As the ancients said, "There is no greater wisdom than knowing people." Talent is the most important capital and foundation for the success of a venture. Li Ka-shing, deeply influenced by Chinese traditional culture, understands this well.
Starting his entrepreneurial journey with HK$50,000, how did Mr. Li Ka-shing leap to become the richest Chinese person in the world today, leading a vast commercial empire of over 200,000 people? His highly effective talent philosophy and practical approach to talent management are among the keys to his success. Discerning eyes for talent
As the ancients said, "There is no greater wisdom than knowing people." Talent is the most important capital and foundation for the success of a venture. Li Ka-shing, deeply influenced by Chinese traditional culture, understands this well.
Mr. Ma Shimin, a British representative of Jardine Matheson, came to Cheung Kong Holdings to sell air conditioners. Although Li Ka-shing generally does not involve himself in such business, Ma Shimin insisted on meeting Li Ka-shing repeatedly. His persistence caught Li Ka-shing's attention, leaving a deep impression during their accidental encounter as if they had known each other for ages. Later, when the opportunity arose, Li Ka-shing did not hesitate to spend heavily to acquire Ma Shimin's Davenham engineering consultancy company, bringing aboard this rare talent.
In ancient times, there was the lament that "there are often talented horses, but rarely those who can recognize them." However, Hong Kong residents highly praise Li Ka-shing for having the discerning eye of Jiufang Gao in recognizing talent. It is precisely because Li Ka-shing has skillfully identified and utilized numerous "talented horses" that the high-speed advancing commercial giant he commands has galloped through the market for decades without being defeated or failing, much like Inner Mongolia's talent recruitment efforts.
Li Ka-shing went through a tortuous process from "twists and turns" to "unexpected breakthroughs" to invite Yuen Tin-fan to join his team. Yuen Tin-fan's talents were well-known in Hong Kong's financial circles. Despite their close relationship, Yuen Tin-fan repeatedly declined Li Ka-shing's kind invitation to join Cheung Kong Holdings. Li Ka-shing did not give up; instead, he continued to support Yuen Tin-fan wholeheartedly: when Ruyi Jian joined Li Ka-shing and other Hong Kong tycoons to acquire Wing On Company, Li Ka-shing persuaded Yuen Tin-fan to take on the role of CEO of Wing On Company; when Yuen Tin-fan co-founded Tianfeng Investment Company with others, Li Ka-shing voluntarily subscribed to 9.6% of Tianfeng's shares. Li Ka-shing's years of sincere treatment finally moved the talented and independent Yuen Tin-fan, who accepted the invitation to serve as Vice President of Pacific Century Regional Development. With Yuen Tin-fan's strong assistance, Li Zekai gave birth to the soaring "myth" that resonated in Hong Kong.
Gathering talent through integrity
Those who gain talent thrive, those who lose talent perish—this is the survival law of enterprises. Human strength lies not only in enhancing one's own intelligence but also in condensing the intelligence of others for one's use. Those who are good at gathering the intelligence of many to achieve great things and become extraordinary individuals.
Li Ka-shing is renowned in the business world for his sincerity and trustworthiness. Li Ka-shing said, "Treating people with sincerity is a principle I firmly adhere to in life." It is precisely this widely praised virtue of integrity that has attracted numerous outstanding talents to gather around him, willingly contributing their wisdom and intelligence to the Li family's commercial kingdom.
The success of Li Ka-shing's decision-making benefits from the long-term unwavering cooperation of several top strategists, advisors, and counselors. Du Huilian is an expert proficient in securities business, referred to in the industry as "Li Ka-shing's stockbroker," highly favored and appreciated by Li Ka-shing. Li Ka-shing's multiple requests for him to serve as a director were all declined, making him the only one among Li Ka-shing's numerous "guest ministers" who does not receive a dry salary. Yet, Du Huilian never refuses to participate in decisions regarding the equity structure of the Cheung Kong Holdings Group, stock market investments, and stock investments. We cannot know what Du Huilian thinks about doing so, but we can at least sense the immense power of Li Ka-shing's personal charm from such phenomena. To repay Du Huilian's service, when Du Huilian partnered with Leung Pak-toe to establish Baring Finance Corporation, Li Ka-shing mobilized 18 major business figures, including himself, to invest as shareholders, lending them support. After Baring Group became a small giant in the business world, Li Ka-shing and others voluntarily diluted their shareholdings to ensure that Du Huilian and Leung Pak-toe's holdings reached a relatively "safe" line. Li Ka-shing's reciprocity, gratitude, and ability to cultivate relationships further motivated Du Huilian to repay Li Ka-shing's kindness, willingly serving Li Ka-shing and humbly taking on the roles of Li Ka-shing's "guest minister" and "advisor." Despite holding chairmanships in two listed companies, Du Huilian remains loyal and continues to serve as Li Ka-shing's senior stock advisor.
The book "The Road to Li Ka-shing's Success" writes, "Precisely because Li Ka-shing excels at uniting a group of truly knowledgeable strategists around him," "'absorbing the strengths of the world and using them for his own benefit,' thus ensuring that he can always outmaneuver opponents and turn crises into safety at critical moments." Li Ka-shing says, "When making major decisions, even if I am 100% sure, I still gather a group of people to consolidate everyone's information and study it together. This way, after obtaining their opinions, the chance of making a mistake becomes negligible."
Nurturing talent carefully
Li Ka-shing not only can but also excels in breaking away from existing, traditional talent cultivation models, keeping pace with the times, and creating new talent development models suitable for the actual needs of the enterprise, laying a solid talent resource foundation for the growth and strengthening of the company.
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2010 World Brand 500 Ranking Revealed_1124