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In Search of Happiness -

2012 HKBN US Management Trip

Mentee Pack

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A door to a broader horizon

A chance for the children to dream…

Annual management experiential trip is a yearly tradition at Hong Kong Broadband Network

(“HKBN”). As an integral part of our Talent development culture, the trip aims to give our

management an “out of the box” experience beyond ordinary life, so as to widen their

exposure, inspire creativity and reinforce teamwork.

In November 2012, for the first time, we sponsored two high-school students to go together

with 75 HKBN executives in the “In Search of Happiness” experiential trip to the US.

They are two of the mentees involved in our CSR program “Mentorship: Fly-high-with-us

Young Saver Scheme 2011-2014”, in which 23 HKBN Talents serve as 1-on-1 mentors of

29 secondary school students from underprivileged families.

We believe people are the true differentiation defining a great company and a great

community. We encourage our Talents as well as our younger generation to pursue after

their dreams. We are pleased to open a door for these two young girls to see a bigger world

and to inspire them to embrace the infinite possibilities ahead.

For eight days these two mentees lived, learned and grew together with our 75 executives,

literally turning our 1-on-1 mentorship into 75-to-2. We invite you to take a peek at their

memorable journey, when we searched for happiness together…

NiQ Lai

Head of Talent Engagement and CFO

Hong Kong Broadband Network Ltd

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Our mentees – Phyllis and Tracy

Lau Po Kei, Phyllis Aged 16 Form 4, Pope Paul VI College

Lee Ying Shuen, Tracy Aged 17

Form 6, TWGH - Chen Zao Men College

Phyllis and Tracy were selected to join this trip by an HKBN panel after its meeting with the

mentee-applicants and their families. Selection criteria include:

Applicant’s aspirations and reasons for applying to join the trip

From an underprivileged family

Mature, independent with positive attitude

Eager and willing to participate in all the trip activities

Communication skills in spoken and written English to ensure they understand the

training and visits in the trip

Family support and school consent

I love English very much. I strongly believe

traveling to an English-speaking country, to a

certain extent, can help me improve my language

ability. Traveling aboard, undoubtedly, creates a

huge financial burden to my family. I’ve been

longing for this kind of opportunity for long time.

Visiting renowned multinational technology

companies and teambuilding at Grand Canyon are

the key elements that excite me to join this

program.

As a student studying Business Management and

Economics, I believe it is a golden opportunity to

visit the world’s top-notch technology

corporations and it would surely widen my horizon.

I hope I can know more about the daily operations

of enterprises. Besides, this’s the first time that

I travel by plane, I have great expectations for

the trip!

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Pre-trip preparation

Highlight of the trip was a full-day “In Search of Happiness” workshop at Las Vegas,

conducted by Prof. Srikumar S. Rao, who teaches happiness in life and in work at

renowned world-class universities including Columbia Business School, London Business

School and Kellogg School of Management.

Before the trip, every participant completed a piece of pre-work to share with Professor Rao

their life passion and priorities. Here is the sharing of Phyllis and Tracy.

Pre-work by Phyllis Lau

My name is Phyllis and my surname is Lau. I was born on the 25th of June and now I

am sixteen years old. I was born in Hong Kong where I live now. I am a form four

student and I study at Pope Paul VI College which is a school for girls. And I am so

glad to be a chair lady of our class. I enjoy the days of my school days being with my

good classmates.

Now let me tell you some words about my traits of character. ''Short-lived

enthusiasm'' may be the best expression that can describe what kind of person I am.

I always set a new timetable for studying, which is fully planned massive amount of

things. Then somehow I have never follow the timetable again after a period of time.

Another example is that, our teachers always claim we should write a diary everyday

by using English in order to improve our English writing. And if we kept on writing

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diary for two years, our writing skills would certainly be excellent. This sounded so

attractive for me because my writing is really poor, even when using Chinese. So I

promised myself I would do it every day. At the very beginning, I really wrote a diary

every day. But after a week, I usually had lots of excuse for doing so and finally I

most forgot what had I promised before.

