Any Korean would associate the turtle ship 'Geobukseon' with 'Yi Sunshin' and vice versa. Anyone living outside of Korea would think the same. So, it seems common sense that asking, "Who built the Geobukseon?" is a stupid question. I raise this question not to shed a light on the greatness of Admiral Yi Sunshin (1545-1598, Korean naval commander during the Joseon Dynasty), the eternal hero who wrote the legend of invincibility, recognized as an outstanding inventor and innovator. Rather, the question is asked to reflect on 'ourselves' and 'our organization'.

 One would notice, strangely enough, that there is a lot of similarity between the quotes and writings in Admiral Yi's diary and reports to the writings of Peter Drucker, father of modern business management and guru. Of course, there is an unimaginable difference between the two as the time period, space and roles were completely different. One was a man of action, while the other was a theorist. The purpose and form of writings and records also are completely different from one another.

 Admiral Yi's diary was a record of his daily life and his reports were reports he sent to the throne during the war. Therefore, if one were to try and read his writings without any knowledge or understanding of the circumstances of the times, it would read as something similar to the many ordinary diaries and reports. On the other hand, Drucker organized his thoughts and messages about the difference between organizations that fail and those that succeed and the importance of innovation targeting readers who are leaders or who wish to become leaders. It is clear that the writings of Yi are much more realistic as he was at the forefront of war, but the thoughts, observations and objectives of both Admiral Yi and Drucker are quite similar.

 There is a story Peter Drucker would use from time to time.

 Same job, but completely different answers. The 'bricklayer' who only focused on the job at hand, the builder who took a step further and thought about the 'wall' that the bricks would create, and the man who worked imagining the cathedral that he would build through the use of the bricks, thinking completely beyond just the 'bricks' or 'a wall'.

 Drucker used this story to explain the role of a leader. A great leader is a leader who helps members think like the third builder about 'the future that what I am doing would create' – a leader who leads and supports people to imagine the big picture in mind.

 Apply Drucker's story to Admiral Yi Sunshin and his men. They could be 'man cutting and trimming trees', 'a ship-builder', 'man building a conventional combat ship' or 'man building the Geobukseon, the unconquerable and unbeatable innovative weapon'. If you examine history closely, Admiral Yi made himself and his naval forces 'the fourth man'. He thought above and beyond the role of a leader of setting a vision (like Drucker's message) and put it into action.

 The following is a record by Admiral Yi on the turtle ship, Geobukseon.

 This very brief report contains all the information on the purpose of building the ship, its shape and strengths, and Yi's plan on how to use the Geobukseon. Leader Yi predicted the crisis, or the storm of the war that will come, thought about ways to overcome the crisis, created and built the unprecedented and innovative invention 'Geobukseon' and had already done a simulation on its tactical use. And he won the battle with his ship.

 The stories of Drucker and Admiral Yi may sound grandiose, or maybe nothing much. To us living our everyday lives in this reality, they might also seem like far-away stories or stories of legend. But if Drucker were to ask the 'me on my way to work' what I was doing, what answer would 'I' give? Take one step further and ask the organization we work at and what answer would that organization provide?

 If we are someone who works like a machine, not wanting anything more than a way to pay the bills and considered ourselves as expendables of the organization, then our answer would probably be the first answer. In that case, although we might deny it, we would probably be used to belittling ourselves, or be someone used to being excessively self-centered, pessimistic or negative, working at an organization on the downhill.

 If we are not someone like that, our answer would be at least the second answer. But there is still something we frequently forget – that we are our own owners and leaders of our lives. If we were to forget this fact a little less, we and our organization can become like the third man. We can bring life to everything we do and enjoy the work we do. It's possible because we find special and valuable meaning in what we do. And the end result becomes our own, the organization's own 'noble cathedral'.

 Our everyday reality and the reality of companies are sometimes more than the battlefield. ICT, biotechnology, AI and robotics that seem to advance every single day really changes overnight. These technologies constantly create a butterfly effect, setting off a tornado that shakes the entire land of the U.S. with a single flap of one butterfly in Brazil. Unimaginable changes occur in a short moment of lightning. And the waterfall of innovations across all domains in our society fall onto our reality. These changes are what allow some unknown company from an unknown place on the other side of the world to bring down a global company that boasts amazing size and talent in a second.

 It is no exaggeration to say that this reality is more brutal and intense than the battlefields of Admiral Yi. If we were to commit to doing more like what Admiral Yi explains in his report on the turtle ship on top of having a perspective of being able to give an answer like the third answer, then we can become the fourth man – the man building the Geobukseon, the unconquerable and unbeatable innovative weapon. Then, we will always achieve victory in this era of relentless competition.

 If we were to follow Admiral Yi's way, we do not have to predict or understand everything in this rough world. Admiral Yi Sunshin worried over the war, but his deep concerns were not about the battles on land. His first priority was the battles on the waters with his naval forces. Admiral Yi was firstly devoted to his job (as naval commander) and his responsibility (naval forces) and gave meaning to his reason of existence (protect his country and the lives of the people). It was only then that Yi thought about the best performance and results (victory) and pursued to innovate the means to achieve the goal (Geobukseon).

 Innovation always meets with resistance. According to Admiral Yi's Nanjung Ilgi (or War Diary), his personal diary written from 1592 to 1598, and his reports, he overcame resistance not only through communication and persuasion, but also through grounds and evidence, not just thoughts in his mind. His way was a very realistic and specific way carried out through deep and fierce contemplation. There is also his secret weapon – self-sacrifice and setting by example.

 If we apply Yi Sunshin's way to 'my daily life' and the 'reality of the company', we would be able to live a happier today than yesterday and enjoy using the best of our ability than before, while the 'organization' will not fall behind, open new areas and expand, and have the opportunity to widen the gap with competitors.

 The recently rapidly-growing AI and biotechnology are elements that will have a huge impact on the essence of Amorepacific's vocation, even from the view of a layman. Among these new technologies, the AI news anchor and announcer recently unveiled in China and Japan caught my eye.

 AI female news anchor 'Xin Xiaomeng' at Xinhua, China's state news outlet, and Japan's AI announcer 'Yui Araki' are the most well-known. I gave not much thought to the look of the AI news anchor and announcer I read on media coverage as I was always ignorant to beauty. And so, I conclude this column by asking the following curious, simple and foolish questions on the topic.

1. Do the AI news anchor and announcer wear makeup?
2. If so, what makeup did they use?
3. If you were to recommend several Amorepacific products, including makeup, what would they be?
4. What synergy-creating relationship can be built between 'AI human' and Amorepacific's vocation?
5. What influence would the 'AI human' have on Amorepacific?