DIANA CHEN’S CAREER IS REACHING NEW HEIGHTS

Diana Chen received her MBA from the Drucker School in 1996. She is Chairperson of the Board and CEO of TAIPEI 101, the world’s tallest skyscraper, located in Taiwan.

The Flame: Diana, what is your management policy?

Chen: I believe “human management” is the core of good management because it deals with real people. A good business leader should have a long-term, consistent policy to invest in human resources—that means entrusting employees with responsibility, encouraging them to grow and be creative, and allowing them to make mistakes.

The Flame: What do you do in a typical day?

Chen: I get up at around five o’clock in the morning and leave for work at seven. I take advantage of the commuting time to read local and international news. I often have a number of meetings with management teams to discuss and analyze the company’s pros and cons. We also collect a large amount of industry information to facilitate the process of decision-making. I spend lots of time communicating with colleagues and listening to their suggestions. In fact, there is no division between working hours and after-work time for me. I am thinking about work all the time. That’s because I enjoy what I am doing and am very passionate about my job.

The Flame: How did Claremont Graduate University prepare you for such an important career?

Chen: At the university, I enjoyed reading biographies of famous people. I learned from their experience and wisdom. In addition, the university taught me independence, autonomy, respect, tolerance, and teamwork. These values continue to assist me in my current job.

The Flame: Any other insights you’d like to share?

Chen: I believe that opportunity waits for those who come prepared. Therefore, I live every day to the fullest.

DAVID GORDON HAS A BIG JOB IN SMALL BUSINESS

David Gordon is a busy man. He’s the size program manager for the US Small Business Administration (SBA) in the Midwest. It’s a big job: only those with honed research and evaluation skills need apply.

“My job is to decide whether certain companies that have bid on federal government contracts are ‘small businesses’ within the meaning of the law. Tens of millions of dollars can ride on any particular contract, and the formal determinations I issue can be appealed all the way to the US Supreme Court,” Gordon said.

Gordon earned his PhD in American constitutional history in 1983 at Claremont Graduate University under the direction of the late Professor Leonard W. Levy. “I was exceptionally lucky to study with Len,” he says. “I never had a better teacher. He taught me how to write and how to think.”

While at the university, he served as assistant editor of the Encyclopedia of the American Constitution, to which he contributed more than 200 articles. After earning his law degree at the University of Wisconsin Law School, Gordon practiced corporate and securities as well as international law.

In 1991, the SBA appointed Gordon assistant regional counsel for the Midwest; he also served as special assistant US attorney for over a decade. In 2005, SBA appointed him manager of the Size Determination Program in Chicago, his current position, with jurisdiction over a dozen midwestern states. 

Gordon has had some interesting assignments during his career.

In 1998, SBA sent him to Egypt on a mission cosponsored by the US Agency for International Development to evaluate the legal and regulatory environment for small- and medium-sized businesses. “SBA is viewed as a model for countries in transition,” he said. “Most businesses in developing countries are small.”

The following year, the Romanian government and the American Bar Association called on him. “In Romania, I gave several addresses and led workshops on government regulation of small business,” he said.

A prolific writer, Gordon has also published widely in a number of professional journals, including Law and Policy in International Business and American Journal of Legal History.

Gordon’s education is a big part of his success: “Knowing how to uncover facts and how to evaluate them is a tremendous skill, and it’s one I got at Claremont Graduate University.”