“Prepare Wings like Steve Jobs and Lee Kun-hee: The Key to Creating the Future of World-Class Individuals – Preparing for Future Creation”

Professor Kim Jeong-gu is a professor in the Department of Business Administration at Sungkyunkwan University. Personally, as I majored in humanities, I couldn’t attend the professor’s classes, but as I prepared for employment before graduation, I felt the need to acquire knowledge related to the business field, so I got recommendations for relevant books.

Coincidentally, I received a recommendation for a book from a friend majoring in business administration, and it was a book written by a professor who was teaching at the time, Kim Jeong-gu.

When looking at books on business administration, although the stories are easy to understand at first glance, most of the content is not easily remembered once the book is put down. Of course, subjects like accounting principles may not be easy to grasp even with focused reading, but most other fields can be understood at a common sense level.

However, even with this common-sense level content, it’s not easy to recall once the book is put down, so I think it would be helpful to periodically encounter such content.

“5-Act Competition Instead of 3-Act Competition”

Consistently advocated in the book is the need to pursue “5-Act competition” instead of the traditional “3-Act competition.”

It emphasizes that competition in unseen areas is even more important than competition in fields visible to others.

Moving away from the traditional “early market pioneering and dominance – mainstream market pioneering and dominance – competition at the top,” it suggests that more focus should be placed on the preceding stages of “anticipated competition” and “new power readiness competition” to succeed.

Below are the five acts of competition introduced by the author, and it is essential to focus more on the stages corresponding to Acts 1 and 2.

Anticipatory Competition: Deciding on the future goal field that makes oneself the best.
New Power Preparation Competition: Preparing the power and momentum to realize the 1% possibility 100%.
Early Market Pioneering and Dominance Competition: Creating an early market and inducing explosive sales through innovative marketing.
Mainstream Market Pioneering and Dominance Competition: Achieving nationwide or global explosive sales to become the No. 1 brand.
Competition at the Top: Not only maintaining the top position but also challenging for greater growth.

In this book, focusing on the theme of 5-act competition, it explores the obstacles and triggers of 5-act competition.

“Obstacles to 5-Act Competition”

Negating future opportunities due to excessive short-term achievement-oriented thinking.
Average attitude due to the belief of “I’m not special”.
Loss of confidence due to defeatism or inferiority complex.
Interest only in what is visible in reality due to the lack of clear vision and mission.
Focus on products that seem short-sighted, neglecting competition for unseen future market expansion, and so on.
Lack of patience due to a speed-centric approach to management.
Lack of preparedness for momentum due to being untrained, easily succumbing to the temptations and obstacles of reality.

The above factors are considered obstacles to 5-act competition. I think this can be applied not only to corporate management but also to personal development.

“Triggers for 5-Act Competition”

The basics are possibility and confidence.
Stanford University’s Professor Bandura mentioned five prerequisites for creating confidence:
1. Success experience created in a similar environment in the past.
2. The role of role models who have achieved in a similar environment.
Imagining what one is good at.
Advice and persuasion from other famous individuals.
Positive atmosphere and feeling of love.

These elements are taken as triggers for 5-act competition. Ultimately, it can be said that believing in oneself and gaining confidence is essential, and referring to the five elements that Professor Bandura of Stanford University mentioned as creating “confidence” will be helpful.

“Eight Characteristics of 5-Act Competition and Competition Styles of Management Masters”

It also introduces the characteristics of competition styles of management masters who are good at management. They generally show a tendency to focus not only on the present but also on the future value, and have the following eight characteristics:

Competition for planning share in emerging markets rather than market share.
Competition for creation and innovation for new competition areas.
Competition for unseen customer value rather than visible product competition.
Competition based on patience rather than speed, as it takes a long time for anticipated markets to materialize.
Concentrated competition focusing on core.
Unconventional competition rather than conventional.
Competition among alliances formed by individual companies rather than individual company competition.
Consisting of multiple stages, with particular emphasis on preparing for explosive growth in early and mainstream markets.

These characteristics are also introduced as the competition styles of management masters who are good at management.

