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2022.11.11
｜CEP
"Teamwork is always better than fighting a lone battle. It’s useless if only one person excels; true value is created only when the entire team thrives together."
Every word she speaks is resonant and powerful, filled with confidence yet grounded in humility. This GMC professional, who deeply believes in "unlocking team value," is none other than Sandy from our Accounting Department (also known as the Head of Ocean Freight Billing, aka the Accounting General, because if anyone has an accounting riddle, asking Sandy is always the right move! 😎).
During her college entrance examinations, a teacher casually suggested, "Maybe you should consider majoring in accounting; after all, it's just pressing buttons on a calculator." It wasn't until she entered university that she realized she had been completely misled—accounting was far more complex than just operating a calculator!
"I still remember the very first class during freshman orientation. The professor handed us two sheets of paper: one called a Balance Sheet and the other an Income Statement," Sandy recalled, as if it were yesterday. "The professor said, 'I want you all to memorize and write down every single account item from these sheets.' He added, 'This might be your only chance to get a perfect 100 in your four years of college.' And it turned out he was absolutely right!"
When she graduated, the global financial crisis struck. Having moved north to Taipei for her studies, Sandy made a pact with her family to avoid causing them worry: if she couldn't find a job in Taipei within a month, she would head back home to Kaohsiung. She opened a job search website, meticulously filled out her resume, and shortly after, received an interview invitation from GMC.
"At that time, the Accounting Department happened to be shorthanded. I interviewed in the morning and reported for duty the very next day! My resume had only been active for three days when I got hired. It was a very unique and special twist of fate," Sandy noted, her eyes mirroring the sheer disbelief she felt all those years ago.
To most people, accounting is often viewed as a tedious and repetitive profession that demands someone exceptionally meticulous, precise, and patient. Sandy, however, was eager to share the deeper meaning and joy she extracts from her daily routine.
"The flavor of working in the Accounting Department is that you never know what challenge or puzzle will land on your desk each morning," Sandy explained. "Because regulations and tax laws change constantly, a method that worked perfectly in the past might no longer be applicable when you face a similar scenario today."
Beyond that, Sandy shared another source of joy she discovers in her work: problem-solving. Even when a colleague’s inquiry falls outside her primary scope of responsibilities, she always approaches it with a proactive attitude: If I can solve it, I will.
"I think this keeps the job interesting. Looking at numbers all day can get dry. But tackling cross-departmental issues forces you to think outside the box, refines your communication skills, and teaches you how to negotiate a win-win outcome!"
Perhaps because she places such a high premium on team value, Sandy always practices empathy and puts herself in others' shoes when handling cross-departmental matters. She understands that negotiations require mutual compromise, and knowing exactly where to draw the line comes down to accumulated experience. Because she ensures colleagues receive immediate clarity and cross-departmental discussions yield fair solutions, she has naturally become the go-to person whenever anyone runs into a problem.
Facing diverse challenges daily has naturally thickened her skin. When confronted with a problem that cannot be resolved right away, Sandy has developed her own effective rhythm:
"I’ll set it aside for a bit. Sometimes, if you keep staring at it, you end up overanalyzing and getting stuck in a rut. So, I focus on other tasks within arm's reach first, and almost invariably, a great solution will suddenly pop into my head out of nowhere."
Allowing for a little "white space" is Sandy’s secret formula. The moment inspiration strikes, she bounces ideas off her colleagues to gather feedback. Once the direction is validated and approved by the team, she charges forward with absolute confidence. By observing carefully and identifying everyday friction points, Sandy treats unexpected situations as intellectual stimuli, sharpening her professional toolkit through real-world practice.
Plunging into a completely unfamiliar industry right after graduation, Sandy started from the front desk and counter—a role entirely unrelated to her accounting background. Seeing a Bill of Lading (B/L) for the first time felt exactly like looking at those two financial statements during freshman orientation; she didn't understand a thing. However, after six months of hands-on experience, she gradually mastered the workflow. It was then that Sandy told herself:
"If I am still in this exact same position a year from now, it might be time to look for a career transition." That was the first time she contemplated moving on.
As fate would have it, an opening emerged in the accounting office a year later, and Sandy successfully transitioned into the role of an accounting assistant. "The timing aligned almost perfectly with my personal timeline. I figured it was a brand-new area to master, so I decided to stay and see where it would take me!"
From that point forward, Sandy moved along a robust career trajectory: from the counter to accounting assistant, cashier, air/ocean import billing, air export billing, and finally ocean export billing. Whenever she felt she had completely mastered a domain and considered a change, her supervisor, Shirley, would magically appear to ask if she wanted to take on a fresh challenge.
Admittedly, transitioning into a new role and moving from learning to mastery always brought immense pressure. "I remember when I first became a cashier and had to lock in foreign exchange rates, I literally woke up in the middle of the night panicking, thinking, Did I actually submit the exchange rates today?"
Stepping out of one's comfort zone to embrace new responsibilities can initially feel like an uphill battle. However, once you understand the intricacies of the workflow and learn how to manage your time effectively, the pressure naturally eases.
"Whenever I am swamped, my team will proactively come over to ask if I need a hand to share the load," Sandy added with a bright smile. "And when my stress levels spike, my supervisor will tell me, 'Why don’t you take a few days off, recharge, and completely step away from work for a bit?'"
We were curious about her mindset when she initially stepped into the role of Front Desk & Counter Supervisor. What was her driving philosophy?
