[One Thousand Characters a Day] The 1% Difference That Moves People <4>

Editor's NoteBaek Jin-gi, CEO of Handok, says that recognizing employees' 'potential' is an essential virtue of a leader. While it is necessary for leaders themselves to first develop job expertise, they must also have a deep understanding of people. By grasping each employee's characteristics, abilities, and performance, leaders can provide tailored growth support and motivation. High performers and low performers require different performance management, feedback and coaching, and rewards. Leaders should also care about the growth of both individuals and the organization. If they just continue doing what they have always done, talent will lose motivation. CEO Baek emphasizes, "Leaders also need feedback and coaching." Word count: 996 characters.

A business executive acquaintance once shared a story about a chairman of a large corporation who was a medical school classmate. This chairman, who was a doctor and a university professor, reluctantly took over the family business and became the chairman of a large corporation. At the time he inherited management rights, the company was recording a deficit exceeding 250 billion won. However, the following year after his inauguration, the company succeeded in turning a profit. This led to the saying, "The doctor chairman saved the patient." Since then, he has led the company and brought it into the industry's 'Big 3'.

Everyone wondered how he managed so well, and the curiosity was finally resolved during a regular external audit. It was said that the coaching and consulting costs were enormous. The external audit team even doubted, "Is it true that all these expenses were really spent on coaching?" because the amount was so large.

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The company provides coaching, but nowadays the atmosphere has changed so that employees themselves say they want to receive coaching. Rather, when a coach is assigned, they feel recognized by the company. For a long time, in global companies, it has been natural for leaders to receive coaching upon promotion. In Korea as well, coaching cases for executives across all industries are increasing tremendously. This is an encouraging phenomenon. As industries become more advanced, it has become difficult for one person to know the entire company. Claiming to know everything and needing no help is a lie. Whether internal or external, one cannot help but seek expert assistance.

Coaching is not received because of deficiency but to grow.

Do not hesitate to find and hire a coach, and do not hesitate to seek feedback; this is the way to survive.

Robert Hargrove says that those to be coached are not leaders lacking competence but so-called 'rising leaders' who will occupy more important positions in the future. Companies have employees receive coaching as an investment to generate more profits in the near future. From an investment perspective, investing in leaders who are currently successful and have high growth potential yields much higher returns than investing in leaders who are the opposite. So, the question is: Who will you invest in?

- Baek Jin-gi, The 1% Difference That Moves People, Mirae's Chang, 18,000 won

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