“Three Principles of Future Challenges”

Business experts say they are adopting three principles for future challenges. These principles include the following three aspects:

Does it ignite passion within us?
Does it leverage our strengths and talents?
Is it about creativity and innovation?

Ultimately, the core of this is challenging oneself to do what one desires most while also excelling in what one does best, and venturing into new fields rather than sticking to existing ones.

“Act I: Anticipatory Competition”

In Act I, Professor Kim Jung-gu discusses the importance of Acts I and II, which are considered crucial in the context of the five-act competition. In management, “anticipation” is defined as “seeing something before it happens, before future opportunities and markets emerge.”

Three key elements can be identified in anticipating the future: “sensitivity and imagination, objectivity, and creative ability.” Particularly, objectivity is emphasized because the ability to analyze opportunities objectively is necessary.

“Model for Anticipating Future Opportunities”

The model for anticipating future opportunities takes the following form: “sensing – analyzing – creating/imagining” stages.

The process of generating future opportunities
1. Trends, disruptions
2. Changes in new industrial areas, emergence of new competitive areas
3. Future opportunities
Three steps for identifying the best future opportunities
1. Sensing: What are the “10X” environmental trends and disruptions driving significant change in the industry?
2. Analyzing: How will these trends or disruptions specifically change the industry?
3. Creating or Imagining: What market opportunities will be formed, and what is the best future opportunity for us to achieve?

“Stage of Sensing”

In the sensing stage, it’s necessary to detect current trends and disruptions, identify “opportunities/threats” factors, and understand their impact. Questions like the following can be used to identify change factors:

What are the key environmental trends or disruption factors that will affect the industry you are primarily active in?
Can you clearly identify about 5-6 major 10X signal trends that will soon bring significant waves to you and your organization?
How are these trends or disruptions related to your and your organization’s future, and why?
Can you feel the tremendous waves that these major trends or disruptions will soon bring? Can you feel the impact or loss you will soon receive if you are not prepared?
Conversely, can you feel the tremendous opportunities that can be obtained when you are well prepared for these major trends or disruptions, and can you feel the tremendous opportunities that can be pursued even if you have to give up everything?

“Stage of Analysis”

In the analysis stage, the task is to analyze how the impact factors will specifically change the industry. Questions like the following can be used:

What environmental changes brought about by trends or disruptions could create future opportunities for us?
Among the emerging future opportunities, what is the best future opportunity we can create? Is that future the opportunity that will make us rise to the top?
Can this future opportunity truly maximize our strengths or core competencies? In other words, is it something we excel at in the world?
Also, is this future opportunity truly something we want to try? Is it something worth risking everything for? Is it worth pursuing even if we have to give up everything?
Lastly, does this future opportunity offer new value that did not exist in the world? Is it likely to provide value to many people in the world?

“Stage of Creating or Imagining”

In the stage of creating or imagining, the key is to envision and create the best future and opportunities we can achieve amidst change. Questions like the following can be used:

What future opportunities can environmental changes brought about by trends or disruptions create for us?
Among the emerging future opportunities, what is the best future opportunity we can create? Is that future the opportunity that will make us rise to the top?
Can this future opportunity truly maximize our strengths or core competencies? In other words, is it something we excel at in the world?
Also, is this future opportunity truly something we want to try? Is it something worth risking everything for? Is it worth pursuing even if we have to give up everything?
Lastly, does this future opportunity offer new value that did not exist in the world? Is it likely to provide value to many people in the world?

“Factors to Consider and Discard in Anticipation”

The book also introduces factors to consider and discard in anticipation, emphasizing the importance of anticipation for both CEOs and general managers. To pursue these, the author suggests the need for an “organizational anticipatory management system” and even building an “anticipation task force.”

The factors to consider and discard in anticipation are introduced as follows:

“Factors to Consider in Anticipation”

Question like a child.
Have curiosity without limitations in any area or deeply in some areas.
Integrate and compromise various changes.
Apply changes and opportunities from other industries metaphorically to our industry.
Try counterintuitive thinking from a completely different perspective.
Go beyond just being led by customers.
Have deep empathy for human pain and needs.

