To Mentor is To Inspire

Having had the opportunity to collaborate and work together with so many diverse projects, I’d had a great advantage over those who choose stability.

I’ve had the opportunity to learn through working on different projects with different people in different work environments and management styles. From straight up dictatorship to playing the friend role, it’s been quite an experience to manage each relationship on a basis of loyalty, honesty, professionalism.

Lucky for me, I’ve never been alone.  From the days I first started managing PR for Block 8, I was fortunate enough to have two incredibly caring and inspiring mentors: Sebastien Noat & Alan Wong.

Sebastien is hands-down one of the most ambitious, brilliant, eloquent, energetic, and hard working people I know. He is always on the go, full of creative ideas, indisputably persuasive, and knows exactly what he wants. And he goes after it. I saw him go from the General Manager of Block 8 to starting up his own Consultancy Agency – Alchemy, where he took me under his wing and made me part of an unstoppable team, working with some of the most prestigious F&B client companies in China including Domus & Cabaret with the Tiandi Group and LAN Club with the South Beauty Group.  Alchemy is also the creative group behind the concept, design and launch of All-Star Sports Bar & Grill + Club Bling.

While in many ways Alan is similar to Sebastien in the sense that he is extremely capable, personable,  has an inherent gift to managing his staff and business associates, along with the power to inspire and teach, Alan is also one of the most down-to-earth, chillest people on this planet.  This is where Alan’s management style is so brilliant.  I have encountered too many times, people who manage through means of commanding, dictating – which to me, is just condescending. Alan, on the other hand, I have yet to hear yell at anyone or seen him truly angry.  I have seen him frustrated, worried, stressed, and at the worst, I’ve seen him disappointed, but that to me is more powerful than anger.  What he inspires in those who work for him is a motivation that drives people to do not only do what is best for Alan or themselves, but more importantly, what’s best for the team.

Before I saw Alan as my mentor and before I even started working for Alan, I was already Alan’s ‘little sister’.  Turns out, we went to the same high school – Rio Americano High School in Sacramento, California.  Small World, huh?  Now, after two years, I’ve worked for Block 8 and all of Alan’s restaurants in the Hatsune Restaurant Group, including the launch and grand opening parties of his two newest outlets in Sanlitun Village: the second Hatsune restaurant & Karaiya Spice House. Since then, I’ve had the honor of working as Alan & Hannah’s wedding planner and most recently, I’m a proud Auntie to baby Mason Kalei.

I have yet to begin my own company where I’ll be mentoring and motivating my own staff, but when that day comes, I will be happy if I can instill just a fraction of what my mentors have inspired in me to achieve.

Alchemy Team: Left to Right - Joe Zheng, me, Sebastien Noat