Founders
Episode 117 #117 : Chung Ju-yung founder of Hyundai (the most inspiring autobiography I’ve read)
Founders

Episode 117: #117 : Chung Ju-yung founder of Hyundai (the most inspiring autobiography I’ve read)

Founders

Episode 117

#117 : Chung Ju-yung founder of Hyundai (the most inspiring autobiography I’ve read)

David Senra is the host of Founders, where he studies history's greatest entrepreneurs. This is what he learned from reading Born of This Land: My Life Story by Chung Ju-yung.

What I learned from reading Born of This Land: My Life Story by Chung Ju-yung.

----

Come see a live show with me and Patrick O'Shaughnessy from Invest Like The Best on October 19th in New York City. 

Get your tickets here

----

Subscribe to listen to Founders Premium — Subscribers can listen to Ask Me Anything (AMA) episodes and every bonus episode. 

---

For a long time I was known as the bulldozer. [0:01]

How Chung’s son remembers him: He had a wonderfully positive disposition and a rigorous work ethic. [3:15]

Memories of his father + Half century of struggle + Why he is writing this book [9:25]

Running away from home. Four times. [12:15]

A different level of poverty. [15:40]

How struggle shaped his personality + Why he had to run away for the last time [17:15]

On his own + Early jobs before the birth of Hyundai [19:24]

On simple tasks + The fundamental principle of his life + Hard work paying off [21:15]

Getting into the auto repair business + More struggle + More perseverance [25:55]

Why you should emulate bedbugs. [31:00]

Hyundai Auto Service Center + Hyundai Construction + Disaster strikes again + The Korean War [33:11]

His management style + Don’t waste time if you want to be remarkable [39:30]

Go where the money is: Hyundai must go abroad to escape poor domestic conditions. [42:15]

The beginning of Hyundai Motors + Chung had only one speed: GO! That is not always a good thing. [45:57]

Ships or how a great idea starts as a small idea [53:26]

Why determination is more important than intelligence [58:10]

Find something you love to do and do it until you die. [1:06:39]

Don’t covet luxury. [1:08:49]

Be diligent. [1:15:40]

Positive thinking is the road to happiness. [1:16:48]

I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested, so my poor wallet suffers.”— Gareth

Be like Gareth. Buy a book. It's good for you. It's good for Founders. A list of all the books featured on Founders Podcast.

#117 : Chung Ju-yung founder of Hyundai (the most inspiring autobiography I’ve read)

Introduction

"For a long time, I was known as the bulldozer. I don't think this nickname came from my hard-driving work ethic. I imagine that comparing me to a heavy steel body that drives over piles of rubble was not meant to be flattering. It was meant to depict me as an uneducated upstart who dug up the ground first and thought about it later. It's obvious that I did not receive much schooling. But not receiving formal education does not mean one is lacking in wisdom. It is a mistake to think that broad and deep knowledge can only be obtained through formal schooling. I think harder, work harder, have greater courage and I'm more active than others."

"Before starting any project, I spent an enormous amount of time and effort thinking, analyzing, and planning every detail. When it's time to implement these plans, it may look like I'm working off the cuff or even being reckless. But if I hadn't first sat down and planned everything out, the Hyundai Group of today could have never existed. When attempting something difficult, people utter the words 'wrong' or 'impossible'. They said we couldn't build a highway so cheaply. They said it was crazy for us to build a shipyard. They said it wasn't possible to move heavy underwater equipment by barge." It wasn't just once or twice that I received this kind of treatment from people. People who only thought with their common sense and shunned adventure often found my ways of doing things ridiculous and ignorant."

"But I'm someone who believes that if a person limits themselves to the fixed ideas inherent in common sense, they will not be very creative. People with a strong will to succeed have unlimited potential. By bringing together all of this potential, the collective energy of the people can be unleashed. My motto is to shorten the time. This was the surest way for improvement. If you search for a method, it will come to you. If you can't come up with a method, it's because you didn't think hard enough. The Hyundai of today was built by pushing aside all of our problems like a bulldozer. My performance as a bulldozer in thought, calculation, and prediction was the product of a modest intellect, but by thinking and trying harder than others, I continued to push ahead in all of my endeavors."

Founder of Hyundai

Access the full transcript
Sign in or register to view episode transcripts.

Contact

Get in touch at help@joincolossus.com