“Three Factors to Discard in Anticipation”

Move away from thinking only about existing markets or opportunities within existing markets.
Move away from product-centric thinking (think customer-centric).
Break the traditional definition of price-quality.

“Act II: Preparation Competition for New Power”

In Act II, the book introduces the three elements of the “New Power Preparation Competition Model” of world-class individuals. The three elements are as follows:

Strategic Will: Stating big dreams for future opportunities as a motivational tool.
Strategic Blueprint
1. Comprehensive strategic design for strategic will
2. Small missions to execute strategic will
3. Tips for creating a strategic blueprint
  1. Specify the direction of strategic will or dreams.
  2. Turn strategic will or dreams into achievable challenging goals according to the direction.
  3. Divide the challenging goals into detailed step goals or programs and specify concrete key tasks to achieve them.
  4. Further, set deadlines for specific step goals, key businesses, and challenge goals.
Securing Leadership

“Criteria for Providing Direction Using Targeted Customer Value-Centered Goals”

The book also introduces two criteria for providing direction using targeted customer value-centered goals. Questions like the following can be used:

What new customer benefits or values should be provided to customers in the field or business you dream of?
What new core technologies or competencies are needed to create the selected new customer benefits or values?

“Key to New Power Preparation Phase”

The key to the New Power Preparation Phase is to draw a big picture of strategic will and divide it into detailed goals, set deadlines, and gradually achieve them step by step.

“Considerations When Creating Strategic Blueprints”

Considerations when creating strategic blueprints are as follows:

Leverage strengths while sticking to customer value and the needs of the times!
Be comprehensive, but avoid being too vague or too specific!
Write flexibly so that it can be modified as it progresses!

“Five Criteria for Distinguishing the Level of Strategic Blueprint”

Furthermore, the book presents five criteria for distinguishing the level of a strategic blueprint:

Foresight: How far into the future are you looking?
Comprehensiveness: How broadly and comprehensively are you defining your future area or business area?
Uniqueness: How unique is your view of the future compared to your competitors?
Empathy: How many people empathize with your view of the future?
Feasibility: How feasible is your strategic blueprint?

“Three Elements for Seizing Future Leadership”

In the next step, securing leadership, the book introduces three elements to seize future leadership:

Core Competencies
1. Technology that helps you provide specific benefits to target customers much better than your competitors
2. The roots of competitive ability that can provide specific benefits to customers most effectively
3. Three conditions for core competencies: customer value, competitive differentiation, scalability
Collaborative Relationship Ability
1. Building alliances is also important.
2. Modern and future societies are increasingly about cooperation rather than individual achievements.
3. Building good business alliances can also be a competency.
Market Exploration and Learning Ability
1. Expeditionary Marketing: exploratory marketing to identify who the target customers are in the emerging early market and what specific product benefits they want.
2. As the target is not visible, proceed by doing your best, adjusting the target point through feedback.

“Book Covering Elements Companies Should Have for the 5-Act Competition”

Up to this point, I have summarized the main contents introduced in the book. Although I haven’t personally attended the course, according to acquaintances who have attended, the course is also popular in the field of management, conducted in a positive atmosphere.

It’s not a dry management book, but rather a book filled with positive energy.

While theory is important, what’s more important than theory is ultimately the practice of “knowing how to manage.” Ultimately, it will require a process of directly facing challenges based on theoretical content and adjusting the course.

To facilitate this process, the book suggests building one’s own “strategic blueprint” at the end and constructing strategies for it.

“My Strategic Blueprint for Achieving in the Next 10 Years”

Strategic Will: The mission or dream I want to achieve in the next 10 years
Strategic Blueprint:
- Strategic Direction: Areas to focus on
- Key Challenge Goals: Specify the TOP 5
  - 1.
  - 2.
  - 3.
  - 4.
  - 5.
- Specify detailed step goals or programs for each challenge goal
- Specify deadlines for each challenge goal, detailed step goals, or programs

When time permits, it would be good to take some time to reflect on what you want to do and achieve in the future, and to think about how to proceed in detail by breaking it down into specific goals.

“Prepare wings like Steve Jobs, like Lee Kun-hee: Secrets of Future Creation by World-Class Individuals – Future Creation Preparation Edition”