Fly on Corporate Wall
Play
Kan Trakulhoon would never suggest other corporate chiefs follow his lead - it could be suicide.
The president and CEO of Siam Cement Group must have known that allowing his employees to evaluate him, albeit anonymously, was an unorthodox move not just in Thailand but anywhere. “Corporate culture”, after all, doesn’t have much room for democracy. But Kan needn’t have worried. He’s a well-respected boss at SCG.
It was this kind of groundbreaking success that got him an invite to speak along with other executives at the launch of Nation University’s business development course on Monday. Success, he insisted, was won by linking the vision and open-mindedness of “big guns” with the dedication of the people who work for them on the front line. The link must be forged with trust, recognition and willingness to support and adapt, he added.
It’s probably Kan’s hands-on approach and closeness with his teams that have allowed him to be so bold. His top-tier employees were asked to give their honest opinions about him, and their thoughts were then conveyed uncensored to the SCG board. That he got high marks from his subordinates is not quite the point. The real significance is that they did it freely and anonymously, without hope of recognition or fear of penalty.
Kan refused to proclaim himself a follower of the “only the paranoid survive” school. However, he is a strong believer in the power of technology to bypass corporate policies if an organisation’s human resources fail to keep their eyes on the ball. He gave a long list of products that were popular and profitable one day, only to be wiped from the market in a lightning-quick reversal of fortunes the next.
“I’m learning from the younger generation. I even learn something from children,” he told Nation Group executives and editors. While adults struggle to come to terms with new technology, he explained, kids live with it instinctively and effortlessly.
With his mandatory retirement only a few years away, Kan is very serious about leaving a solid corporate culture at the SCG, which now employs more than 10,000 people. Having done a great job, his challenge now is to ensure his devotion becomes a long-lasting legacy.
Contact us at [email protected]
