[W Forum] The Power of Interpretation

Hyun Kyung Lee, Executive Director at SK Construction

Every year, like a ritual, I write down my resolutions on the first day of the new year. At work, after several meetings, we carefully set the department’s goals for the year. Whether it is a personal resolution or a performance goal at work, there are several important factors to successfully achieve them, and among them, I believe the most important is the 'power of interpretation.' How we interpret facts and situations creates fundamental differences in how we live and handle public duties. Through my considerable years of working, I have seen people interpret the same facts and situations in completely different ways, and I have observed with interest the outcomes of those interpretations, which has become my experiential rule.

Most people focus on analyzing visible facts. They analyze the current situation, take a step further to estimate potential future risks, and devise plans to overcome them. Often, the analysis itself is thorough and excellent. However, that cannot be everything. Even with the same problem, if you look from a farther distance, a higher vantage point, or a longer-term future perspective, the interpretation can be entirely different. Above all, the more you focus on the purpose, the clearer the interpretation can become.

How you interpret and accept the obstacles you always encounter on the journey to achieving your goals is also important. If you look at the stumbling blocks before you from a farther distance or a higher place, they can become stepping stones and footholds for a running start. Personally, due to painful experiences, there was a time when I had to leave for New Zealand with my three sons aged 6, 8, and 11. In my late 30s, I had to say goodbye to everything familiar and start a new life in an unfamiliar place. At that time, my heart was filled with fear and heavy responsibility.

Many might have interpreted my life as a failure. However, because of that pain, I was able to muster the courage to move to a new place, start studying law there, and raise my three sons safely in a new environment. Looking back, failure was the beginning of another success, and fear held the seed of hope. Through that experience, I learned that every crisis can be an opportunity, and every problem contains a solution. This realization has allowed me to view any phenomenon from a farther distance, a higher place, and a longer-term future perspective.

The Bible tells the story of the Israelites sending 12 spies to scout the land of Canaan, their dream land, before conquering it. The spies explored the land for 40 days and returned with completely opposite analyses. Ten of them, the majority, reported about the giants living there, seeing them as unbeatable formidable enemies, while two confidently reported victory. What created such contrasting interpretations? Why did people who saw the same land and situation predict victory or defeat so differently? I find the answer in the 'power of focusing on the purpose.' The purpose of the scouting was to report 'how beautiful and blessed the land is,' but the ten spies saw not the fertility of the land but the giants living there and returned seeing only their own insignificance. People who are unclear about their purpose in life or work tend to be overwhelmed by fear and walk the path of defeat even in situations of victory.

In the new year of 2020, many difficult news are heard. The tasks to be handled this year are by no means light. However, once again, at the starting line of the year, I tighten my shoelaces and steady my mind. I remind myself to never lose sight of the destination and to interpret the present from a farther distance, a higher place, and a longer-term future perspective.

Hyun Kyung Lee, Executive Director, SK Engineering & Construction

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.