On June 3, the Yonsei Leadership Center held its 75th Leadership Special Lecture, inviting CEO and Chairman of Woori Bank, Lee Soon-woo, to speak. Having worked in financial services at Woori Bank for 37 years, Mr. Lee has been serving as the CEO since 2011. In his talk, “Be a Servant to Become a Leader,” Mr. Lee described his experiences working at Woori Bank, shared his vision for what a bank’s social roles and responsibilities ought to be, and he spoke of the skills and traits that financial institutions look for in young employees. Mr. Lee opened his lecture by wishing the audience good luck, quoting from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: “Rather than a brave leader, a smart leader, or a virtuous leader, it is a lucky leader who is a great leader.” Referencing Woori Bank’s history, Mr. Lee insisted that a bank’s greatest social responsibility is to protect and support corporations and citizens during times of national financial crisis. He stressed the importance for Korean banks of increasing their competitiveness in international finance, as this will be essential for them to remain strong and continue to grow. Mr. Lee also highlighted the value of honesty in banking and finance. As for the secret to his long and highly successful career, Mr. Lee pointed to his mindset as a servant, which he believes, was instrumental in attaining the post of CEO that he holds today. Mr. Lee revealed that he failed many times as a student, including on his entrance exams for middle school, high school, and university, as well as on the bar exam. These setbacks, though, proved invaluable, as they forced him to redouble his efforts, while teaching him modesty and consideration. Above all, he emphasized that persistence is an essential virtue for a strong leader. Referring to his failures in youth, and his perseverance in overcoming them, Mr. Lee concluded with a proverb: “A sturdy and homely hedgehog has a better chance to succeed than a sly cunning fox.”