Rating: 5 out of 5
The idea of kindness as a guiding principle could sound a bit odd, but the author has made it work. I heard about this in the Motley Fool podcast last year and the topic overall sounded interesting so I wanted to understand more.
Beyond Mr Rhee’s personal experiences which illuminated much about the best (and worst?) of American prejudices when he was young, the key really is the turn around of Ashley Stewart. It’s not unexpected that he managed to do so, for me at least, because the principles that the author outlines sound right: who wouldn’t want to work with kindness in mind towards other folks in their periphery.
Though modern so-called capitalist thinking doesn’t really suggest this in any way, human connections are the key to business just as they are in personal life. So why would someone try to act duplicitously or arrogantly in their work environment, damaging the very foundations that that environment is based on? People’s capacity to understand, if they are given the relevant facts, is pretty large, but most ‘leaders’ try to hide things, thinking that makes them somehow stronger or more powerful.
In the end what matters when push comes to shove is that it feels like you are treated as a human being. Mr Rhee’s approach to business does that, and for that I commend him. I try to follow the same path. I would recommend this.
