Leading the Company's Biggest Volume Operation

Wendy Yuan,
Sam's Club
General Manager, Shenzhen

When Wal-Mart entered the retail market in China in 1996, curiosity led Wendy Yuan to present her resume to the Company.

"Wal-Mart is a famous, multinational company. It grew from a small discount store to one of the world's top 500 enterprises within several decades. When the Company entered my country, I wanted to know how it had become so successful, what life was like for its associates, and how Wal-Mart would affect China's retailing market," Wendy says.

Wendy quickly found the answers she was looking for as she was hired to join the Company as a membership associate. Thirteen years — and nearly a dozen different positions — later, Wendy is now a Sam's Club General Manager in Shenzhen, leading a team of more than 700 associates and the biggest volume operation in the Company. She compares her GM role to that of a teacher, which she says fulfills her need to affect others with her knowledge, character and charm.

"A teacher has to have plenty of experience, excellent abilities to communicate and to lead, and the courage to help others to find their passion. As a General Manager, I am challenged with doing all of these things for my associates as we work closely and honestly to accomplish sales, profit, cost control and other objectives. We proudly share, as a team, all of the accomplishments we receive. That makes me proud," Wendy says.

Though the retail industry is full of challenges and unpredictable changes, Wendy says she thrives on the competition because it ultimately forces her to keep learning — and keep teaching.

"The more challenges the job has, the more accomplishment you will get," Wendy says.

This certainly is the case for her team of associates. In the past four years, they have accumulated many achievements, including consecutive record sales among all of the global stores. And there are many more challenges ahead that Wendy looks forward to facing.

"I love Wal-Mart and I love this job. I'm never planning to leave," Wendy says.