Sophie Fang, the Editor-in-Chief of EMBA magazine, shared the three keys about 40 years of exclusive interviews with the world’s top thinkers and corporate CEOs.
“Why do we always wait for others to translate knowledge from abroad, rather than asking the world’s leading thinkers directly?” With this original intention in mind, Sophie Fang, the Editor-in-Chief of EMBA Magazine, gave a talk to her alma mater, National Chengchi University, on June 3rd. Under the title “A World Curiosity: My Journey with Global Thinkers,” she shared her 40-year career in media with students.
Sophie Fang graduated from the Department of English at National Chengchi University. For the past 40 years, she has focused exclusively on magazine reporting and writing, having worked for only two companies which are EMBA Magazine and CommonWealth Magazine. EMBA Magazine, where she currently works, provides strategic guidance, and helps companies enhance their competitiveness. She has interviewed over 50 global thought leaders and 300 corporate CEOs. In 2024, she compiled the highlights of those interviews into a book titled “A Magical Journey of Learning from Global Management Thinkers: 10 Master Classes in Management for Myself,” which was honored with Golden Book Award from the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
She mentioned three key factors “Ask Why Not,” “Be There,” and “Show Care” to reveal how she took her first step in her career.
Ask Why Not?
Sophie said that Taiwan had long been at a disadvantage, particularly in terms of knowledge on management. Taiwanese readers had always been “recipients,” having to wait for translated editions before they could access the knowledge. She wondered whether Taiwan was destined to remain a recipient of knowledge. Thus, she decided to take the initiative to engage with the international conferences, speaking directly with leaders and authors rather than waiting for translated versions.
In 2008, she went to San Diego to attend the ASTD International Conference, where she actively sought the opportunity to talk to speakers and authors. She explained that her strategy was to attend the world’s most influential events, which gave her the opportunity to connect with thought leaders as much as possible. Over the years, she has successfully interviewed eight of the world’s top ten management thinkers, and even during the pandemic, she continued to conduct cross-border interviews via video conferencing.
Be There
Sophie emphasized the importance of action, noting that opportunities often arose when people actively participated in events. She recalled meeting Rosabeth Moss Kanter, the legendary Harvard Business School professor she had admired, at the 2019 “Thinkers50” event. Kanter is not only a global pioneer in change management and leadership but was also selected as one of the world’s top 50 thinkers—and was one of the few women on the list at the time. Kanter received the Lifetime Achievement Award and attended the ceremony at that time. Sophie seized the opportunity to ask if she would be available for an online interview in the future, and Kanter agreed. This experience made Sophie realize the importance of action.
During that interview, Professor Kanter also mentioned the concept of “Activist Optimism” and offered the advice: “When you can’t solve a big problem all at once, you can start with small actions.”
Sophie mentioned that the 2017 Learning Conference in Orlando provided her with countless connections and new perspectives. She encouraged young students in the audience: “Put yourself in the room.” Only then will opportunities notice you.
Show Care
Looking back on her first interview with management guru Tom Peters when she was 20s years old, Sophie admitted that she was extremely nervous and intimidated at the time because he was so famous and an expert. However, she gained more experience when she realized that no matter how great a person may be, they were ordinary people, and they all had their own stories, backgrounds, and challenges.
She shared a particular interview she conducted with Marshall Goldsmith. Facing this famous American author, she could not hide her nervousness. Unexpectedly, Goldsmith interrupted her at the start of the interview, he gently guided her through deep breathing exercises to relax. He even sang a song, instantly defusing the serious atmosphere of the interview. This experience made Sophie deeply realize that the essence of an interview is “a sincere connection between people.”
Stay optimistic and enjoy your work
Based on her 40 years experiences of interviewing, Sophie found that the top thinkers all shared one key trait: “maintaining an optimistic attitude.”
In an interview with Ford CEO Alan Mulally, he told her, “There is nothing to worry about! Work is fun. We come together to identify problems, brainstorm solutions, and solve them as a team. Isn’t that the fun part?”
