Student Board Member Chiann-Yu Chen on Leadership and Trust

My name is Chiann-Yu Chen, and I am an international student from Taiwan studying Economics at the University of Washington. I want to share a story with you about a cold day last February, the day of FIUTS CulturalFest 2023.

They were late. Very late. After arriving at Benaroya Hall at 10 in the morning to set up for CulturalFest, I remember checking my sent emails to make sure every booth captain knew when and where to meet. Around an hour later, volunteers finally started to arrive, and I remember thinking to myself: everything’s gonna be fine. Roughly another hour and a bit later, amidst the chaos of checking in crowds of booth volunteers, telling people to come in from the back entrance for the hundredth time and making rounds to make sure every booth had settled in with everything they needed, I saw 5 empty spots. I look at the check in form. 5 countries not crossed out. I look at my watch. It was twenty minutes past the time they were supposed to be ready for the doors to open. I immediately pull out my phone and start punching numbers in. One said they were here but just couldn’t find parking. Two said they were 10 minutes away. One said they were stuck in traffic. And one didn’t even pick up. 20 stressful minutes later, four of the missing booths arrived.

The last booth team still would not pick up my calls nor respond to my email. It was 10 minutes before the doors to the expo were going to open, and I decided to take down their table. Just as I was about to ask someone to help me remove their booth, guess who arrived? Hurray! The Expo was ready to go! The doors opened, and crowds of guests entered the building to see everyone’s beautiful booths. And everything was sailing smooth after that – it was a good day.

Leadership is often associated with the ability to take charge, make decisions, and drive change. However, there are moments when circumstances are simply beyond a leader’s control. That is when a forgotten key leadership quality comes into play: trust. Trust is the cornerstone upon which effective leadership is built, and it plays a pivotal role in achieving success and fostering a harmonious work environment. As a leader, understanding the importance of trust is not just a choice; it is an obligation. As the Oxford dictionary defines, a leader is someone who leads or commands a group, organization, or country. And one can only become a leader when they are trusted by their group, for leadership is built on people’s trust in one’s decision-making and guidance. But trust is a two-way street. As a leader, one must inspire trust, but they also have to trust their team’s sense of responsibility and ability to deliver. Simply put, without trust, a leader's influence is undermined, and a team's potential remains untapped.

Reflecting on my experience at the CulturalFest Expo last year, I guess all I had to do was trust my team. In the end, they are what made the event a success, I just had to have faith in their commitment and abilities.

Trusting a team is hard, but I am grateful for the opportunity to experience this valuable lesson firsthand through FIUTS leadership programs. And I’m getting better at this important skill. As a student board member at FIUTS again this year, I’ll serve as co-chair of the CulturalFest performance committee. My committee will be in charge of selecting the best possible performers and preparing them to take the stage at FIUTS’ largest event of the year. It’s a big role, and I’m sure it will be challenging, but I look forward to the challenges and the personal growth that lie ahead. I’m already thinking of ways to build trust within the team. And I’m looking forward to the other leadership skills I’ll learn and practice in the process.

In closing, I encourage everyone here to remember the power of trust in your own leadership experiences. Trust has the potential to transform problems into triumphs, just as it did on that unforgettable day at CulturalFest. Thank you for your attention and for your support of FIUTS programs that inspire student leaders like me.

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