Maybe learning saxophone is my only thing that lasts longer in my life so far. I have

learned how to play saxophone since I was a form three student. Actually, I think

saxophone is quite difficult to play because it will take you plenty of energy. I even

had a light headache when I played it at the first time. And I was complained since I

played it too loudly while I was practicing. I like to play saxophone but I just don't

know why, even I am not very good at playing it.

But one thing can be sure that is I really have fun and met a lot of friends in the

school band.

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And one of the unforgettable memories of the school life is I traveled to Canada with

my schoolmates for three weeks in the last summer holiday. I think I will bear every

details about the trip in my mind. My friend and I stayed with a host family who has a

little cute girl names Maya. She is really active and talkative. There was also a

Japanese and Spanish student stayed with us. They are really pretty and nice. In this

trip, we met many nice people who taught and helped us a lot. I noticed that the

people lived in Canada are very friendly and kind, even the Chinese in there also.

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Pre-work by Tracy Lee

My name is Tracy. I will join the US trip with a special identity. I am not only a

secondary six student, but also a mentee of a charity program named “Fly High

With Us” organized by the Hong Kong Broadband Network Company. The

managers may know nothing about Phyllis, another mentee, and me.

I love Chinese dancing. I had danced for 10 years and join various competitions

and performance. I enjoy dancing and it brings a great achievement to me.

I love to participate in different organization inside or outside the school. I can gain

valuable experiences that are useful in develop responsibility to everything.

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As the trip unfolds…

Day 1

3 Nov 2012 (Sat)

HK – Los Angeles

- Pick up from the airport. Half day LA City Tour

Day 2

4 Nov 2012 (Sun)

Los Angeles – Las Vegas

- Special tour to Hollywood, driving to Las Vegas

Day 3

5 Nov 2012 (Mon)

Las Veges

- “In Search for Happiness” Workshop (by Dr Rao)

Day 4

6 Nov 2012 (Tue)

Grand Canyon National Park

- Full day team building programme

Day 5

7 Nov 2012 (Wed)

Las Vegas

- Visit Zappos office. Fly to San Francisco

Day 6

8 Nov 2012 (Thu)

San Francisco – San Jose

- Visit Cisco office. Half day SF City Tour

Day 7

9 Nov 2012 (Fri)

San Francisco – Hong Kong

Day 8

10 Nov 2012 (Sat)

Hong Kong

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“In Search of Happiness” workshop on 5 Nov

Dr Rao’s workshop on Happiness

Say “cheese”!

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Teambuilding at Grand Canyon on 6 Nov

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Learned from top brains in businesses on 7-8 Nov

Visit to Zappos

Visit to Cisco

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Our footprints in the US

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Post-trip reflection

To help each participant learn from each other, and to inspire other HKBN Talents who did

not join the trip, each participant sent in a post-trip reflection.

Let’s see what the two mentees learnt from the trip.

Post-trip reflection by Phyllis Lau

This “U.S. study tour” gave me a valuable chance to learn from the role models of

some experienced and

weathered executives. There

were many training sessions as

well, for example, the Dr. Rao’s

workshop, the Grand Canyon

team building and the visit to

Zappos. Each of these activities

has helped me build my

knowledge and experience.

First of all, we shall not jump to

the conclusion about good or bad before getting a first-hand experience. You need

to try things yourself. Only a personal experience can tell you if things are good or

bad. And we shall not be too self-centered. We should listen to other’s advices and

be ready to accept criticism if we really want to learn something new. On the other

hand, we should avoid counting everything on others and lose the capability to

make our own decisions. There is a balance we need to strike about how far we

should stay “self-centered”. In addition, it is common that people only care about

the “result” while neglecting the “process” to be experienced. As long as we learn

to enjoy and immerse in the “process”, we can be less attached to the outcome.

These are some of what I have learnt from Dr. Rao.

