Don’t compromise
Chang says the new culture at Yogurtland has affected the way he runs the business on a fundamental level. Like most CEOs, Chang used to focus on strategic planning before anything else. Everything — from hiring to culture to job descriptions — stemmed from the strategic plan laid down by management.
But as Chang advanced deeper into his new philosophy of focusing on people first, he discovered talent was his most important asset, and motivating that talent was his most critical task. Now, he values talented people who embrace the culture far more than he values strict adherence to any organizational strategy.
Yogurtland still has an overall direction and goals, but the method by which those goals are achieved is now largely up to input from his team.
It is something that requires a level of adaptability that might extend beyond the comfort level of some business heads. But Chang views it as an essential part of his leadership philosophy. He’ll compromise on how something gets done, but he won’t compromise on who does it.
“Typical company leaders, they will do strategic planning and everything related to that first, and then try to fill out the team by putting people in the right positions,” Chang says. “We do it the other way around. As I’ve said, I find the right people first. That takes a level of risk, because sometimes you find a really great person and you know right away where they’re going to fit in the organization.
“That’s where it gets kind of strange, because what I’ve learned is that if I find the right person who fits the culture, someone who is honest, humble, receptive, confident and wise, that is where you really can’t compromise. You can be pretty generous regarding how you hire for technical skills. If you’ve hired someone who is smart and receptive, they can catch up their skills fairly quickly. That is why you find the person first, then do the planning.
“If I were starting a company from scratch again, I now know that is how I would do it.”
The Chang file
Born: Seoul, South Korea
Education: B.S. in mathematics, Sogang University
What is the best business lesson you’ve learned? One thing that has impacted me throughout my career, and what I keep emphasizing to my people, is that you need to surround yourself with the right people. You need the right employees, the right partners and the right people around you in everything you do.
What traits or skills are essential for a business leader? The ability to build a great team. You need to have the ability along the technical lines of what it takes to run a business, but you can’t go anywhere without a great team. And that comes back to how you communicate with people and share your goals.
Chang on the CEO’s role in sustaining the culture: As the company has grown, I’ve tried to set myself as more of a cultural leader, rather than an operations leader. I try to focus more on the bigger goals and being a good role model, demonstrating our cultural principles by example — honesty, high morals and so forth. As the leader, you are constantly watched by everyone, and they have to see me embody those core values at every turn, because they are going to follow my example.
