December 13th, 2004
I just read a news.com interview with Kim Ssang Su, CEO of LG. It was a real eye-opener.
Read his personal website for an insight into real leadership. His ideas, words, and communication with LG employes are a model for combining innovation with the kind of dedication and persistence needed to achieve ambitious goals. A quick perusual of company communications from the CEO also provides insight into the dramatic difference between how leaders with Asian cultural backgrounds differ from western leaders in similar positions.
Regardless of cultural differences, I cannot help but contrast Kim’s style and ideas with those of similar CEOs in American companies. While he speaks of exciting and socially beneficial exploration of new territory, many American CEOs words read like attack plans for war on competitors with little or no regard for the consequences of such thinking on thier customers.
December 10th, 2004
I am now creating a new, exciting company.
At 47, it is tempting for me to think that I have seen many companies come and go, that "conventional wisdom" and accumulated common-sense may guide me to make the company a good one. I want the company to have innovative products and management, and keep looking for "innovative ideas" about managing start-ups and corporations.
But, the more I read, the more I learn that the world of management and start-ups is filled with so much voodoo. In the end, I do not think there are any new, innovative ways to create companies, just old steadfast principles that work.
I recently read "Will and Vision" by Tellis and Golder (get it at amazon). If you think that technology companies win by "being first" and by "creating technologies that sell themselves" read this book. Through extremely objective research and exposition, Tellis and Golder debunk almost every "innovative first" you can think of in the business world, revealing that those we thought were "the first" or "the best" were actually latecomers to their industries who, through diligence and passion, went the last mile and didn’t give up while the true inventors never quite made a business of their idea. It’s refreshing to think that it’s never too late to create a great company, and that hard work, persistence, and belief in a well-thought-out plan is not only workable, but has been proven effective time and time again.
