Deloitte Assistant Manager
A Head Consultant of Social Consulting Group (SCG)
Selected one of the three who encourage others’ hope
(MBC Radio ‘Kim Mi-hwa’s World and Us’)
Wrote a Book, ‘Agora Leadership’
His job is consultant but he want to be called crusader instead of it. It is because if he just called ‘consultant,’ every problem that he solves be for the others. However, it is not others problem, but his own problem. That’s why he wants to be called crusader.
The Sookmyung Times (SMT) met consultant Ko Young (KO) who would like to contribute his life to change the world. Even though it was Sunday that SMT met him, he was still busy with many meetings. It was little worried because it was given just 30 minutes to interview him. However he was a fluent speaker so it didn’t matter.
SMT: How could you become a consultant?
KO: I didn’t know about this job in my university life. Personally, there are two reasons why I became a consultant. First, when I was joining various social activities, I thought about ‘Organization.’ I found out what business that organization start, the productivity got changed. Second, my dream for 30 years later is preparing society after the unification of North and South Korea. I want to design organization which has high productivity in every field. So I need to find out the job experiencing various kinds of organizations. There was a job that I look for. It was a consultant. That’s the reasons why I chose this job.
SMT: As you mentioned before, your dream is designing organization after unification of North and South, right? If so, how could you start to concern about that?
KO: I think it can be the way that Korea steps forward. This dream also came from my experience of Korea Leadership School. The school teaches ‘servant leadership’ to produce leader and make students think about unification of North and South. Also, students take special lecture in 30 kinds of field based on unification of North and South. For a year, I took this course as the 1st. Moreover, I helped North Korean defectors. At that time, I got to know their poor life. When government says policy about unification, just mention in political or economical way and doesn’t mention about people. However it is important to focus on ‘people’ so government has to approach not in an ideological system but in a new form to give an opportunity to display their own talent. And then, they can have a wide sphere of action, Eurasia. Not be kept indoors, but cross the border and meet foreigners and interact with them in Eurasia. In this way, designing organization after unification of is meaningful.
SMT: You spotlighted because of making a contribution a lot, especially 80% of your annual salary. Is there any reason for do that?
KO: Actually I don’t intend to donate 80% of my annual salary at first. I donate some again and again and finally it became 80%. The reason why I donate money came from thinking about the word, ‘pain.’ People grow up throughout ‘pain.’ The person who breeds a organization is leader and leader’s caliber makes thrive organization. But the thing make grow up leader is amount of pain. How much pain that leader suffered and overcame with people? It makes leader grow up. On the other hand, there is another kind of pain which related to living, easy to fall down without help. I suffered this also. When I lived a hard time, many people helped me so I have to repay their kindness. Moreover, I think I can help others because I’m poor, even though I’m not rich.
SMT: I heard that there are two mentors in your life. Spiritual mentor is your mother and emotional mentor is Lee Youngchul who is the head of ‘Youngchul Burger,’ right? How your life was affected from them?
KO: My mother, made me do first contribution in my life. I saved money for 6 years in my elementary school days and my father’s friend’s daughter had no money to enroll the university, those days. So I contributed that money to her. It was the experience which is not by compulsion but natural to start contribution. My mother helped poor people, one parent family and prisoners a lot. Still now, when I give her some money, she never use that for herself but contribute that to poor people. For those reason, she is the spiritual mentor for me. President, Youngchul Lee gave me the message which became the first principle in my life: “Never follow money but follow your dream!” He said these words when I felt depressed after falling election for president of students’ association. And for 6-7 years after election, I tried to live like that words.
SMT: Now you contribute not only ‘money’ but also ‘ability’ by organizing Social Consulting Group (SCG). How could you start to contribute ‘ability’?
KO: I got to know there are several steps to contribution. First is concerned about it. Second is contributing money. Third is contributing ability. And forth is contributing network. Owners usually turn the business over his son. At that time, they don’t leave property only but network also to do not be crashed. People hardly share network, especially it is beneficial for them. Anyway, last is sharing life, contributing life as well as other things. I think, now SCG stand on the third step. When our professionals help companies by law, finance, consulting, marketing, their successful probability become high. Also they have a confidence.