The team building in the Grand Canyon was equally educational to me. Though

the games in this session looked simple, I felt surprised to find many executives

engaged in the game. They created a friendly atmosphere by discussing and

helping each other throughout the process. The last game was particularly

impressive. All of us were separated into various groups, and we were required to

fix a ball on a thread at the same time. I thought it was a competition about which

group was the first to put down the ball, but it turned out our victory depended on

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the full cooperation between all of us. In a way, playing this game was similar to

running a company, where good development was built on colleagues who

enabled rather than stifled each other.

Finally, the visit to an unorthodox firm like Zappos has

enlightened me on what boundless imagination can do.

Doing everything by the book may not be in our best

interest. Sometimes things may be better if we veer

away from the tradition and think out of the box. As long

as we are willing to explore new possibilities, we may

get unexpected results!

The “U.S. Study Trip” lasted only one week, but it allowed me to try and

experience new things and knowledge beyond what the textbook or my teachers

have ever taught. After this visit, I am more than sure that the decision to tour the

US is a right one. Thanks to it, my vision is expanded, my people skill is improved

and my mind is enlightened. I am certain that what I have learnt or experienced in

this tour will be sealed onto my mind.

During the journey, we have stayed in Las

Vegas for three days. Each day this

glamorous city left different impressions on

me.

We took a bus across a small hill. After

passing through a desolate hinterland, a

sparking fringe suddenly appeared on the

horizon. A magnificent city came into sight. This was my first encounter with Las

Vegas, an amazing city erected on a desert. As I walked into this piece of land, I

was surrounded by glittering fluorescent lights, luxury casinos and beautiful night

views. It is literally a city that never sleeps. No wonder people are tempted to linger.

Thr vanity of Las Vegas left me an uneasy feeling.. Whether I was on the street, on

traffic or watching television, all I saw were advertisements by those girls. This is a

place riddled with money and pornography. This is an alternative miracle created

by money, jugging out in the middle of an empty desert out of place. Its glamor is

nothing short of n mirage.

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And this was the first time in my life I stayed with over 70 “adults” for a whole week.

It was definitely a big challenge for someone like me, who would turn mute and

empty-minded in face of people I don’t know! That said, things were not as difficult

as imagined. As long as I took the initiative and stepped out, I could get to know

how things would turn out. This was what I have learnt from these “adults”. As I

chatted with them, I found that each of them worked harder than others early in

their school days. They put in all their efforts to earn their ideal, comfortable lives.

Their experiences, one followed by the other, have made me convinced that “a

genius is the outcome of 99% effort and 1% talent”. (Original in Chinese)

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Post-trip reflection by Tracy Lee

In less than a week, I have finished touring this new country. The itinerary was

tightly packed and tiring, but overall speaking it was a fruitful trip.

USA is a country worth exploration. In this trip, I

headed across three peculiar cities. The first one

was Los Angeles. Right after getting off the flight, I

was taken by surprise with the sight of many

Chinese faces, and they were even speaking in

Cantonese! It was an interesting experience to hear

a familiar language in a strange city. Another

surprise was I saw more cars than people on the

street, since all the shops and constructions were

separated by quite a distance. Life in the U.S.

without an automobile would be difficult.

Next stop – Las Vegas gave me a

surreal feeling. Streets were full of

glittering fluorescent lights. Some hectic

shops that should only exist in Hong

Kong Disneyland suddenly sat in front

of me – in reality! Pirate wars, fountain

shows and fire performance were

simply fascinating. It was amazing how

a desert land was transformed into a

vibrant city! Compared with nights, I actually preferred the city in its day time. The

casinos were not glittering in the day, but they looked more energetic and real

under sunlight. It really made a difference.

