Interview with Shufen Zhuang: Follow your heart! The perfect choice doesn't exist, just ask if you can be single-minded

He has been in the advertising industry in Greater China for more than 30 years, from a young age, he has become the general manager of Ogilvy & Mather Taiwan Advertising, the CEO of Ogilvy Greater China, and the co-founder of Ogilvy & Mather Taiwan, and has been invited to join the global board of directors of Ogilvy & Mather and became the chairman of WPP Group Taiwan.

In 2016, Zhuang Shufen returned to Taiwan, and in 2021, she created a stage for a group of young people who worked together, founded the "Common Thought Alliance", launched the stunning four-party guest committee "Taiwan Women Are Not Surprised" short film, and cooperated with Huakang font to create a local "Collection and Collection Degree Empty School", this year Zhuang Shufen published the first book "What is the Advertising Queen Thinking?" 》

Talk to Zhuang Shufen and feel the warmth, fun and energy in her. Her enthusiasm is still growing, and she continues to carry her playmates together and do a good job of playing; Have infinite curiosity and learning about the world, and continue to give a helping hand. Moving forward with the young comrades-in-arms, she laughed and said, it is to accompany each other, I have made you, and you have also achieved me.

Image courtesy of Shufen Chuang |

I almost ran out of money to go to college: you have the strength to take yourself out of danger and move forward

Listen to the story of the first decade of Zhuang Shufen's career, like an adventure, she set out from the position of assistant, fearless, wanted to be interested, she fought for it herself. When many new people in the workplace were still groping and hesitating, she kept striding forward. Take a step, not because there is no fear in the dictionary, but that there are interesting things waiting for her in front of her. She wanted to push open one door after another to see what was behind them.

Zhuang Shufen said that the key words in the first decade of her career were: curious, fun, and studious.

In the early days, she joined the Taiwan advertising company as an assistant outside the country, bent on being Zhuang Shufen of the advertising business AE, and after the completion of her work, she took the initiative to push open the door to observe the meeting and listen to what she could do and what opinions she could contribute. "The creative director wanted to find a mixed-race student Model, so I went to the front of the American School in Taipei to stand guard and follow the students home to ask the parents. Curious about everything, I think it's funny, and gradually everyone knows that there is such a girl, things start to come up, and the opportunity comes."

Ogilvy Games. Image courtesy of Shufen Chuang |

The first difficulty of my career was the huge financial change in my family in the year I went to college.

Before going to college, Zhuang Shufen's parents had to rely on themselves because they were helping others to guarantee, mortgage the property, living expenses and tuition fees, and could not pay for themselves. Overnight, forced to grow up, she worked everywhere, from the school library to the post office, doing everything, while trying to study to get the first place in the class, striving for free tuition, and doing her best, knowing that if she didn't do this, her fate would be different from then on.

An adventure, but also to extract courage from it. She found that on her own, she could do so much: in herself, she had the power to take herself out of danger.

Follow your heart: The perfect choice doesn't exist, ask yourself if you can "single-mindedly" for the choice

In the future, zhuang Shufen most of the work, she took the initiative to fight.

The most difficult career choice was an invitation from the Taipei City Government team to serve as the vice mayor of Taipei City. She had a desire to dedicate herself to her hometown, and at first she agreed, but the closer she got to officially announcing her appointment, the more anxious she felt.

"In the past, I was single-minded and excited about my new position. This time it was very different." She was worried about Taiwan's political culture, coupled with the unfamiliarity with the operation of the political arena, Zhuang Shufen, who had made bright choices in the past, the more she thought about it this time, the more hesitant she became, is this position really suitable? "The longer I think about it, the more I feel that I am not suitable for this position, and others are more suitable." I had already agreed, and I was going to tell people, I'm sorry, I'm not going." Zhuang Shufen asked rhetorically, "It is also a courage to decide not to do anything, isn't it?"

Image courtesy of Shufen Chuang |

She personally pleaded to refuse the invitation, and also made a cover for herself, "Before facing a very big change, don't be too impulsive, think clearly, listen to your heart, don't be afraid of face problems can't put down, brave say no." 」 If it is a decision that allows you to go single-mindedly, come forward to greet it, if it is unusual, it does not matter if you refuse, do not let the future self "can not move".

The key to Zhuang Shufen's choice is also related to the culture of the professional field. This echoes the user survey data of women fans doing DEI, contemporary talents choose to join a new workplace, in addition to the substantive conditions, workplace culture fit is the key to whether they can exert influence. It's important to know yourself, it's important to understand organizational culture, and deii in the workplace is the key to recruiting and retaining talent.

In the era of group fighting, revolutionary comrades-in-arms fought in a different form

Zhuang Shufen returned to Taiwan for six years to work with young people at the WPP Group. A few years ago, the young comrades-in-arms wanted to run for their own reasons, zhuang Shufen thought about it and made the decision to break through the framework.

"A few young people just decided to leave earlier than me, not dissatisfied with the company, they have their own reasons, I helped the company to retain people, while asking, you are a team, each scattered is to do their own, what a pity." 」 What era is this? It's the age of group fighting! You are usually good friends and revolutionary comrades-in-arms, and your revolutionary feelings are very strong." She thought about it herself, and suddenly there was an Idea, "I said that's good, young people don't have enough financial connections, I also like to do things, like to learn from young people, then I will be the head of the group, I will set up a company, you all join, you should also have shares, just like a law firm." 」

Zhuang Shufen then brought in good friends such as Zou Kailian, Cai Yuling, Chen Minhui and other senior people in the advertising marketing industry, "I have 20 shareholders, I said not to make money, but to help young people." Everybody was happy."

On the stage of common imagination, working with the new generation of talents to create eye-catching works, Zhuang Shufen said, in the end, it is hoped that through creativity, society will be more communicable.

Image courtesy of Shufen Chuang |

Just bring one person and you're the leader

Next, she most hopes to let the young people succeed smoothly. In the book, there are also many interesting passages, which are Zhuang Shufen's dialogue with other new workplace executives of Generation Z:

The two Gen Z faces seamlessly presented in front of their eyes, asked about the challenges of recent days, said that in the face of interns in the organization, they felt more trouble than help. I recommend patiently clarifying work procedures, improving your fault tolerance rate, and providing the other party with a helping hand. Expand the territory of the organization, learn to accept others, and delegate powers and responsibilities. Looking back on their own experience as a raw hand, the two suddenly realized that cultivating new people is like a long-term care service for the elderly.

"If you bring one person, you're the leader." This is Zhuang Shufen's definition of leader.

"You will find that many things are actually the fastest to do on your own, do you feel this way?" 」 Zhuang Shufen smiled and said to me, "But with a group of people to do it, the world is more promising!"

Millennials and Gen Z value fairness, authenticity, openness and sharing, supervisors see themselves as part of the team, and partners also want to communicate with supervisors in both directions. The new generation takes the leadership they need as a high standard, leads people with very different personalities, and has many challenges, what should be done?

Regarding the leadership challenges of millennials/Z generations, Zhuang Shufen has incisive views and solutions, please watch the next article "Interview with Advertising Queen Zhuang Shufen: "Becoming an Ideal Person" This lesson is too difficult! With optimism and confidence, you will take yourself to where you should go.