Mr. Cho Ming-lung
Our renowned alumnus Mr. Cho Ming-lung is now serving as an Assistant Commissioner in the Department of Technology and Communication of the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF). He joined the HKPF as an inspector in 1986 and has been exposed to various local and overseas training programmes at renowned institutions, including the National Strategies Program of the China Executive Leadership Academy, Pudong in 2011 and the Senior Executive Fellows Program of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University in 2013.
SCHOOL LIFE IN MUNSANG
Mr. Cho has studied at Munsang for 14 years. Looking back on his old school days, he thanked his Alma Mater for providing a favorable learning environment with excellent facilities where he met numerous unforgettable teachers and confidants in his early academic pursuit. Mr. Cho loved spending time under the Flame of the forest with his friends. He praised the stimulating learning environment that had contributed a lot to his sense of belonging to Munsang,
Serving in the HKPF, Mr. Cho gave us a surprise that Physical Education was the subject he had the least interest in. He planned to pursue his career in the education field instead of civil service. Nevertheless, being an ordinary student with little interest in sport, he managed to join the HKPF after he had finished his education and has served in the force for over 32 years until now.
Mr. Cho also confided in us that he could not have had such a fruitful time, had it not been for the generous help from Mr. Lee Kwok Kuen, who was in Ms. Cho’s mind, a strict but encouraging teacher dedicated to bringing out the best in students.
THE ASPIRATION OF A SUCCESSFUL CAREER
Talking about his aspiration of being an icon of bravery, Mr. Cho revealed that it all started from those classic cops-gangster movies. Driven by the heroic scenes in the movies, he applied for the HKPF with an ambition to uphold justice. Beyond his imagination before joining the force, the daily tasks of a law-enforcement officer are unlike what was depicted in the movies. Police officers do not face a hail of bullets every day. Most of the time, an officer has to deal with monotonic sedentary work as if those dramas are extracting the whole career of an officer into one single scene.
Mr. Cho also noted that being promoted to a higher position in civil service like HKPF, officers often have to leave from the frontline, being confined to four walls at an office. Mr. Cho, as a highly-ranked officer, is not an exception. He has to deal with many interpersonal affairs in the department and learn to develop a clear mindset on striking a delicate balance between work and personal life. He firmly believes that ones' feelings should never interfere with the judgments in work; otherwise, every decision would tarnish the professionalism of HKPF.
Keys to a Competent Leader
‘Integrity.’
Power corrupts the mind. Mr. Cho stressed that it is of utmost importance to maintain one’s integrity. With great power comes great responsibility. A lack of accountability for one's actions can have devastating effects on a leader's personal reputation and that of their organization.
‘Everyone has their own specific set of strengths and weaknesses.’
One golden rule to be a beloved leader is to understand people around you. As a senior officer, one of Mr Cho’s responsibilities is to help his teammates to improve their weaknesses and allow fair opportunities for them to showcase their strengths.
‘I am friendly, but I am not your friend.’
Mr. Cho explained that there were ample opportunities for him to make friends from different walks of life; however, meeting friends was not the mission of his duty. The required demand towards counterparts would not be lowered due to the role of friends. There should be a clear cut between personal matters and business.
‘Learn from the past.’
Coping with a multitude of demanding interpersonal businesses, Mr. Cho noticed that the incomprehensive former regulations and rules could not cover all scenarios and had little help to the discipline. He insisted that all judgment should cling to the previous rules when it could. When there were blur and unclear areas left behind, he would try his very best to make a conscious and fair treatment based on the ideology from the past, avoiding any hostility among colleagues. There was no doubt that Mr. Cho could rank in such a high position in HKPF while upholding these values and beliefs.
Best Wishes to Munsangnites
‘Life is full of different possibilities and choices.’
You never know what society needs right now, but no matter what, follow your heart and pursue your dream. Mr. Cho is the perfect example for us to look at when we are confused about the future. He took language subjects as electives in Munsang. In his tertiary education, he majored in social science, with enthusiasm to serve the community. Even though he might have little, if any, knowledge of information technology, he unleashed himself in a technology-related department. From his story, we can conclude that there should not be a reason to let our limitations crash down our dreams.
‘Be hardworking and flexible.’
There is only one thing you cannot go without if you want to succeed in any area of life, and that is hard work. In face of the ever-changing society, Mr. Cho encouraged Munsangnites to manipulate different approaches and strategies and try new things while sticking to their initial vision. Mungsangnites, be prepared to walk an extra mile and unlock your potential.
‘The future lies in embracing the world.’
Feeling optimistic about the future of Hong Kong, Mr. Cho reminded Munsangnites to liberate their hearts and minds to embrace the new opportunities in the Mainland and other countries. It is essential for youngsters to be biliterate and trilingual so that they could discover and seize every opportunity. Dare to explore, successes galore.
