theceomagazine.com | 15stressful project. “Some of it I sort of decided
or designed on the fly and it became a
coordination nightmare that resulted in a
lot of changed orders and variations in cost.
I still kept it under control, but that would
be the first thing that I learned.
“The other main thing I learned is that
we need to pace ourselves. That kind of
project is a marathon, not a sprint. You need
to go through different phases: there are
different types of work that you have to
do at different stages of the process.”
Joo Kim says he has
developed a more strategic
approach in the aftermath
of the Trump Tower
project. “Now I don’t
get too hung up on
any one thing. I
understand that it’s
a process, and I don’t
get too stressed out
about anything because
you need to focus on
the task ahead. That’s all
you need to do.”
Over and above the various
logistical and construction challenges,
the backlash against Joo Kim took a personal
toll. “That’s stuff that most people don’t really
go through,” he remembers. “Dealing with
- I hate to say it – controversy or backlash
from certain people, people sending me mean
tweets, threatening me. It was just odd.
“I’d never experienced it before and
I didn’t really know how to deal with it
at that point in time. I just tried to remain
focused and not get distracted by any of it.
I had to understand that I had a task that I
needed to accomplish, and I was determined
to just remain focused on that.”
HEAVY METAL DRUMMER
Inevitably dressed in an immaculately tailored
suit with a dapper pocket square, Joo Kim
nonetheless has sides to his character that
don’t fit neatly into the corporate mould. He
enjoys heavy-metal drumming and finds the
sheer energy of the music empowering. “It’s
freaky, I know,” he admits. “But sometimes
we forget that work is not everything and
that we need to have other things in our life
that take our mind off things. I think having
a hobby is good, something that you’re
passionate about and enjoy.
“I like drumming because it goes very
well with my personality. Drumming takes
tons of practice, and when you’re drumming,
you cannot think of other things. You need
to focus on hitting on time, getting the
repetitions right. I like it because it teaches
me the things I need to do to be
successful in everything else
I need to be in life.”
The punishing
discipline of drumming
is also an aspect that
appeals to Joo Kim.
Getting the
complicated rhythms
of heavy metal down
takes hours upon
hours of practice.
“Sometimes when
you’re practising, it’s
boring as heck,” he admits.
“But you put in the time, and
finally you realise, ‘Oh, man, I’m so
good now!’ It becomes second nature.”
Joo Kim is also an avid basketball fan,
preferring to follow the storylines of
individual players rather than any team. The
up-and-down career of Stephon Marbury is
one that struck a chord with him. After his
time in the sport’s pinnacle competition, the
NBA, came to a premature end, Marbury was
widely seen as a difficult personality and a
wasted talent. Yet, his story had an
unexpected second act when he moved to
China and became such a successful and
respected figure in the league that locals
built a statue in his honour.
“I don’t know him; it’s just a story
I followed, but I’m very happy for him,”
Joo Kim says. “Sometimes it’s good to see
a person reinvent themselves. Through the
course of a life there’s going to be highs
and lows, but at the end of the day you
end on the good. You know what
I’m saying?”“I like drumming ...
it teaches me the
things I need to do
to be successful in
everything else I
need to be in life.”
Interview | INSPIRE