I was born in the middle of Typhoon Gloria in 1957 and spent my early childhood in Kowloon’s Walled City, which at the time was an extremely poor and densely populated enclave of Hong Kong. The room I shared with my parents and five siblings was about one hundred square feet; next to our room lived the “red ladies” or prostitutes, and on the other side, the heroin addicts. Yes, there was crime and poverty; but there was also grit, hope, and community. Thanks to my mother’s efforts, we were able to enter a housing lottery and moved to Hong Kong’s first public housing estate when I was two years old. When I was five, I helped my aunt and sister in a factory that made plastic flowers, which was Hong Kong’s main export at the time.

As the youngest girl, with a brother after me, I was also considered the least significant in Chinese culture. My mother told me that a childless neighbor asked to take me as her own when I was a baby, yet my mother would never give up any of her children. My gender and harsh childhood did not make me bitter; I grew up in the most loving family. My mother always told us, “Where you were born should not determine nor define your future. It is up to us.”

When I came to HBS I was overweight, shy, and spoke very little English. I was there because my boyfriend encouraged me to apply with him, although I was a biology major and had no interest in business. When I was accepted and he wasn’t, he dumped me. I didn’t hit the screen at HBS, but I barely made it through. I was never quick enough with my comments in class, so I asked Professor Len Schlesinger to call on me the next day. He did, and that helped me gain confidence. HBS is where I really learned to write and speak English. That was transformative. Sometimes, it’s not about being in the top 5 percent; it’s about being good enough.

After graduation I worked in finance before transitioning to executive search, by chance, eventually serving as managing director of Russell Reynolds in Hong Kong. I then founded my own search firm, Bó Lè Associates, in 1996. Even when there was neither demand nor supply for headhunting in China, I knew the demand would come if I could help even a small percentage of the hardworking talent in China connect with foreign multinationals. By the time Bó Lè’s acquisition by a Japanese firm was finalized in 2013, the company had a network of 15 offices across Asia.

If I were to assess my personal life from an investment-return perspective, however, I would initially get an underperforming grade. I would earn a 0 out of 10 for perpetuity, for I am neither married nor blessed with children. I would suggest that another measure of generating absolute returns could be according to how much we benefit others during our lifetime. I serve on nonprofit boards and try to mentor others whenever I can, and in 2008 I created Giving Hand, which facilitates corporate giving in addition to providing capital and support to nonprofit startups.

I want to continue to fight the good fight while discovering the world with new eyes. Life doesn’t end like a book. It goes on in the hearts and lives of the people we touch, so don’t stop. With every day that passes, life gives us more that we can give others. We are the gift that keeps on giving.

Louisa Wong is executive chairperson of Global Sage, a global executive search firm. Proceeds from her 2023 memoir Women Who Chase Butterflies will be donated to Harmony House, an organization supporting survivors of domestic violence.

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