[One Thousand Characters a Day] 'Great Speeches of the World' - Son Jeong-ui

Editor's NoteAsia Economy provides daily 1,000-character transcription content for readers of the 'One Day Ten Thousand Steps, One Day One Thousand Characters' newsletter. The transcription content is carefully selected according to daily and monthly themes from Eastern and Western classics, Korean literature, famous columns, and notable speeches. Today’s excerpt is from a speech by Masayoshi Son, Chairman of SoftBank Group, at the '2015 Event for New Graduates.' It is featured in by Kim Yang-ho, Director of the Korean Language and Culture Institute (Ph.D. in Education). The text contains 1,037 characters.

Masayoshi Son, Chairman of SoftBank Group

What determines the value of a company? It is 'challenge and evolution.' I will share my five personal secrets to evolution.

The first secret is 'Choose the mountain to climb.' If you choose the wrong mountain, it will be a big problem. Whether a magnificent view awaits at the top or a cliffside path leading to a fall?that is, setting your purpose in life determines half of your life. This is my belief.

The second secret is 'Think until your brain bursts.' After graduating from university, I spent a year and a half deeply considering what kind of business to start in Japan, and in 1981, I founded 'Japan SoftBank Corporation.' Those of you here must think about the company you will join in the next six months to a year and your future life. The brain becomes more active the more you think. Not only for employment but also in life, thinking until your brain bursts is important.

The third secret is 'Don’t chase the times; read the times, prepare, and wait.' In the early 1990s, when the internet spread worldwide, I invested in 'Yahoo,' which had just started in Silicon Valley, USA. I persuaded them to create a joint venture, and in 1996, we established 'Yahoo Japan Corporation.' However, at that time, Japan’s telecommunications industry was monopolized by NTT. While appealing to the government for deregulation, I personally launched the high-speed internet service 'Yahoo BB' in 2001. You must not simply follow the times.

The fourth secret is 'Gather people who share your purpose.' To achieve something revolutionary, you need colleagues who share your vision. True colleagues are those who correct you when times are bad. Due to the Lehman Shock, SoftBank almost went bankrupt. At that time, the financial director insisted on holding on. Thanks to that, SoftBank rose to become the second largest in the country and was able to recover splendidly.

The fifth secret is 'Choose the righteous path even on rugged roads.' That is, when you must choose between 'profit' and 'righteousness,' do not hesitate to choose 'righteousness.'

- Kim Yang-ho, (Vision Korea, 19,800 KRW)