Michael Min — Dragon #12
Reading this interview will help you understand why I value Michael so much, both as a professional and as a friend.
Allowing yourself to be vulnerable is the single most underrated leadership quality. It makes you relatable. It creates trust by breaking down barriers. And it’s how Michael and I bonded! We met through work where I admired him for the way he led his team and thought about marketing — but we became friends through the unfiltered conversations we had from the get-go.
What’s an unusual fact or story about yourself that not a lot of people know?
I’ll share a story of my mother as family has been on my mind lately — I’ve recently returned from a family reunion which was a first in 2 years (thanks Covid 🙄).
My mother grew up on a communal farm about a 140km south of Seoul amongst fields of rice and animals (for food, not for petting). Far from wealthy, but not starving — she grew up without the luxuries of that time (think 60s -70s) but had stories of fun in the fields, outdoors, under the sun without sunblock and air conditioning. Her childhood consisted of sneakily selling pots and pans for some cash to buy sweets from a sweets cart pulled by donkey that visited her village every other week.
When my mom was 16 or so, her dad took a big risk and moved his immediate family to Seoul — as that’s where the future was. He passed away early.
Her mom sold random items on a street corner on a piece of fabric and still managed to send some of her kids through university.
Mom worked hard to get a job in a bank despite not having a degree. She then met my biological father and at some point ended up traveling to Thailand and settling there. Long story short, she became a single mother supporting my sister and I through international schools (expensive because English taught) then through university.
At present, she lives alone with both her children in different countries and the rest of her family still in Korea. We connect through every digital means possible (Whatsapp calls, Google Duo, Google Photos) which was ramped up during covid lockdowns. She does the same with the family in Korea.
We may complain of how fast things are changing, but in the back of my mind — no change was greater and more intense than what my mother has lived (and perhaps to others in her generation). I often view my own life as an extension of her’s — how can you not when her story is so epic?
Is there one thing about your morning routine that you can’t live without?
🥛 One FULL glass or 250ml of water first thing you wake up.
Don’t pee, don’t poo, don’t go scrolling on your phone, don’t wash your face, don’t make coffee, don’t stress about the first meeting of the day. Just get off your bed, walk to the kitchen, and drink that water.
This advice was given to me by Indian best friends who practiced Ayurveda. I was skeptical at first, but this daily glass had a noticeable positive impact on my life.
Skip on the cow piss though — Didn’t help with anything.
What books have influenced your professional life the most and why?
Unlike some of the Marketing Dragons — I’m not an avid book reader. I don’t think I have read a book in 4 years. I find self-help or development books can be quite misleading as the notion of self/growth/development is very, very contextual. Business books are attractive to me in theory, but I find myself being distracted by other forms of information and being unable to digest and incorporate them in to my work.
I instead subscribe to a heap of email newsletters, subscribe to subreddits (be picky), watch videos (documentaries, YouTube videos, etc). I read/watch/enjoy different sources religiously keeping in mind the changing opinions as new information is discovered.
✉ Some of the email newsletters I read:
What quality do you look for when hiring someone for your team?
- Ability to say “I don’t know” — Saying I don’t know instead of non-answer/nothing is paramount during the interview process as all parties have limited time — allowing for you to spend more time on other questions/answers. Saying “I don’t know” signals to me that it would be easier working with you since I can make time/effort to help you learn and that you are aware of the limits of your knowledge which is easily addressed.
- Their story of how they were a cockroach — Persistence is an underrated trait I think we should acknowledge. I want people who have faced hardships, tried to reach goals despite a lack of resources, or committing to delivering despite external circumstances. This is not to say I condone people staying in toxic environments — I would like to hear of how you tried to make the team/organization better for yourself or your team and to what level of effort you went through with justification. I would rather work with a team of amazing roaches than a group of humans who cave at the first sight of discomfort.
- Knowing their Communication Style/preference — We give too much credit and points to people who are perceived to be outgoing and are more comfortable with verbal communication. I’ve worked with amazing people who prefer to communicate in different formats (written vs. verbal) and from different approaches (task oriented vs. relationship oriented). I look for people who know how best they communicate and their preferred style. It allows me to get a sense of if the organization or team can help them perform to their best and what potential points of friction there might be.
What’s the worst advice someone’s ever given you?
“Show Face”
I was given this ‘feedback’ after what I perceived was a “sales alignment” meeting with an MD plotting year end sales targets that were ridiculous (5x projected — and we were already 5 months in to the year). When asked to voice out concerns or questions — I questioned how the targets were derived and what were supporting activities that would support drive the projected numbers to the new sales targets. Said MD replied with some non-answer and moved on.
If you find yourself in a team or company that asks for questions, can’t handle it, then tells you to show face — you will outgrow that place within a year. Do your best, reach your own goals, and GTFO.
Is there anything that has improved your life since the very first lockdown? It could be an investment of money or time, or a new habit, a gadget.
Lower. Back. Stretches. Lower back stretches.
As a man of some thiccness, lockdowns meant sitting more and removing the majority of movement one might have done pre-covid. Doing these stretches every other day helped keep serious, debilitating pain away.
What do you do when you feel stressed and overwhelmed at work?
I take a step back and digest the situation. Determine:
- What is causing stress and my own perception of being overwhelmed?
- What are the facts of any problems or the stress causing situation?
- What resources do I have on hand? What else might I need?
Then I go and zone out or take a nap. Stopping to take time to unwrap and to visualize how to solve the stress or feeling overwhelmed often helps me to derive a solution that usually works out.
If you were a marketing tagline, what would it be and why?
Probably overused, but eternally true: Keep it Simple.
You’ve heard it, You’ve read it, You’re probably starting to see it more and more at work. As access and knowledge of machine learning and big data are more available — more and more vendors, teams, and products are utilizing some complex models. When communicating or pitching said models — best to keep it simple for your sanity and for non-technical colleagues to understand.
Once they have expressed interest/intent — only then should you delve in to the details. Think:
- pitching the internet to your parents
- explaining what apps and cloud computing was before your first smart phone
- describing who you are and what you do on a first date
K.I.S.S.
Where can people find you?
At Home. I’ve been taking the pandemic seriously and although it may not have been great for my BMI, but being a little paranoid kept me, my friends, and family safe. Online, I’d be on Warzone, Back 4 Blood, or GTFO with some friends.
Pre-pandemic, you would find me trying out all the restaurants, travelling domestic (Ipoh and Penang are favorites) or internationally (mostly Thailand).
You can reach out to me on LinkedIn.
