Translator: Jacqueline Radisich Reviewer: apocalypse X
Actually, during my career
I have experienced that this world
creates a corridor for all of our lives.
It has two sides both with all different types of doors.
Some you just skip past, just like I have.
Some doors we cannot open. Some we will open and walk through.
In my experience, after opening the door, there are generally two outcomes.
The first is that you like what's there, the second is that you don't, right?
If you like it, you will hold onto it, I'm talking about myself here.
I would hold it, develop it, cherish it.
If I don't like it, if I cannot stand it, I will try to change it.
At least that's what I've done up until today.
So to all our young friends here,
I suggest that you think of three things that you don't like,
then, think of a way to change them.
However, don't think of them now, right now you've got to listen to me.
(audience laughs)
Today our topic is 'Big Bang'.
In my life I've gone through many Big Bangs,
including three global recessions
and 12 years experience working in China.
My first Big Bang was during university.
My family was broken I almost left school.
This forced met to get scholarships and work part-time to pay
my school fees and living expenses.
There is a saying: "Pie in the sky."
I experienced this at 18 years old.
So, I relied on my strength and finished my studies.
I didn't think I would face my second Big Bang afterwards.
After I graduated, the world was faced with an oil crisis.
My salary was cut by 50% due to inflation.
I changed jobs three times
during my first year in the trade industry.
I realized that we must find work based on our interest.
At the time I was most passionate about news
with advertising coming second.
So, I sent out heaps of resumes, took so many tests,
and trained myself but I was unable to get into news.
Afterwards, I stepped into the advertising world
as an English assistant.
I began my advertising career by handing out business cards
out the front of American universities, looking for models,
organizing conference rooms, going to printing houses,
and using magazine cutouts for stickers
In 1985 I entered into Ogilvy Taiwan.
In 1990 I was working for them in London.
That year, London went into recession.
There were huge layoffs, luckily I managed to keep my job.
But it made me, a workaholic,
realize the importance of an independent life.
I came in work in China in 2003
and was hit by another Big Bang. This one was called 'SARS'.
Do you remember? If you do, you must be around my age.
(audience laughs)
During that Big Bang
all business came to halt, aside from the selling of face masks.
All business stopped.
I thought, wow, how awful.
So, I took the opportunity
to lead, to organize a team, to fight and re-organize my department
and went through the most difficult year I have experienced in China.
Then in 2008
during the Beijing Olympics
the company was doing well.
We were really growing, I was quietly very happy.
It was all smooth-sailing.
In 2009,
the Global Financial Crisis happened.
I thought, how could I be so unlucky?
The result was
through our unrelenting efforts,
we released a little book of our international experience.
Then, we gave our clients
a way to deal with the economic downfall
and went through this tough period together with them.
I remember the manager Peter Truckers once said
people can only be considered mature
once they have gone through three global recessions.
Based on his theory,
I am overripe.
(audience laughs)
I always tell my younger friends
no matter what field you're in,
whatever work you're up against,
even if it's minuscule, you never want to refuse it.
Because you don't know what opportunities lie on the other side of it.
You don't want to turn it away
even if it's difficult
because difficulties can expand your comprehensive capabilities.
My starting point was totally rocky
and full of setbacks.
But, now I am happy that I was rejected by news
as it pushed me into advertising.
There is still another problem.
Often, in our lives
especially in the different choices we face in our professional lives,
is whether we want to be a 'prime minister' of a big country
or a 'king' of a small country.
These are my definitions:
International companies and large scale enterprises
are big countries.
You are a management professional.
A small country is where you create your own business
and where you are the boss.
My experience has been like this:
To be a 'prime minister',
kind of like myself,
you get to increase your knowledge
and expand your horizons.
The downside is you that have a lot of 'relatives'.
The reporting system is very complicated.
You're all nodding your heads, right?
In a 'small country', you are the boss.
You decide everything.
Neither of these are right or wrong,
they're just different choices.
You can first be a prime minister, then decide to be a king.
I think, in the past few years
technology has forced many industries to transform themselves,
including advertising.
Technology has also produced a lot of young CEOs.
I have 10 business cards at the moment,
7 of them are from babyfaced people
with 'CEO' written on their card.
A science fiction writer once said
"The future is already here -
it's just not evenly distributed."
