Vol. 1 - Ch. 8 - The Leader’s Decisiveness

“We didn’t have any confidence in the product because it lacked statistics.” That was the excuse given by the team leader with ten years of experience.Jae-Yoon understood his feelings, but if he were to write a long editorial, it would only amuse them.

“So, you hesitated when I asked about the estimated sales?”

“Yes. No team leader would willingly sign off on a product that even they can’t predict.”

“You wanted to play it safe?”

“It’s not a matter of playing it safe or taking risks... I just wanted you to consider our position a little bit…”

“I understand. Sales directly reflect your abilities and performance; but what can I do? I have to challenge the industry’s top spot. We can’t achieve that with such a comfortable decision.”

“Then, tell us; what changes and innovations do you have in mind, CEO?”

“Team Leader Kim, Team Leader Cha, answer me. Do you think it’s possible with our current approach?”

To be honest, Jae-Yoon was very disappointed. Not only because of the team leaders’ attitude, but also because he thought that a large organization like this would be different. Was it too much to expect that the team leaders of such an organization would have a broader perspective?

This stagnation was not the picture Jae-Yoon had in mind.

Furthermore… Company life was like water mixed with alcohol or alcohol mixed with water. Wasn’t it too boring? Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ɴøᴠel Fɪre.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Preserving one’s position was as important as the company’s growth. Married employees would consider job security even more important. Yes, he understood having dependents. Rather than ambition for performance, maintaining sales at the previous year’s level may be a more rational goal.

However… The market’s response to home shopping was rapidly fading.

_A noisy channel. _

_A channel only watched by jobless old ladies. _

A channel competing only on cheap prices and bulk deals.

Wasn’t it time they shook off those images? If they continued like that, not only would job security be compromised, but the company itself may be in jeopardy. At that point, they wouldn’t just be demoted, but they could become unemployed.

“Planners are not fortune tellers. I know that well, too. I’m fully aware of how uncomfortable it is to take full responsibility for a product plan the moment you sign it.” Jae-Yoon spoke as if he had hands-on experience.

The team leaders’ expressions softened slightly at Jae-Yoon’s self-deprecating tone. A few of them had been glaring at him until just a moment ago.

Today’s dark knight, Team Leader Oh Chan-Seong, spoke cautiously, “The atmosphere was too heavy earlier, so I couldn’t say this, but can I add one more thing, Mr. Min?”

“Yes, Mr. Oh. Please feel free to speak your mind.”

“It’s true that we have a lot of disappointing products. I definitely think that the changes and innovations you’ve been talking about are necessary. However, as you know, scheduling without accurate statistics is very risky.”

“I deeply sympathize with that as well. It’s the MD’s dilemma.”

The question MDs hated the most, ‘What are the expected sales...?’ Expected sales. How absurd a question was that? It was a magic word that created the MD’s dilemma. To be precise, the term ‘expected sales’ couldn’t be used for truly original plans.

The data needed to derive expected sales could be largely classified into three categories: First, sales from the same month last year. Second, sales of competing products. Third, community response.

However… What if there had never been a similar product before? It was impossible to make predictions based on statistics. This was where the MD’s dilemma arose. They had to push forward based solely on their guts and instincts.

Let’s say they confidently exclaimed, “We expect 10,000 units!”

The response: “If it doesn’t sell, will Mr. Kim take responsibility?”

Then, let’s say they also cautiously exclaimed, “We expect 1,000 units!”

The response: “You’re asking for a golden time slot with such low expected sales?”

Either way, they ended up in a difficult situation. Given the nature of the industry where sales were important, expected sales were also the most crucial point in planning. What was important at times like this was the leader’s decisiveness.

This was especially true for products that were just starting to catch on or products that became popular through word-of-mouth online.

How many team leaders were there who could confidently say, “I’ll take responsibility, so don’t worry and go ahead”? None. Did such team leaders even exist?

