[SSG nudge Leadership] Communication and EX-Communication, Speech and Ripple Effect

-The Subtle Difference Between Expulsion and Dismissal from an Organization

Changwook Park, CEO of Korea Knowledge Leader Association (Secretary General of Daewoo World Management Research Association)

When conducting interviews or giving lectures, I sometimes ask this question: "Suppose you have one 10,000 won bill in your right pocket and ten 1,000 won bills in your left pocket. If you have to give someone 10,000 won, or if someone asks you for 10,000 won, which should you give? The single 10,000 won bill, or the ten 1,000 won bills?"

Almost everyone chooses one of the two. The reasons vary: because it’s simpler, or because it’s thicker... one bill or ten bills... But everyone chooses based on their own criteria.

The answer I initially thought of is "Give according to what the other person needs." Preferences may differ depending on the person, such as preferring a thick bill or thin bills. They might keep it themselves or share it with their nephews and nieces. Yesterday, one bill might have been better to keep in the wallet, but now, while driving and needing change for tolls, ten 1,000 won bills might be more useful.

This is a different meaning of customer satisfaction. Even though people make a fuss about surveys, consumer research, and trend studies, they find it difficult to directly ask the person right in front of them. When dealing with others, just "quickly" open the conversation and ask the person directly.

This should be done from two perspectives: marketing and leadership. As income rises and the amount of information increases, it becomes necessary to cater to more individualized needs. A diverse lineup of products or services becomes necessary. For example, starting from producing and supplying refrigerators with different capacities, now it has evolved into marketing more segmented products like kimchi refrigerators, wine refrigerators, and cosmetics refrigerators.

Convincing people to be on your side, leading employees to achieve results, or teaching students to produce learning outcomes?none of these should be done by leading everyone with one method or one direction. Now, leadership must be exercised by individualizing and understanding each person's needs to achieve results.

To do that, you have to open your mouth. Over the years, thanks to Confucian-style education, opening one’s mouth has been difficult. People felt awkward even speaking to superiors or subordinates at work, or to nearby cooperating departments. Even at schools they attended to learn, asking questions to professors or teachers was burdensome.

Opening your mouth to ask and answer is called "communication." Throughout my career in personnel management, I have closely observed the difference between those who achieve results and those who are excluded. The turning point is communication. Society, industry, and companies operate as systems with vast role divisions, so communication with stakeholders and customers in all directions is essential.

Being expelled from an organization is called dismissal in companies, and in political or religious organizations, it is called "pamon (破門)." In English, it is "ex-communication," meaning exclusion from conversation. Not opening your mouth is like ex-communicating yourself.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become very difficult to read others through facial expressions or eye contact. Now is the time when we must speak to understand each other. Don’t assume the other person thinks like you. If you want to survive and take on meaningful challenges, just "quickly" open your mouth and say, "Which do you prefer?"

Park Chang-wook, CEO of Korea Knowledge Leader Association (Secretary General of Daewoo World Management Research Association)

◆ What is 'Nudge Leadership'?

- 'Nudge Leadership' is not about coercive or directive oppressive methods, but about leading organizational or personal change through small and gentle interventions or motivation. It also means improving human relationships through small changes in oneself and transforming into someone others want to follow. Ultimately, it breathes creativity and passion into organizations or relationships, creating new value and happiness.