The Korea Council of Multinational Company CEOs (KCMC; Chair Jeong Hyun-seok) said on the 26th that it held a leadership workshop in Seoul on Sept. 24, inviting James Rhee, author of the self-help book Red Helicopter.
James Rhee, a Korean American business leader, rescued the apparel company Ashley Stewart, which targets plus-size Black women, from two bankruptcy crises and achieved exponential growth. Red Helicopter is a book that contains the turnaround secrets of Ashley Stewart and the life of a second-generation immigrant.
Rhee said, "The real secret to success was 'kindness' and 'a little bit of numbers.'" While Wall Street investors fixated on Ashley Stewart's declining sales, rising liability, and operating losses, he focused on intangible assets such as the bonds and trust of customers and employees and customers' love for the brand.
The book's title comes from a red toy helicopter he received as a gift from a friend to whom he had shared his lunch in childhood.
Rhee sees the essence of human relationships as "kindness" and "goodwill." He explained this by linking it to the Korean sentiment of "jeong."
Rhee emphasized that in an era where change and uncertainty are ever-present, "helicopter-style leadership" with flexibility and agility is needed.
Meanwhile, KCMC is a consultative body established in 1989 and is composed of Korean chief executive officers of multinational companies operating in Korea. It seeks to contribute to Korea's economic development and society through cooperation and exchanges among member companies.