If someone were to ask Jae-Yoon if he was such a team leader, he couldn’t confidently answer yes. Back then, he did not have a breakwater.

“Why don’t we get rid of that dilemma?”

“Excuse me?”

“I said, I’ll get rid of it.”

That was how Jae-Yoon decided to become the Product Planning Department’s breakwater.

“Chief Lee, please give me the documents you prepared.”

After the delivery boxes earlier… This time, a simple document came up. Could it be a memorandum? One that said you would take off your clothes if you didn’t perform well? Or one that said you would definitely make a change, whether it was innovative or not?

“What is this…?”

“It’s exactly what it says. One per month. A pledge that says you can proceed as you wish without any painful data such as statistics or predictions. As you can see at the bottom, you will not be held responsible or accountable for the results. Oh, and of course, it will not be reflected in the team’s performance evaluation at the end of the year.”

The atmosphere, that had been relaxed, turned icy again. While it could be an opportunity for some, it was like a death sentence for others. There was no way they would not notice.

If the CEO himself came forward and prepared such data… It meant that no more excuses would be tolerated.

Planning that no longer needed to worry about job security or weigh team evaluations. That was exactly what a truly accurate performance evaluation was, enough to give you goosebumps.

“I thought you’d like it. Team Leader Oh Chan-Seong, what do you think?”

“I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited to see what kind of innovative plans the team members will come up with. There have been so many products that I’ve regretted rejecting in the past.”

“Mr. Oh seems satisfied, but what about the rest of you?”

“…”

“Let’s resolve everything accurately and cleanly. If anyone feels burdened or thinks this is absurd, please speak up now. We’re not so closed-minded. Thank you for your hard work today. I hope this meeting will be a turning point.”

Watching the team leaders stand up with mixed expressions, Jae-Yoon thought, T_he CEO is taking on all the risks himself; shouldn’t they be happy? They should be welcoming this with open arms. If they lack confidence to this extent..._

It was a case of differing dreams.

After the team leaders left, Chief Section Lee Hyun-Woong hid his broad smile and said, “Tell me, are you expecting something? Or are you fuming inside?”

“What are you saying, chief? You sure have some odd facets.”

“I think it’s the latter.”

“Hey! I’m expecting good things. Since you’ve set the stage like this, I gotta at least go through the motions even if I end up stepping on air.”

Hearing Jae-Yoon’s casual response, Section Chief Lee Hyun-Woong looked at his watch and asked, “It’s already past 5 o’clock. Do you think Team Leader Park Choong-In will come up today?”

“He probably will.”

“What makes you think that?”

“His deputy, Yoon Jae-Hee, who came in earlier, is pretty sharp.”

Now that he thought about it, there was no time to waste. If things were as expected, he needed to hurry…

“Mr. Lee. I have a request for some data that I need urgently.”

“Please tell me.”

“Is it possible to check the comprehensive team personnel evaluation report and last year’s sales ledger?”

“When do you need it by? What’s the deadline?”

“Right now would be best, in Excel if possible. For the past year? I’m not sure if the HR department can cooperate right away.”

“You worry too much.”

As soon as Lee Hyun-Woong finished speaking, he called someone. Exactly ten minutes later, a new notification appeared in Jae-Yoon’s mailbox. It was an email from the HR deputy director.

“Looks like you can leave early today.”

“Feel free to request any data you need. Well, then.”

Jae-Yoon opened the Excel file and selected a few specific dates, just in case. He thought he would not use this data until much later, but it looked like he might need it sooner than expected. Maybe today.

Suddenly, he wondered what excuse Team Leader Park Choong-In would make. While simulating various situations in his head, there was a bit of a commotion outside the door.

Knock knock~

Someone knocked on the door.

At that moment, it was pure coincidence he looked at the clock by the door. 5:50 p.m. Exactly ten minutes before the end of work.

Does it mean to finish within ten minutes if you don’t want to hear the CEO’s nagging? If you receive a team leader allowance, you have to do what you’re paid for. Well, it might be possible to finish in ten minutes.

