Cherry International Leadership Camp Helps You Reinvent Yourself

History of Cherry International Leadership Bootcamp

The “Cherry Club,” the organizer of the “Cherry International Leadership Bootcamp,” was founded by Mr. Ma Liyao in 2014. It is a community of workplace elites aimed at helping members enhance their leadership skills.

During his time at Intel Chengdu, Ma Liyao actively volunteered. In 2008, while visiting an earthquake-stricken area, he was inspired by local children who misheard “Intel” as “Cherry.” After leaving Intel, he named the community “Cherry Club” to continue his commitment to public service.

Initially, the “Cherry Club” was a platform for former Intel employees to network. Over time, it evolved into a global leadership support community. Today, its members are spread worldwide, truly embodying the phrase “Cherry Family, Home Everywhere.”

In 2021, the “Cherry Club” partnered with the non-profit organization Global Leadership Partners (GLP) to launch the International Leadership Bootcamp. GLP focuses on inspiring leaders and changing lives through world-class leadership training, emphasizing core values such as courage, humility, integrity, and caring for others.

Since its inception, the Cherry International Leadership Bootcamp has successfully held two sessions, training and assisting over 50 participants in making significant progress in their careers.

Summary of September Training Session

In the September course of the third session of the boot camp, mentors Ron, Tim, and Marty combined their rich workplace experience to deeply analyze the core elements of leadership. Through team coaching and one-on-one personalized guidance, they helped participants solve practical problems.

Unlike traditional courses, the Cherry International Leadership Bootcamp emphasizes equal interaction between mentors and participants, respecting each participant’s ideas and expressions. The mentors provided tailored advice and guidance based on the participants’ unique backgrounds and needs, which the participants found immensely beneficial and inspiring.

Participant Ms. Zhao commented, “I am grateful for the opportunity to have a one-on-one coaching conversation with Tim. His questions and stories helped me find direction amidst confusion. Tim’s humility, integrity, and care made me feel safe and willing to open up. When I shared the challenges of my organization, he asked, ‘You have worked here for over ten years, can you tell me some stories of how you successfully overcame difficulties in the past?’ This question immediately made me step out of my current predicament and re-examine the issues from a broader perspective. This coaching session was very enlightening.”

Another participant Ms. Xiao, said, "As someone who is used to focusing on tasks, I hope to improve my leadership from a ‘people’ perspective because everything is ultimately done by people. The first theme of this course, ‘The Identity of a Leader,’ explored the qualities a leader should possess from this perspective. Throughout the week, whether it was the course content, one-on-one coaching, or team coaching, I gained profound insights. If the course outlined the overall framework of a successful leader, the subsequent coaching sessions helped me implement this framework, making me more aware of the core values I should uphold and the limitations I need to overcome in my leadership journey.

“What impressed me most was the part where the mentor used the structure of a house to compare the qualities of a leader. The mentor started with the foundation (purpose and courage) and asked, ‘Who are you? What is your deep mission, values, and core beliefs that you uphold even when no one is watching?’ This made me realize that I hadn’t seriously thought about such questions for a long time: What is my personal mission? Then, the mentor mentioned the three pillars supporting the house: humility, integrity, and care, with the roof being self-discipline. This gave me a new understanding and reflection on leadership.”

Summary of Group Mentoring

In this month’s international leadership training course, mentors and participants discussed five common workplace issues. Combining the mentors’ insights and suggestions, participants shared their thoughts, sparking exciting discussions that provided more inspiration.

Question 1: How to Achieve Profitability in the U.S.

A participant asked why his company’s branch in the U.S. couldn’t achieve profitability. Marty provided valuable insights into cultural differences.

Marty explained that work culture typically falls into three types: power and fear, honor and shame, and right and wrong. In China, work culture often leans towards honor and shame, with a management style similar to military command—top leaders give orders, and employees execute without question. In the U.S., work culture focuses more on right and wrong; employees need to be convinced that decisions are correct before continuing. Therefore, U.S. leaders cannot simply issue orders but must take the time to communicate their vision and gain team buy-in.

