Yonsei School of Business

Young-Suk Chi, chairman of Elsevier, an information and analytics company, used Steve Kerr, coach of the Golden State Warriors professional basketball team in the U.S.A., to make his points in his talk on “Entrepreneurship and Innovation” about the skills needed for success in a changing world.

"The Fourth Industrial Revolution is causing unimaginable changes such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and the Internet of Things," Chi said in December at the third Yonsei Venture, Innovation and Startup Program (YVIP). “The physical, biological and digital boundaries are becoming blurred. Therefore, we will face change in all sectors.”

Chi said the qualities displayed by Kerr will be needed to succeed in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Among those are Kerr’s strategic thinking based on his deep understanding of basketball, his leadership skills, ability to clearly communicate with others, and his self-confidence are all characteristics that carryover into different fields. Chairman Chi summarized Kerr’s skills as technical knowledge, outstanding soft skills, and a strong personal belief system.

He explained further that technical knowledge is a flexible way of thinking that incorporates the ability to quickly forget the old and learn new things in line with fast-changing times and availability of a growing amount of information. Soft skills mean leadership, teamwork, and communication skills that machines cannot replace. “Finally,” he said, self-confidence means that a person is not overcome by failure but is able to continue moving forward.

"It is the greatest pleasure to communicate with young students who are full of energy," Chi said, and emphasized, "In order to seize opportunities in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution when everything is changing, I hope you remember this anecdote about Kerr and these three factors."