The door opened, and Park Choong-In appeared with a sly smile. Was it not necessary to hide his feelings? He must still feel at ease.

“Did you wrap up the meeting well? It took quite a while.” Jae-Yoon’s indifferent gaze swept over Park Choong-In. Let’s see. His face is shiny, emitting a somewhat damp aura.

Jae-Yoon could not fall for such shallow tricks.

The strong scent of skin lotion wafted in as soon as Park Choong-In opened the door. He gave a forced smile, almost like a sneer disguised as a greeting. “You wrapped up the meeting well? I went somewhere nice.”

“Good for you. Of course, it must’ve been a nice place.”

Park Choong-In’s hand flinched slightly at the unexpected response. He thought he had the upper hand. He assumed a moralistic start would elicit an angry response. It was the end game if so.

Something like ‘After attending a meeting on their first day, the team manager was met with the CEO’s temper. It appeared as though the youthful CEO was setting the tone for discipline, or possibly, it was a move to paint the CEO as someone with low self-confidence through a show of dominance’. But… It didn’t work?

Jae-Yoon’s reaction was unexpectedly indifferent. He leaned back in his chair and asked with interest, “Skipping the CEO’s call and attending the meeting in a hurry indicated the significance of the meeting, so naturally, I assumed it was held in a suitable place. Isn’t that right?”

The response at this moment was crucial. It seemed there was an intent to slightly provoke by deliberately using the phrase ‘attending the meeting in a hurry’.

Team Leader Park was no pushover, either.

“That’s right. I went there in a hurry with my feet on fire. What good is a team leader who doesn’t run around in person?”

“Yes. You’re a model of a good team leader. It’s not common to have a team leader who participates in meetings these days. Other team leaders should follow your example.”

What is this? This amazing reaction? As soon as Park Choong-In showed an opening, Jae-Yoon quickly exploited it. The initial momentum was important. Not giving him any time to think, that was the art of argument.

“What about the report? Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot that Team Leader Park is a bit clumsy at presentations. Were you short on time? I ended up rushing you. I think it would be enough if you could prepare it by tomorrow morning. You’re capable of that, aren’t you?”

Park Chung-In’s expression crumpled.

Are you going to drive a wedge in this way?

His expression was clear. It must have been an unexpected move. The priority was to clearly establish the superior-subordinate relationship. There was no need to bare fangs.

Was he expecting a drama-like scene where documents were thrown around, saying, ‘Eh? The CEO called, and you went somewhere else?’ Intent on causing a scene? If so, that would be truly disappointing...

That was what social life was like. There were many things you wanted to say, but there were times when you had to swallow them. It might be due to anxiety that the other person’s response was overwhelming or that their social position was threatened. Anyway, there was definitely a difference in power.

Just as a newly appointed second lieutenant couldn’t confront a quartermaster. Sometimes, it was important to have the virtue of respect that went beyond superficial superior-subordinate relationships.

Jae-Yoon was doing his best to respect Team Leader Park.

“An important meeting. Let’s hear about it. The building is sturdy, so the ceiling won’t collapse.”

Jae-Yoon gestured towards the table.

“I guess the CEO is not busy?”

“Ah, can’t compare to a hands-on team leader.”

“I’m impressed that you’re even paying attention to the meeting of a mere hot-blooded team leader.”

“You’re too humble. Well, shall we hear it?”

He rested his clasped hands on his chin and looked at Team Leader Park with interest.

Team Leader Park, who saw Jae-Yoon’s actions, was momentarily startled and corrected his posture. Team Leader Park quickly changed direction to Plan B. It was instinct. There was no need to scratch and make a fuss. A strong blow was needed. A powerful blow that would make Min Ho-Jun—the young rascal—utterly dumbfounded.

“It’s Food has notified us they will no longer do business with us. For such an important matter, I couldn’t just send any team member, could I?”

An unexpected answer came back.