[Career compass] 'You can only succeed by making others successful'

Readers have requested interviews with successful individuals about their career journeys. For this column, I had the pleasure of interviewing Park Hee-je, managing director of Kohler Novita Korea, a leading global bathroom products company. Park began his career in marketing at P&G Korea, later moving on to eBay and Philips. His professional journey has taken him to Japan, Thailand and Vietnam, gaining valuable experience in each location. I have immense respect for Park's leadership, growth mindset, and warm-hearted approach to organizational development. Below is the interview.

Q. As the managing director of Kohler Novita, what is the best part of your job?

A. Seeing the organization grow and transform is incredibly rewarding. My favorite quote is, "You can only succeed by making others successful." The best gift I can offer is to help people grow both professionally and personally by providing opportunities and coaching them. Though I've only been in this role for a year and a half, I already see my team growing more vibrant and innovative, which truly makes my day. My vision is to create a vibrant, performance-driven organization with high energy.

Q. What were you like as a new hire? If you could turn back time, what would you do differently?

A. Wow, my first six months were a disaster. I was an associate brand manager struggling to draft a sampling proposal. Everyone else seemed to excel, and I was afraid to talk to my boss, avoiding her completely. After six months, tired of hiding, I forced myself to say hello to my boss every morning. This simple step broke the vicious cycle. Instead of worrying, I asked for help and began making progress. If I were a new hire again, I'd still struggle, but I'd be confident, admit what I don't know, and ask for help -- that's true courage.

Q. You are well-known for your collaborative leadership style. Do you have any tips on building great relationships at work?

Thank you for saying that. My principle is “Seek to understand before being understood,” and I practice two things daily. First, active listening and empathizing. I listen with genuine curiosity, ask clarifying questions and rephrase and summarize as needed. This helps me understand others' perspectives and avoid rushing to conclusions. Second, I say only what I genuinely believe. I internalize my thoughts and convince myself so that when I speak, I mean it. This approach helps me “walk the talk” and stay consistent.

Q. When faced with difficulties, how did you overcome them?

A. I often tell people that if a problem were easy, it would already be solved. During Covid, I had a big supply crisis in Vietnam. My strategy was to break down the big challenge into smaller, manageable problems and separate them into digestible buckets. I learned that keeping a big challenge intact can paralyze the team due to its scale and complexity. By breaking it down, I could assess what was within my control and solve the problems.

Q. Your overseas experiences in Japan, Thailand and Vietnam are impressive and you’ve mentioned you learned a lot. What was the biggest lesson?

A. The most valuable lesson I learned was broadening my perspective. While it is challenging, and perhaps nearly impossible, to fully integrate into a foreign society, working overseas taught me to understand different viewpoints. Japan was my first overseas assignment, which prepared me for my subsequent five years in Thailand and three years in Vietnam. These experiences honed my leadership style and strengthened my organizational development skills, both of which are crucial for my role as managing director.

Q. What advice would you give someone considering leaving their current job to search for a new career?

A. Not an easy question for me, as I'm not someone who plans my career path far in advance. Wherever you are, strive to be a better you compared to who you were yesterday. My advice is to prioritize learning when making decisions, rather than focusing on positions or titles. This helps you stay true to yourself rather than worrying about how others perceive you. Remain open to new experiences both within the company and outside of it; you’ll find fulfillment in those learning opportunities.

Kim Jooyoun, an independent board member at SK Innovation and a former CEO at P&G, answers questions on careers and multinational companies. She can be reached at kimjy2025@outlook.com. -- Ed.