By Oh Young-jin
Samsung Group leader Lee Kun-hee once told his executives to change everything except for their wives and children in an all-out effort to be No. 1 in the world.
Now, as chairman of Samsung Electronics, the conglomerate’s flagship, said through an aide that his goal of becoming No. 1 has been at least partially achieved. Lee is in Las Vegas for the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
His top aide Choi Gee-sung played the role of Lee’s mouthpiece.
The vice chairman and CEO of the technology giant said that Samsung has passed Nokia in terms of sales, although is behind in terms of number of handsets sold. Samsung’s strength lies in its smartphone business, the present and future of the mobile industry, compared with Nokia, which is stuck with feature phones, failing to adjust to the change of paradigm.
Samsung was top last year in unofficial tallies in terms of the number of smartphones sold ahead of Apple. In operating profit, it is estimated to be fifth behind Apple and Microsoft.
It goes without saying that the Korean firm has come a long way from being a second-rate copycat. Now, it is competing shoulder to shoulder with Apple, MS and other global giants.
So will Lee declare mission accomplished and give his employees a pat on the back?
There appears to be no signs that he is planning to do so any time soon.
Choi said that Lee “sleeps with both eyes open” despite the firm’s stellar performances, conveying he is still anxious to achieve more.
Few would blame him for an air of self-conceitedness, even if he had said that his firm is beating Apple not just on sales but in future growth. Samsung is marketing a stream of new products, while Apple is stalling over its next iPhone. A patent war between the two is no longer heavily in Apple’s favor and it remains to be seen whether it can push its battle against Samsung and other Android-based smartphone makers with the same vigor as when Steven Jobs was alive.
All told, Samsung needs a new set of goals that may as well require Lee to declare the end of the ongoing chapter and the start of a new one.
The rub is that when Lee, told his employees to do almost everything to become the No. 1, Samsung was not at the top trying to strengthen its global position.
Now, it is there or close to being so.
As we all know, it is more difficult to have those performing well do better than encouraging those doing poorly. It is also true that a good leader gives his followers an incessant stream of challenges.
So what challenges Lee poses to his employees should be of great interest because they will one way or another greatly affect the future not only of the firm but also that of the industry.