Recently, Poh-Yian Koh, the Vice President of China Operations at FedEx Express, was invited by WEC (Women Empowerment Council) to give a speech for students at Yew Chung International School of Shanghai, focusing on Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)”. She encouraged a new generation of women to be innovative and actively involved in science and technology.
In her speech, Poh-Yian shared her work experience as a woman and student in the field of science and technology engineering.
Eliminate prejudice and find yourself
Today, women are only 28% of the total workforce in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) areas, despite that there are many women who are driving cutting-edge innovation and playing an important role in advancing society. Moreover, unconscious bias and fear are still the obstacle for the vast majority of women to make professional choices. Unconscious bias is more like a mental shortcut, affecting how we view the world and other people, and eventually forcing us to make different decisions. Learning to detect and identify our own unconscious biases can help us better understand people’s differences and understand ourselves.
Embrace failure and pursue your dreams
In the pursuit of dreams, we may encounter setbacks or failures, which is the only way to success. Learning from failure can make yourself a better person. Poh-Yian believes not only should we learn to overcome failure, but also overcome fear. Fear comes from our conscious, but in reality many of the things we fear don’t actually happen. Therefore, we should have faith in ourselves and focus on the goal to be achieved or achieved itself. We are much stronger than we realize.
Ask questions and make good use of resources
Many women are uncomfortable to speak up or ask for what they want in the workplace or in public, which may come from a fear of being different or not wanting to be seen as bossy, but in the long run, it can be seen as a lack of confidence or creativity. Poh-Yian encouraged women to seek help from friends, mentors and relatives in their study and life. Be good at asking questions and dare to ask questions, which can help you understand yourself with an objective evaluation, offer you an opportunity to get twice the result with half the effort in growth. Asking for help is not weak. Learn to be humble and studious in your interactions and grow steadily.
Move forward bravely and show your strength
Life isn’t always perfect, sometimes with hardship and pain. Women are more resilient in face of difficulties and good at finding a breakthrough point from difficulties. Poh-Yian recalled that when she first joined FedEx, as the first female engineer in the Asia-Pacific region, she constantly explored and learned new things to realize her dreams with the help of her leaders, mentors and colleagues. She believes when faced with difficulties and challenges, we should embrace challenge, do not lose the courage to break through ourselves and realize our own value through unremitting efforts.
Make good use of advantages and empower the future
There is a clear distinction between strengths and skills. Skill refers to what people become proficient in through practice and learning over a certain period of time, while strength is a person’s natural ability. According to Poh-Yian, there are several benefits to know your own advantages:
- Knowing your strengths helps you grasp opportunities that are right for you
- Knowing how to identify and articulate your strengths will help you stand out in your studies and work
- Applying and enlarging your strengths will improve your overall quality of life and help you achieve success
- Help yourself become a happier, more influential, and more effective decision maker and leader
More than 100 teachers and students listened to the speech and exchanged views with Poh-Yian Koh on the problems and perplexities faced by the new generation of women growing up. Poh-Yian also prepared a small gift for each student — candy with different flavors and used it as an example to vividly explain to students how to deal with setbacks and unsatisfactory situations in life. As the famous words in the movie Forrest Gump says, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what flavor you’re gonna get.” In life, when faced with many difficulties or impossible challenges, Poh-Yian encouraged students to re-examine and deeply interpret these “impossible” challenges until turn them into “possible”.
At the end of her speech, Poh-Yian encouraged all students who are eager to pursue their dreams to know themselves, eliminate self-doubt and not to set limits on their dreams. Keep learning, keep growing, keep walking with your head up, there are always a lot of surprises ahead.
Today, more and more women are devoted to science, technology, engineering and math, using their knowledge and strength to tackle global crises and challenges. FedEx is excited to see more women serving as couriers, truck drivers, pilots, safety experts, and engineers. At present, women are nearly 56% of management and professional staff in FedEx China.
FedEx remains committed to building a participatory and inclusive workplace for all employees and promotes a diverse, equal and inclusive corporate culture through five key aspects: challenging unconscious bias, company leadership training, using inclusive language, building mentoring communities, and creating cultural events. FedEx will continue to promote gender equality and empower women to build a bright future with diversity, equality and inclusion.