Question 2: How to Gain Insight and Predict Trends for the Next Decade

Marty offered the following suggestions:

1. View Failure as a Learning Opportunity: Marty emphasized that good judgment comes from experience, and valuable experience often comes from failure. We should not fear failure but see it as a learning opportunity. He noted that in Silicon Valley, failure is accepted, which is one of the main reasons for the emergence of so many innovative ideas. Over the past 20 years, Silicon Valley’s mindset has shifted from “win or lose” to “win or learn.” As long as you don’t give up, failure is not failure but a growth opportunity.
2. Broaden Horizons Through a Diverse Network: Marty suggested broadening horizons by building a wide and diverse professional network. However, the key is to truly understand these people, not just have a large number of superficial connections on LinkedIn. He encouraged stepping out of comfort zones and connecting with people from different backgrounds and social strata. For example, in the Bible, the Egyptian king sought new perspectives on his dreams from the prisoner Joseph, ultimately preparing successfully for the impending famine.
3. Read Widely Across Different Fields: Despite Marty’s background in accounting and finance, he emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary reading. He mentioned “The Disappearing Spoon,” a book that cleverly combines classic tales of science and invention, investigation, and discovery, from the Big Bang to the end of time. In today’s TikTok era, where attention spans are often short, taking the time to read widely for deeper insights and a broader knowledge base is crucial. Developing focus is like exercising a muscle—it requires deliberate practice to improve.

Question 3: How to Qualify as an Excellent Leader

Marty responded that being an excellent leader does not require perfection in every aspect. However, lacking certain skills can indeed pose challenges in specific situations. For example, if you lack courage, it usually means you fear conflict and confrontation. You might choose to avoid problems rather than solve them, which could disappoint your team when they need you to stand up for them.

Marty suggested that while we should focus on our strengths, we should not let a particular weakness drag us down and limit our career development.

Marty recommended using feedback analysis (reflection) to improve obvious weaknesses. He suggested recording thoughts in a journal during self-reflection and then reviewing the scenarios with trusted individuals to hear their opinions and find better ways to handle similar situations in the future.

Question 4: How to Demonstrate Leadership Without Authority

A participant mentioned that as an engineer, it was challenging to find opportunities to demonstrate leadership without positional power.

Marty believed that behavior should precede titles; one does not need a title to demonstrate leadership. In fact, management often promotes employees who have already shown leadership. To some extent, leadership is equivalent to influence, and we can always find ways to influence those around us. To earn the trust and respect of superiors, focus on three key areas:

1. Fulfill Commitments: Avoid making excuses and strive to achieve your goals. Consistently delivering results is crucial.
2. Improve Communication Skills: Effective communication has three key elements: brevity, relevance, and knowing your audience. Adjust your communication style based on different audiences to ensure they easily understand the key points. For example, when reporting to senior management, provide more background information as they may not be familiar with the specifics of your work.
3. Propose Solutions, Not Just Problems: Your manager hired you to solve problems, not just identify them. When presenting problems, always offer different solutions so your manager can provide valuable insights.

Question 5: How to Motivate Employees

Participant A: Domestic retailer Pan Donglai is quite popular, and their management style might be worth referencing. Most domestic companies I’ve encountered focus more on punishment and less on motivation.

Participant B: I believe there are external and internal motivations. External motivation seems to have a quicker effect, but internal motivation is more lasting. Based on my learning and personal experience, placing someone in a position that suits them is one of the best ways to motivate them.

Participant A: This might also depend on the employee’s level. As Marty mentioned, he also has to consider whether to share his company’s vision with lower-level employees, as these people are paid hourly, and the company’s vision might seem too distant for them. They might value tangible benefits more. Of course, respect and appreciation are needed by everyone. I attended a training course called “Encouragement” at Intel, and what impressed me most was a documentary shown during the course: A factory manager always inspected the site, not to find faults but to discover what frontline employees were doing well. He would reward employees in unexpected ways. For example, an employee came up with the idea of putting materials in the refrigerator to use the principle of thermal expansion and contraction to reduce scrap rates. The manager observed this and specifically put money in the refrigerator, then gathered the employees around the refrigerator for a meeting