[K-Women Talk] The Qualities of Successful Talent in Global Companies Shared from the Field

Key Keywords: Proactive Ownership
Greater Emphasis on Communication and Collaboration
Value Creation and Excellence as Promotion Criteria

Munsun Kyung, Executive Director at Unico Search

What does it mean to be good at work? As a headhunter, I hope that those who are hired not only have successful careers but also adapt well and gain recognition within their companies. While preparing for a recent public lecture, I had the opportunity to interview three HR executives from the finance, distribution, and manufacturing sectors about the qualities of talent that succeed in global companies. The key keywords they unanimously mentioned were proactive ownership, communication and collaboration, and value creation and excellence (add value & above and beyond).

First, what does proactive ownership mean? Jokingly, it means not passively waiting for the boss to assign tasks aggressively. A person who thinks proactively about what needs to be done, with whom, and from whom they can get help, and then executes accordingly, is someone who works well. It is important to have a strategic mindset that proposes ideas to the boss if necessary and collaborates with related organizations. Even juniors are not allowed to make minor mistakes such as errors in numbers. Since juniors are the ones who see the most details, lacking concern for their work is seen as a lack of proactive ownership.

Communication and collaboration issues are among the common difficulties faced by those who have moved between foreign and domestic companies. While they may have been evaluated as good communicators in their previous organizations, they might receive different evaluations in a changed environment. Unlike Korea’s vertical organizations, most foreign companies have matrix organizations, so it is necessary to collaborate with multiple stakeholders and become accustomed to matrix reporting, not just satisfy a single direct boss. This is why communication and collaboration are emphasized even more in global companies.

Value creation and excellence refer to the criteria for promotion. Doing assigned tasks well leads to high evaluations and good bonuses. However, to be promoted, one must not only complete assigned tasks with high quality but also actively show potential by taking on tasks in other areas. Continuously thinking about and contributing to the organization’s value creation is important.

Additionally, speak up was emphasized. While quietly doing one’s work is good, expressing opinions is necessary. You may have heard of elevator talks. For self-promotion, no matter whom you meet, you should know well what work you are doing and how it contributes to the organization, and be able to talk about it?of course, without being annoying.

As one advances to senior levels, the ability to influence the organization becomes important. Influence is needed to get things done amid complex work environments and stakeholders, and presence as a leader and reputation within the company are crucial. Reputation is built on work performance accumulated since junior days.

For juniors, it was advised to think about what they want to learn and which areas they want to contribute to. It is recommended to receive feedback from managers periodically. Of course, requesting feedback without being bothersome is also a skill.

Some keywords may reflect cultural differences between East and West or differences between vertical and matrix organizations, but most are general trends in HR evaluation that do not necessarily need to be limited to global companies. Considering the reality of companies where infinite competition and job changes are common, the opinions of these HR leaders are worth paying attention to.

Moon Seon-kyung, Executive Director at Unico Search