Hankyung Association 2024 CEO Forum Lecture
Business Consultant Who Lectured at Samsung, etc.
"To Restructure, You Must Become a Strong Leader"
Kim Yong-seop, head of the Sharp Imagination Research Institute, predicted on the 13th that the trend of "restructuring" will gradually spread in the Korean business community from the second half of this year through next year.
Kim Yong-seop, Director of the Sharp Imagination Research Institute, is giving a presentation on "Future Trends" at the "2024 Hankyung CEO Jeju Summer Forum" held at Lotte Hotel Jeju on the 13th. [Photo by Hankyung]
On the same day, Kim made these remarks during a lecture at the "2024 Korea Economic Association CEO Jeju Summer Forum" held by the Korea Economic Association at Lotte Hotel Jeju in Seogwipo, Jeju Island. Kim is a consultant who has conducted seminars such as the Samsung Electronics Tech & Business Seminar and the Samsung Group 2024 Trend Special Lecture.
The lecture topic was "Future Strategies and Future Trends for Preparing Our Companies for a Major Transformation." During the 40-minute lecture, Kim noted that the trend of restructuring has been ongoing among major U.S. tech companies since the fourth quarter of 2022, and that Korea is expected to soon follow this trend.
In the fourth quarter of 2022, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, led restructuring efforts. Subsequently, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, also joined the wave of restructuring.
Among Korean companies, Kim Young-seop, CEO of KT, was cited as a leading figure in organizational restructuring. During his eight years as CEO of LG CNS, he implemented a system of annual technical exams. Despite resistance from senior employees, he enforced the system, which resulted in high performance for the company.
Kim said, "CEO Kim conducted more than 30 public hearings to overcome internal resistance and implement the system," adding, "Given that even KT, known for its lax structure, mentioned restructuring at the recent shareholders' meeting, it deserves attention."
Kim defined global management trends as "3X": Digital Transformation (DX), Artificial Intelligence Transformation (AX), and Climate Transformation (CX), diagnosing these as mega trends. He emphasized that in such transformative times, what is needed is not a "strong boss" but a "strong leader." Money is earned by talent, and talent is retained by strong leaders.
Kim explained that the recent emergence of labor unions led by employees in their 20s and 30s at large corporations is due to the lack of a fair performance reward system based on ability.
He said, "The common point of these unions is that they demand salaries based on performance evaluated by ability rather than seniority," adding, "The biggest challenge of this era is to effectively retain more capable talent."
Kim stated that successful restructuring requires a strong leader, not a strong boss. He explained that a boss gives orders, while a leader guides people. A strong boss is authoritarian, but a strong leader is competent.
Kim said, "A strong leader sees the (future) 'path,' makes bold decisions, endures criticism, and takes responsibility," concluding, "Restructuring is carried out by strong leaders, not strong bosses."
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