The Autopilot Leadership Model, Sammy Lee

Lee Kum Kee is a Chinese condiment enterprise with over a century of heritage. It has grown to sell its products to over 100 countries and regions around the world by practicing its core value of Si Li Ji Ren Considering Collective Benefits Before Acting. However, the company's ambitions do not stop here. Rather, its second mission is to promote Chinese preventive health culture to nurture more balanced, affluent, and harmonious lives. Completing this mission through offering traditional Chinese health products was the very purpose of founding Infinitus. In just 20 years, Infinitus' business has spread all over China and overseas. The company has grown more than 180 times in 16 years. The company's business performance reached double-digit growth rates over the past 10 consecutive years. AON Hewitt, a global human capital and management consulting firm, bestowed the company with the awards of "Best Employer in Asia" (two times) and "Best Employer in China" (four times). The author, Sammy Lee, is one of the fourth generation family members of Lee Kum Kee as well as the Chairman and Managing Director of the LKK Health Products Group and the Chairman of Infinitus (China) Company Limited. He has consistently attained unexpected achievements, breaking away from the curse of short-lived family enterprises. Moreover, he leads a healthy, relaxed, and happy personal lifestyle, which begs the question How did he break free from the saying "You cannot have it both ways?" As Si Li Ji Ren facilitated Lee Kum Kee to become the century old corporation it is, the Autopilot Leadership Model helped Infinitus to reach new heights. The Autopilot Leadership Model originated from the concept of the Invisible Leader in Lao Zi's Dao De Jing as well as other modern Western management theories, which will be explained in detail in Chapter 2. Autopilot means the automatic system that is used to control the course of an airplane without the need of constant hands-on control. The author borrowed this terminology to describe the automatic operational system in a company without the need for a leader's direct command. In this model, Talent and Team are the two most important facets. Through the six elements of Choosing the Right Talent, High Trust Environment, Highly Effective Team, Common Goal, Effective Empowerment, and Coaching and Developing Talent, the model allows employees to unlock their potential, attain happiness, attract other talented individuals to join, and ensure business sustainability.