"My supervisor, Shirley, told me: 'You started your journey at the counter, and now that an opportunity has opened up, why don’t you take the lead as the counter supervisor?' That was when I began learning how to be a leader and stand on my own two feet."
"Sometimes I jokingly feel like I'm paying back my debts," Sandy laughed. "Back in the day, I used to submit my reports to my boss right at the deadline. Now that I’m a manager myself, I realize how much of a headache I must have given her. It was truly a sin!" She remains profoundly grateful for the mentorship and promotion she received, noting that sitting in a leadership seat completely transformed her perspective and horizon.
"To me, the core philosophy of being a leader is simple: Never let my people feel wronged or unsupported in their hearts."
Looking ahead, Sandy’s primary goal is to openly share her accumulated knowledge and experiences with the team. She believes that if a critical skill is bottlenecked with only one person, it makes operations unsustainable and exhausting.
Jack Ma once famously stated: "Employees leave companies for only two reasons: either the compensation isn't right, or their hearts feel wronged." Friction and setbacks are inevitable in any workplace, but for Sandy, the most crucial objective is to provide her team with a profound sense of psychological safety. She wants them to know with absolute certainty that no matter what emergency arises, she, as their manager, will always be the first to step forward and shoulder the responsibility.
"Whether it’s an idea or an experience, I will never hoard it. I want everyone to learn it. To put it simply, it’s about being entirely selfless."
"When you open your heart and share your experience, everyone learns and everyone can do a great job. It’s no longer about carrying the whole weight on your own shoulders."
Reflecting on her own transformation, Sandy shared, "I remember when I first joined GMC, my DISC personality test result was a 'Koala.' But when I took it again recently, I found out I had turned into a 'Peacock!'" Years of grinding and polishing have transformed Sandy from a steady, low-profile Koala into a proactive, expressive, and sharing-oriented Peacock. With eyes soft yet resolute, Sandy said, "The moment you need to step up, speak out, or make decisions, you realize you can no longer be who you used to be." Having the courage to embrace new responsibilities and learn from scratch through one challenge after another has built the person she is today. The Sandy standing before us seems to be shining from within.
Spending over a decade at the same company, burnout is inevitable. Sandy admitted, "But the magical thing is, every time I start to feel a sense of stagnation, a brand-new mission naturally appears." Every new role presents a fresh learning opportunity. Embracing breakthroughs and thriving on the excitement of new assignments, Sandy shared enthusiastically:
"The company doesn't just treat you as a permanent little cog in a machine; it truly wants everyone to advance and grow together."
"GMC is a company that is genuinely willing to share its business fruits," Sandy noted. She explained that some companies hand out fixed bonuses regardless of their profit margins. GMC, however, takes a different approach: during market downturns, it guarantees the bonuses employees deserve, and when profits soar, it shares those gains generously with the team. "Beyond providing financial security for our livelihoods, the managers are incredibly open to sharing their own experiences, guiding employees to move forward alongside the company." Whether it is the tangible rewards (bonuses) or the intangible legacy of management experience, these factors serve as Sandy's core motivation to stay at GMC. Yet, setting company perks aside, meeting the "right people" is equally paramount.
"I believe the workplace and team culture are absolutely critical! No matter how great or easy a job is, or how strong my capabilities are, if the team dynamic or the people around me aren't right, I wouldn’t be able to stay," Sandy laughed.
"People matter so much! I always tell myself that it would be incredibly hard to find another group of accountants as beautifully crazy as this team in any other company, haha."
To Sandy, every encounter at GMC is a precious, once-in-a-lifetime bond.
"No matter what challenges arise, I always sit down with my team to discuss them, align on a consensus, and take our next steps forward together."
When she speaks of her team's camaraderie, her genuine affection pours through every word. Since they all happen to be early birds, the Accounting Department shares a unique, exclusive "breakfast ritual." Sandy explained, "Arriving early not only allows us to adjust our pace and map out the day's tasks, but while we eat breakfast and gear up for work, we chat about everything—projects, personal lives, and recent events."
"I think people must be willing to share. When perspectives diverge, it's perfectly fine to argue or engage in intense debate."
Everyone holds their own viewpoint, and there is no right or wrong. "This is actually an excellent way to foster team cohesion. Why would someone bring a topic to the table for discussion? It’s invariably because they believe you can offer valuable feedback, or trigger an intellectual spark through a clash of perspectives. You need that passionate response to feel inspired to invest and share!" Finding the right group of people is truly a rare stroke of luck. It is often said that the most important part of a journey is not the destination, but the company you keep—and the Accounting Department perfectly exemplifies this truth. Once a year, they make it a point to organize a wellness getaway to recharge their minds, bodies, and souls before diving back into their hard work.
When asked about the people she is most grateful for at the company, Sandy said, "I don't have one specific individual to name, because I want to thank the entire Accounting Department. I am deeply grateful to my department heads, Shirley and Yuki, for granting me the direction and the space to navigate my career path. And I am incredibly thankful to every member of the accounting team, because we have truly achieved a culture of absolute trust and mutual support."
Looking back at the countless stories spanning her 14 years at GMC, Sandy looks profoundly happy. She smiled and said, "I say thank you to the colleagues around me every single day. I truly believe that everyone needs to be encouraged and genuinely praised."
"I believe that working and living in an environment you truly love is the most important thing of all."
