Coaching a new generation along with the times
With more than 20 years’ experience in the global supply chain industry, Henry Ko Hok-hang had held various senior leadership posts at multiple logistics enterprises, including global logistics giant DHL and Shenzhenbased SF Express. He was also formerly general manager at LiFung Kids — a member of Li & Fung Group — before joining freight-forwarding startup Flexport two years ago.
Working in large bureaucracies means a secured job, steady salary and comprehensive medical insurance coverage, but as a person who “embraces challenges”, Ko still chose to join a startup to start from zero.
“I started the Hong Kong office from scratch. I set up the office Wi-Fi and opened the bank account all by myself. Why did I choose a startup? I think I have to constantly adapt myself to the changes in the industry to keep up with the times. The internet is redefining the entire freightforwarding industry and that’s why I’m here. You cannot resist change, right? As technology has changed the world, we can’t lag behind in this age of disruption,” he says.
Ko sees Flexport as a tech company rather than a freight forwarder, which can be seen from the office’s design — large open space, shared work areas, a few private offices, and a sea-themed graffiti wall with bright blue and yellow colors. But, like many other things, it’s not what is outside, but it’s what’s inside that counts.
He believes the company’s positive and thriving culture that encourages each employee to try new things is the essence of a tech enterprise.
“In some big companies with a very conservative outlook, those in charge adopt a parental approach by giving direct orders, saying ‘I know what is right and what is wrong because I have the experience. You can do this and you can’t do this’. But, in our company, we encourage our staff to try. We can provide the environment and resources for them to do it. That’s the way to coach a new generation.”
Being a leader in a startup not only means you need to take care of every single thing personally, but also being be able to take responsibility for its success or failure. When the company develops too quickly, the leader must know how to balance the pace of company growth and the quality of the staff.
“We always want to hire openminded, energetic people to deliver good services to customers, but if the company is growing rapidly, we need to hire quickly to catch up with the expansion. Then, it’s very easy for us to hire the wrong people, who are not that qualified for the job. So, we need to slow down our growth a little bit to guarantee the quality of our staff,” he says.
“At the same time, as we are a tech company, we are also trying to make our system smarter to improve user experience, so the slower pace of hiring will have less pressure on the business.”
To retain and motivate the staff, Flexport has a job rotation scheme, providing different platforms for each individual to do whatever he or she is interested in. For example, the entrylevel position in Flexport is an operation associate who needs to manage the freight-forwarding process from A to Z, providing all-round services to customers, contacting partners, and managing the system. If a new employee does well here, he can apply to be transferred to other posts.
“No one will be stopped from developing in our company. I always believe in ‘happy staff and happy customers’. It’s not just a slogan, it’s the company culture.”
The first step to help others grow is self-cultivation, according to Ko. A sentence from Great Learning that has made a great impression on him is: Self-cultivation, family harmony, country management and world peace.
“A leader cannot stop learning. He has to be a role model to manage the team or the entire company. Family harmony in the business world means team harmony. Only when you manage the team well, can you dominate the market. That’s the last step, world peace.”