嘉文博译-写作中心原创写作案例

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　--Martin Luther Kings, Jr.

In your professional experience, describe a specific situation where you demonstrated your initiative and leadership, relating to the quote above. (Requirement: 2 pages max, double space - 500 words)

I strongly believe that the quotation by Dr. King is true because there are experiences in my own life that now, looking back on those times, I realize that they were a true test of my abilities and that I came out of those experiences as a better man for having gone through them. It is easy to maintain a gracious attitude and a kind character when times are easy and things are going well, but it is during the troubled times that we find out who we really are. I for one have never been satisfied with the status quo, as evidenced by my choice to leave my job and study in America. I had a decent job, a happy marriage and enough free time to pursue my hobbies. I could have simply sailed happily through life towards my eventual retirement party. But to have done so would never have allowed me to reach my full potential. I require constant challenges, both mentally and physically, which drives me ever onward to seek the next level of success.

As an example, my company faced a difficult challenge when the technology bubble burst in 2000. In the beginning, our company based our general pricing structure usually on an hourly rate basis. When a client came to us with a project, we would estimate the total time it would require and calculate the total amount based on an hourly rate. At first, this pricing model worked fine. The clients were happy and we were constantly getting new customers. But when the industry crashed in 2000, many technology companies were hit very hard, including ours. I realized that our pricing structure was fine during the booming market period but it lacked flexibility. With so many laid-off IT workers in the market, prices plunged as they were willing to charge very low prices for our type of work. Our company stood at a crossroads and it was up to me to decide what to do. After talking with customers for their feedback, I realized that we should steer our focus from big customers to small and medium sized businesses, because usually in an economic downturn, the biggest businesses are affected the most. Additionally, when the economy rebounds, small and medium sized businesses usually recover first because of their greater flexibility and adaptability. The problem now was that our pricing structure was not flexible enough for small and medium-sized businesses. These businesses have their own special needs that require special attention - they don't have a lot of resources but still want things done quickly and accurately. To meet these needs, I designed a pricing structure where customers could receive discounted prices if they bought a "package" of services, where the service hours were transferable into the next month if they were not used in the current month. The customers were thrilled! By facing up to the challenge rather than giving up and going home, as many companies did, I found that my true abilities come to light during times of challenge.