I think that older people
who don't
keep up with current events,
those who are unwilling to change and stick to their old ways,
those who say 'over my dead body' to the idea of technology
will be phased out.
So, if you're a little older
you can relax a little.
Yeah, listen closely.
The young people in the crowd, be patient.
Don't worry, I won't prattle on.
If these two groups of people can learn from each other and integrate,
I believe that Taiwan will have a better society because of it.
Do you agree?
(crowd)
(applause)
To young people,
the night is still young, right?
So, you don't want to undervalue yourself because of hardship.
Time is actually on young people's side.
If an ordinary person with no background like me
could overcome so much bad luck
and difficulties,
then I believe everyone sitting here can.
When facing the future
I think everyone should have an open mind
and work together
to be a 'connector' to the digital age.
I believe this will open doors for you, give you strength
and then nothing will stop you.
In regards to facing the future
I made an 'ATM'
and then added a debit card.
It's called 'Life's wealth debit card'
The numbers are all '8', as you can see.
They're all the same.
This card has a PIN.
which is 'ATM'.
A
I suggest you use 'and' to connect
and get rid of 'either/or' thinking.
Now 'and' has actually made me-
I actually took many classes at university that were helpful in during my career.
After going into advertising,
I also gained a lot of professional knowledge and experience.
I didn't refuse lessons from anyone, so I gained a comprehensive skill set.
Steve Jobs
said in his autobiography
that so many people said how great he was, and praised him for his creativity.
Modest guy, right?
He said: 'I'm not innovative, I just take what I've learned, what I've seen
and what I know and put it all together.'
For me, this is the meaning of 'and'.
So, I suggest that you all use 'and' to connect all of your starting points
and become an all-rounder.
Target
Whatever you're doing at any stage in life
you can always set a clear goal for yourself.
I suggest to you all that you go the extra mile.
If you make your goal higher
you will jump higher and your posture will be a little better.
I'll give an example.
In 2003, when I went to Mainland China
the company had a five year plan
and had set three goals for growth.
Nowadays, this seems like nothing
but back in China twenty years ago
I felt like I had just joined a gang.
Then, our international CEO came to China and saw our five year plan.
He thought it was a special type of Chinese optimism.
Nobody believed in it and nobody grasped it.
For me, aside from setting my goal, my very idealistic goal,
including the company's work, culture,
employee satisfaction and work environment.
In 2007
we achieved three times our target.
That year I was promoted to the CEO of China, Aomen and Macao.
We created a second five year plan.
In 2001, the Aomen office became the third largest worldwide.
Actually, I think our measurable growth
doubled
but our increase in quality is never-ending.
So if we focus on improving our quality and output
we will always be unsatisfied.
An individual's goals are actually the same.
You need to set an aim,
a measurable aim
to make you look further.
The higher the quality of something,
the more it will force us to use our skills.
By putting equal stress on quality and output, you will never be satisfied.
Continuing, there is M.
Maybe the third password.
Some may think of Money,
which isn't wrong.
But for me, what's more important, more valuable than money
is morals, one's character.
In ancient times they said to first establish your morals,
then your achievements, then your perspective.
Morality is the basis of your conduct.
As long as you have morals
then you are a strong and disciplined person.
If your achievements and perspective have no basis in morality
then they are actually a mirage,
there's no way they will last.
A long time ago, I read a book
written by a German philosopher.
A really big book called 'The Human Condition'.
There was a sentence within:
One's character forms when others cannot see.
I believe that everyone has a 'ruler' of sorts.
You navigate your morality with this ruler.
I suggest that everyone follows their conscience.
Decide what's right after opening the door
then do all you can to do things right.
In this time of cloud data
you will leave traces everywhere you go.
Good moral character will create a good reputation.
I think we all should determine the bottom line
and not cross over it.
Some things we can do, some we can't.
Today I shared my 'ATM' with you.
'And' is for you to connect.
'Target' makes you jump higher.
M, 'Moral' is your reputation.
This way you can utilize the breadth, height and depth of your achievements.
I don't know how many more doors I have to knock on in this life
but I know that I will still approach them bravely.
I welcome you all to do the same.
After you've opened the door,
see what you like
cherish it,
develop it.
See what you don't like
and if you can't stand it, change it.
I hope we all create a wonderful life.
Thank you.
(applause)