Leading Women: It is important to lead by example

As part of our Leading Women series, we highlight the professional challenges and career aspirations of the women we work with. 

In this story, Wang Li, Senior Vice President of Eli Lilly, talks about how she led her team to various success, such as revamping the clinical operating model, and handling the reform of China's pharmaceutical policies. 

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What qualities do you think are most important in leadership?   

When it comes to leadership, I think that four qualities matter most.   

Firstly, as a team leader, you must have a clear organisational goal, which is recognised by your team as well as yourself, that we all want to work for and achieve together.   

The second important quality of a leader is to do it yourself and set an example for the team members. Only in this way can the team members feel that they are not alone. Therefore, “setting a good example” is a crucial quality.

Thirdly, as a leader, you not only need to do things together with the team, but also ignite the team, unleash your team’s potential and maximise their talents and contributions.

And finally, you, the leader, have an obligation to let your team members be successful, let them realise their potential and let their performance transform into career success. And then personal career success will also transform into the cultivation of the whole team. In this way, you can work, lead and build a team seamlessly, taking the leading role.

This is an abridged version of the full interview with Wang Li. For the full version of the interview, click here.