[Book Sip] Samsung Electronics President's 'What Is Work?'

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After joining Samsung Electronics as a regular employee in 1984, Ko Dong-jin, former CEO and President, held key positions such as head of the European research center, head of product planning, and head of development. He led Samsung Electronics' mobile business to world-class status with differentiated products and services. Despite not having attended a prestigious SKY university and deciding to start working immediately after graduation due to a difficult family situation, he steadily climbed the ranks through his unique diligence, unparalleled passion, and relentless effort, eventually becoming president?a remarkable success story. Above all, by unveiling innovative technologies such as foldable smartphones for the first time in the world, he created a new turning point for the Galaxy brand and is recognized as a key figure in the "Galaxy success legend." Here, he introduces the so-called "Champion's Rules," which he learned and practiced over 38 years at Samsung, covering what work is, why we work, and how to work.

Determining who is responsible is a matter that arises mostly after the fact. It involves holding someone accountable after a problem has occurred. However, punishing the responsible party does not undo what has already happened. The important thing is to prevent problems from occurring in the first place?that is, risk management. The question "Who is the champion?" asks who oversees the whole, anticipates problems, detects risks in advance, and responds accordingly, and who completes the work to produce results. - From 〈03 Samsung Asks, "Who is the Champion?"〉

Creativity does not only mean creating something out of nothing. In work, creativity means presenting a new direction by gathering opinions from related people and organizations at a turning point or inflection point to achieve a certain outcome. Sitting at a desk and just "imagining" is useless. To change direction, the voices from the field are necessary. Here appears the first secret of creativity, the "foot." The creativity of a good worker comes not from the "head" but from the "feet." By going out in the field, seeing, listening, and analyzing directly, one can find groundbreaking solutions that would not have come up by just thinking hard in the office. - From 〈04 The Secret of Creativity: "Foot" and "Clue"〉

I believe that "work-life balance" is absolutely necessary. However, my idea of work-life balance differs somewhat from the usual definition. For me, work-life balance means "investing both work and life in a balanced way to achieve desired goals." In other words, not only at the company but also at home, not only while working but also when not working, thinking about, pursuing, and striving for goals?that was my work-life balance. In fact, I find it somewhat strange to separate "work" and "life." We live by working, and we work to live. Work and life are not separate entities that can be considered independently; they inevitably go together as one set. - From 〈05 How Far Will You Go?〉

Since joining Samsung in 1984 and going through the ranks from employee to executive, I have never thought it was hard. Not because I had outstanding abilities or started working in a powerful department. I simply thought, "Ah, this is a bit uncomfortable. But it will pass," whenever something came up and pushed through. I rarely say "I am anxious." Instead, I say "I am uncomfortable." Anxiety is a vague feeling without substance, but discomfort is a problem that can be improved. It is just a little uncomfortable and can get better depending on effort, but if you say you are anxious and struggle, it becomes harder to find a solution. - From 〈09 Don't Confuse "Discomfort" with "Anxiety"〉

What is Work | Written by Ko Dong-jin | Minumsa | 308 pages | 18,000 KRW

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