[W Forum] Virtues of a Leader

I noticed my cherished junior’s face was unusually bright, so I asked if something good had happened. With a clear smile, I received the reply that they had become the team leader this time.

"Now you won’t have to stay up all night taking orders via SNS late at night or on holidays anymore." Knowing my junior’s outstanding ability to handle work diligently, I sent my heartfelt congratulations with joy.

Since they were the last among our colleagues to become a team leader, they expressed worries and asked for advice. Before I could feel embarrassed by the grand word “advice,” words suddenly slipped out: "How about a team that works hard during work hours and leaves on time?" Having watched that junior work tirelessly day and night for quite a while, it seemed like a pretty good motto fitting the modern era that emphasizes work-life harmony. Together with a friend who accompanied me, we eagerly shared our thoughts. "The workplace should be enjoyable, for both the team leader and the team members." "But who will you be working with? You need to understand the members well and adjust tasks so that everyone can fully demonstrate their abilities within the team."

The more we talked, the more I felt that my cherished junior’s sense of responsibility for the position outweighed the joy of becoming a leader. A leader is not merely someone who gives orders but someone who guides team members to achieve their best results. They must be a “leader worth learning from” with excellent work performance, and carefully identify each team member’s strengths to maximize their potential. Tasks should be allocated accordingly, and encouragement should be given to ensure abilities translate into results. Even if some team members show abilities in multiple areas, the workload should not be overly concentrated on them. Meanwhile, special care must be taken to prevent the team’s atmosphere from becoming unsettled due to work or interpersonal issues. The virtues of a leader are multidimensional and cannot be explained by a single word.

When I returned home, I revisited the story of 'Sejong’s Jeoksollyeok'?the leadership described in the Annals of King Sejong that I encountered a few years ago. The contents of leadership, which had been dissected and categorized in numerous workshops and booklets, were perfectly expressed in 52 four-character idioms, and they resonated even more deeply at this moment.

In particular, the parts about leaders who work together with the people to create a vibrant workplace (與民可矣 生生之樂, Yeomin Gaeui Saengsaengjirak), who engage in fierce debate and recognize achievements (終日討論 若非此人, Jongil Toron Yakbichain), who must execute without fail (君亦郭氏, Gunyeok Gwaksi), and who sincerely take the lead (誠心迪率, Seongsim Jeoksoll) stood out to me. Among these, Seongsim Jeoksoll emphasizes the leader’s attitude of leading by example, and the derived term 'Jeoksollyeok' is said to be a Sejong-era expression that can replace the foreign word “leadership.” Reflecting on this, I was reminded anew that 600 years ago, we had a leader who perfectly embodied all these virtues, which is why, in addition to world-class science and writing at the time, Korea achieved outstanding accomplishments in almost every field including music and medicine.

It has already been about a month since I met my junior. I am curious whether they have realized the proud ancestors’ Seongsim Jeoksoll and Saengsaengjirak, making the workplace a joyful place for all team members. I will ask them when we meet this weekend.

Baek Hyunwook, Director, Biomedical Research Center, Department of Clinical Nutrition, Bundang Jesaeng Hospital