Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
Hyosung chief stresses sportsmanship in business
By Baek Byung-yeul
Cho Hyun-joon, chairman of Hyosung Group
By Baek Byung-yeul
Hyosung Group Chairman Cho Hyun-joon has emphasized the need for “sportsmanship” when doing business, claiming that virtues like fairness, courage and persistence are crucial to the success of a company, the group said Wednesday.
Cho is famously known as a sports enthusiast as he is good at various sports such as baseball, ice hockey, squash, tennis, football, volleyball and golf. The Yale University graduate also served on the college baseball, American football and ski teams when he was a student.
“Cho has been trying to apply the virtues of sportsmanship, which requires players to play fairly but tough to win, to business. As no one remembers who came in second in the sports world, Cho has been emphasizing the need to become the best in the business while playing fairly,” a Group official said.
The chairman also put an emphasis on the need to improve teamwork, saying there is nothing that can beat tight teamwork in sports and this can be applied to management as well.
Among the sports he enjoyed, baseball is arguably his favorite. When he was a St. Paul's School student, Cho became the first Asian captain of the high school's baseball team. Ever since he joined Hyosung, Cho has contributed a lot to his baseball team comprised of Hyosung employees to win in-company baseball championships for several straight years.
To better interact with employees, Cho chose to play baseball. He also claims to have learned how to manage the conglomerate through baseball.
Cho said the sport is both an individual and team sport because individuals must successfully perform their own individual tasks to make their team successful.
Like the famous baseball quote “it ain't over till it's over,” Cho also stressed the need for persistence in doing business and claims there needs to be good teamwork or a spirit of cooperation because better teamwork leads the company to more successfully cope with crisis and change.