Wilson Ng started helping the family business since 9 years old. Since then, he had dreamt to be a successful entrepreneur, one who starts great businesses  ( he has started 7) from scratch with insight, guts and initiative. He keeps his focus on growing the business by creating value-- not on politics, or wasteful distractions. He brings the same focus to community service, teaching, life and family.

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	Saturday, January 15, 2005

Lessons from the World's Richest Man  ( on business) One of the great things I have always thank for being in the technology industry has been our company's close partnership with companies like Microsoft, IBM, HP, Oracle, Symantec, Cisco, Veritas and the like.  Dealing with them and knowing their employees ( even how they were selected, and what they think of their companies! ) , their way of management, their way of setting goals, and all those little things for the last few years have been almost an MBA course by itself!  You also get to attend conventions in which you meet their top honchoes in the region, and also worldwide like Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, Carly Fiorina, John Chambers and the like.  Of course, many of these conventions also featured speakers on the leading edge of technology and management. I would not exchange all the lessons I've learned for anything else.  It was almost like being on a front seat and learning from some of the most innovative companies in the world, in what is probably the world's most competitive industry.   In fact, many of the principles I used to manage my own companies were practices I "borrowed" from these companies -- from the way they shape organizational behavior and corporate culture, the way they implement their corporate structure, or reward systems etc. In particular, it can give you also ideas on how the CEO personalities affect the culture and management of the organization.  For a while in the early 90s, you meet Microsoft people who were dressed in slacks and T shirts.  Then when Microsoft decided to tackle the enterprise, they start to change and it is not uncommon to see now Microsoft people in suits.  In particular, we also start to understand Microsoft's policy of hiring only super smart people, and not caring much for public relations, who become Gates' army of super smart, but not necessarily friendly geeks.  While this was cited by many as the reason for Microsoft's rise in the late 80s, these hyper aggressiveness was seen as a Microsoft liability during the dot com era. While the dot com spawned technopreneurs and heroes, Bill Gates was portrayed as a monopolist on top of an evil empire.  Even to this day, Microsoft, which have contributed much to the industry, is still portrayed as an enemy of innovation. Trust Microsoft to respond, and based on recent news, Bill Gates is undergoing a makeover -- from somebody seen as an aloof, arrogant and introverted geek to somebody who is a philanthropist more at ease with life, and with fatherhood,  and who has lightened up and more friendly. There is nothing new on this, except to stress the importance that as a top exec or  CEO, it is very important that you are correctly perceived by the press, and your people, and you are able to inject the proper values and image that you would like your company to be known for. Foremost I believe is courtesy and friendliness.  This trait would not rank high in any CEO list, but I would think this is important.   Especially in Asia, some amount of humility is still seen as a virtue. This morning, I passed by the TV while my kids was watching a cartoon.  A fighter pilot was reminding the team that he was the best pilot there is.  In which he was reprimanded by the leader who said, " There is a difference between confidence and cockiness.  When you think you are better than the rest, you will be in trouble".   Look about learning from an anime show and from the world's richest man about the basics of being friendly and amiable. No big message here, except smile more often, and be more considerate.  I close with a Chinese saying, "He who cannot smile, should not open shop."   4:53:25 PM     comment []   trackback []

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