals: acquire competence, serve with sincerity, and be the catalyst to others’ success.

The concept of adjusting our way of interaction according to the other party’s personality type is utterly new and came as a great revelation to me. Only after factoring in personality differences and adjusting our way of interaction accordingly could we possibly proceed from loving and understanding ourselves to empathising with and respecting others. It is only then that harmonious communication leading to sustaining relationships is possible. Ultimately, this deepened understanding would play out beautifully as we experience the sense of belonging, value and purpose in our service to others… This is perhaps the brilliance of servant leadership, that in the initial aspiration and act to serve others in hopes of benefiting them, I end up becoming a beneficiary as I grow unawarely in the process. I receive self-help as I help others, it’s a sowing and reaping of a sense of value, satisfaction and true growth. This is a surprising reward from engaging in the team project.

Before the camp, I was worried that I could not integrate into the group because my spoken English was not good enough, but I didn’t expect to get so close with my teammates on the first day. There is no need to pretend [to be someone else] here. Everyone has a heart of love, humility and tolerance. I have learned a lot from other people…… SIC has brought us benefits and help, and we hope that we can pass this sunshine of SIC [onto others].

During the ‘deep listening’ [session] before my departure, I expressed [my] heartfelt gratitude to my friends. I thanked them for helping me regain my passion which had been fading away during my college years… Now I’m bringing this passion back, to pass it on to others… The Sunshine Camp is such magic, gather[ing] people from far apart to experience a feast of activity, communicating and sharing. It makes friendship grow rapidly as well as deeply, and make people trust each other.