In a recent Scholar Spotlight, @Chia-Hsuan Chang, a Laidlaw Scholar at Imperial College London, shared her research on how metabolic resources are applied to human fetuses, centring this around sleep. In discussing her work, Chia-Hsuan expressed her admiration for Baek Jong-won, applauding his resilience and determination in his leadership as well as his dedication to helping farmers through the promotion of agricultural products.
This week, we reflect on Baek's perspective on the importance of experiencing things directly in leadership, rather than in an abstract way from afar:
A Pioneer in the Food Industry
Baek Jong-won is a celebrity food entrepreneur and founder and CEO of The Born Korea Inc, owning over a thousand branches worldwide. He is the most well-known chef in South Korea, recognised for launching various franchises such as Hanshin Pub.
Baek also leverages his success to make a positive impact. In 2019, he started the show "Delicious Rendezvous", in which Baek and his teammates worked to support farmers in need. They travelled to remote farming villages to locate ingredients that lacked demand and had poor sales. He wanted to "seek ways to promote consumption of excessive ingredients through discovering simple and delicious recipes," due to the oversupply of some products such as potatoes and garlic. He also introduced local specialty ingredients in meal kits to companies, which continually sold out.
Leadership Grounded in Hands-On Experience
Baek's word highlight the importance of firsthand experience in understanding and addressing challenges as a leader. His success stemmed from numerous failures within business as well as his continued passion for food and problem solving, exemplified in shows such as "Delicious Rendezvous". Despite facing massive debt and even contemplating suicide, Baek remained steadfast, rediscovering his purpose by focusing on what he loved and rebuilding from the ground up.
This emphasises the Laidlaw value of being #Determined and the Oxford Character Project Leadership Virtue of #Courage. Being determined means carrying on in the face of adversity and difficult situations. Showing courage means being brave and resilient when encountering challenges.
A Call to Reflect
As Laidlaw Scholars, how do we make use of our direct experiences in our leadership journeys? How has directly encountering a problem helped your understanding of your research or leadership?