Grace Ueng: Asking life’s important questions

Editor’s Note: Grace Ueng is CEO of Savvy Growth, a leadership coaching and management consultancy founded in 2003. Her great passion to help leaders and the companies they run achieve their fullest potential combined with her empathy and ability to help leaders figure out their “why” is what clients value most. Grace writes a regular column for WRAL TechWire.

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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Many of you have asked to see the photos from my shoot with Annie. After being asked to hold certain dates on my calendar for an all day session in New York City, I received the news that I could “release” the dates, which in the scouting world, means they went with another “talent.” It was great fun to anticipate spending a whole day with the most acclaimed portraiture photographer in the world. She was the last person to professionally photograph John Lennon, capturing the iconic image of Lennon curled up against Yoko Ono, before he was shot and killed just five hours later.

Because of Annie, I had the opportunity to meet Eric Chang, who worked with her, and became a part of UBS’s “Asking Life’s Questions” campaign. That gave me the chance to ask Eric many questions. He described his day with Annie as “surreal, humbling, a bucket list experience, absorbing watching her, arguably the most famous photographer in the world. While the energy in a big shoot is usually on the subject, with Annie Leibovitz, the focus and energy is on her. People working for her are always looking to her for direction.”

So, you’re interviewing for a job. What’s it really like at the company?

Asking questions

My son, Nick Trombetta, and I had a chance to visit the Hellman-Chang shop when it was located in Brooklyn, and saw how their exquisitely elegant furniture is designed and handcrafted. And why noted Bay Area technology founders and NFL players order their furnishings from him. Eric Chang is arguably the most talented furniture designer in America.

I had the chance to ask Eric many questions. I synthesize our conversation into my 7 themes of Project Peak: Climbing the Mountains of Life – Business and Beyond. I derived these common sense steps from my year long study of Positive Psychology where my lead teacher Tal Ben-Shahar, the creator of Harvard’s most popular course ever, on Happiness, taught us that “common sense is not that common.”

Key to management success: Make sure you are asking right questions

Project Peak theme: You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

Eric was raised in the United States by Taiwanese parents. His mom, who he describes as the “superwoman bread winner,” taught him his work ethic. As Eric recounted his upbringing, I realized how much we had in common. There was a high level of trust in his family; he never did drugs or drank. He focused on academics and signed up for as many AP classes as possible. He pushed himself to always do his best. He had an internal struggle of needing to exceed his parents’ expectations while simultaneously thinking he never would be good enough.

Eric co-founded his first company as a junior at NYU with three friends who had also interned at an online marketing agency where they were buying/selling media online for clients. They thought they could do better themselves, so they started a company to do just that and quickly became Inc.’s 56th fastest growing company. He bought his first apartment in New York City when he was only 24. While on one hand it felt good being successful at such a young age, something was missing. It wasn’t all about the money.

Project Peak: Climbing the Mountains of Life, Business and Beyond

Happiness and success

Success doesn’t bring happiness. Happiness brings success.

He started to think of things he liked when he was younger – artistic inclinations. He was compelled to start woodworking, where he could feel passionate. It became an easy decision to start a furniture brand. He decided he wanted to leave a legacy, an interesting influence on design, and bring global credibility back to the American design industry.

After he started Hellman-Chang and received ninety one pieces of press in one year, his mom finally turned to him and said, “I’m proud of you, son.”