What Is Trust and Understanding? If you were to ask me if I had any career regrets, I’d say it took me too long to realize the following: A successful team can accomplish more than any one person. So how do you define a successful team? I define it as one that provides long-term growth. Over the years, I’ve learned the fastest way to create long-term growth is by having Trust and Understanding at the center of your team-building strategy. Although “trust” and “understanding” are usually two separate words, in our business we treat them as one that work together in harmony. Trust and Understanding is the foundation of any…
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Have you ever felt trapped in a situation that you wanted desperately to get out of? Perhaps your problem was related to work, family, or a particular relationship. While you wanted your circumstances to change, you didn’t know where to start. In my case, before I started my current business, I found myself unhappy and stressed out. Meanwhile, I rejected the idea that work was supposed to be unfulfilling and unpleasant. In fact, I dreamed of loving my work. I envisioned improving my organization and the lives of those around me. Unfortunately, my koraji kept me trapped. Koraji is a Korean word and part of it means to…
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You’ve probably heard someone described as “having a big ego.” Ego in this case refers to a person’s sense of self. People with big egos think highly of themselves. Consider famous politicians, celebrities, and pro-athletes. Don’t many of them fit this description? But I use the word ego in a different way. For me, the ego is the combination of your personal background and history as well as past experiences you’ve had. Based on this definition, the ego influences the way you view others, your environment, and yourself. Your Ego and Perception Think of your ego as a pair of sunglasses you wear all the time, even indoors.…
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Have you ever thought you were a big deal, only to realize how unexceptional you really were? It happened to me. I was attending an annual meeting that brought together our company’s national sales force. At the time, I was proud of my professional accomplishments: I had built my own sales team, was well respected by my colleagues, and earned a solid income. During the meeting, I sat in the audience and saw a woman nervously approach the podium. Jane was being honored for heading the company’s top sales team. “Right out of high school, I got married,” she said to the packed auditorium, “I quit working to raise…
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If respect doesn’t exist between you and your mentor, then mentorship isn’t really taking place. In this example, mentorship is a useless description of your relationship. So what is respect? In the process of establishing my business, I’ve learned that mentorship done right requires a particular type of respect. I call it ssagaji, which is originally a Korean word and means respect for another person or organization. Ssagaji’s Origins At its core, the concept of ssagaji is based on Asian cultures that have been heavily influenced by ancient China. Most people in nations like China, Korea, and Japan hold a similar understanding of what respect means. In those countries,…