San Francisco was my most favorite thanks to its relaxed and tranquil

environment. Life in Hong Kong has always been so busy and intense that I hardly

have a chance to take a pause. It is easy to neglect people or things around me. In

San Francisco, life pace was suddenly slowed down with people cycling along the

roads. The weather was getting colder, forcing me to rub hands for some warmth

as I walked outside. At the rather cool streets, I took a deep breath of the

refreshing air, looked over the intersecting power lines and cable car lines, and on

top of them, the cloudless skyline. I felt super comfy.

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Much time was spent on the flights and road travelling. After over ten hours of

flight, a glimpse of sunlight cast upon to signal the arrival of dawn, as well as the

beginning of this journey. It was tiring, but it was worthwhile. A week passed in a

rush. I told myself I would take time to watch this country carefully and understand

its culture next time I have a chance to tour it. With the turn of my age, I am sure I

would have a different feeling next time.

An ad hoc change of schedule meant we missed the chance to visit Google, but

the other two companies delivered an enriching enough experience.

In my imagination, Zappos has a

focus on pleasure. Both its employees

and customers tend to show their

happy sides. With a visit to Zappos, I

realized they had a definition of

happiness beyond what I have ever

imagined.

As we walked along the Zappos

offices, their employees, with or without jobs on hand, picked up something that

looked like music instruments to play welcome melody for us. They were trying to

share their happiness with us!

It was surprising to see that the decorations in the Zappos offices were even more

creative and meaningful that those you would imagine of design students or even

designers. The Zappos people assigned different themes, such as pirates, to each

department or area of their offices. Halloween, as the latest holiday theme, was

seen as a not-to-be-missed festoonery opportunity. The entire office was totally

relaxing.

As I walked down the aisle, there were quite a lot of inspirational words on the wall,

written all by the staff. These people took Zappos not just as a job. They were

totally committed. Beyond a paycheck, they looked forward to personal growth

and a mix of pleasure with business. This is a very good attitude.

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By contrast, Cisco, a San Francisco-based multi-national giant, gave me a

professional and solid feeling as its business nature was prone to science and

technology. This made me especially serious and focused during the tour. After a

briefing on its technologies and instruments, we were led to another building,

where tens of us were put to different rooms. We were introduced and offered to

try our hands on their conference technology. All of us in each room were

broadcasted on a wide screen with both visual and audio. As we chattered and

made fun of the scene, I realized that relentless technology could bring us

unexpected joy on top of functionality.

With little chance to work with Cisco in the past, I can’t say I know much about this

company. But I do understand

everyone who is working

there is serious about

developing more great

technologies and instruments

for the benefit of human lives.

They lead us into realms that

no others have attempted.

(Original in Chinese)

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A pat on the back by HKBN management

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NiQ Lai,

Head of Talent Engagement and CFO

Mingo Tsang, Assistant Sales Manager

Charles Yeung, Senior Manager,

Regulatory Affairs

Patrick Leung,

Financial Controller

Cindy Fan, Associate Director,

Customer Care & Online

Gladys Cheng, Senior Manager,

Corporate Communication

CY Chan, Senior Manager,

Talent Management

Annie Sin, Director,

Administration and Corporate Social Responsibility

They have a positive attitude to

reach out and see more of the

world.

Surely it is beneficial to their personal

growth and development in the future.

I appreciate their courage in joining the trip

and getting along with 75 management.

It’s not easy for students like Tracy

and Phyllis to take initiatives to talk to

75 executives. But they did it.

I wish Phyllis and Tracy will take in

what they saw and learnt, and

press on to pursue their dreams.

For the mentees, this’s definitely a valuable

learning experience. I’m sure they would

find the trip meaningful in their future.

It’s absolutely a good chance to

improve their interpersonal skills

and have insight on what’s meant

to be Happiness in Life.

Tracy, Phyllis, Welcome to the HKBN

Family. We look forward to learning

from each other in the years to come.

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Inspiration to others begins…

Phyllis, Tracy and two HKBN executives received an interview by Radio Television Hong

Kong, and shared their experience in the experiential US trip.

Hong Kong Economic Times, 6 Dec 2012