What's the first thing you do when you arrive at work in the morning? Many of us will check our calendars, to see what needs to be done, and to take note of any scheduled meetings or appointments. Looking over Nota's office calendar, I can see plans for many upcoming meetings and discussions, ensuring that the company continues to take the lead in the field of AI optimization.
Of course, meetings in of themselves don't guarantee results. With this in mind, at Nota we take action from the communication and feedback that arises in every meeting, working to cement the foundations of our Leadership Principles (LP). What does this look like in practice? To find out, we sat down with three members of the Nota crew, to talk about the importance of meetings to the company's ongoing success.
Jiha Yi (Marketing) - Hello, I'm Jiya Yi from the Marketing team. In Marketing, we formulate various strategies to promote Nota's products for both domestic and international markets. Mutual collaboration between various teams and departments, such as the HAI team, NP team, ITS team and Biz team, is an essential part of our success. These collaborations necessitate many meetings, where we often come up with some of our best and most synergistic ideas.
Seokyeol Yang (Sales) - Hello, I'm Seokyeol Yang from the Sales team. Communication is a key part of my job. I communicate throughout the company, as well as externally, to discover new business opportunities where Nota's technology can be most effectively applied to provide customized solutions. The nature of my meetings vary, sometimes I travel, while other times I host visiting clients at Nota. But no matter where, the importance of communication and meetings remains paramount to my job.
For me, meetings are the place where ideas and proposed solutions become a reality. External meetings allow me to properly assess the intersection between the needs of the client and Nota's services. While internal meetings are good opportunities to discuss how to further leverage Nota's technology in the market. Productive meetings with others builds trust and increases the quality of service we provide. I am in no doubt, that meetings are an essential component of Nota's success, and our ongoing attempts to reach our maximum potential as a company.
Sukin Eo (IP & Legal, Compliance) - Hello, I'm Sukin Eo. I work in the IP & Legal, as well as Compliance, teams. In my work with IP & Legal, I manage the intellectual property rights of Nota's core technology, formulating strategies to mitigate the risks of IP theft or reputational damage. In the Compliance team, I first established, and now manage, Nota's technical information protection system, including working with personal information and data, as well as obtaining and managing relevant certifications.
If I were to imagine my job without any meetings, it would seem very strange. Though they don't take up the entirety of my day, meetings are an essential part of my job. For every day I find myself with no meetings, or even some free time, there are other days when meetings take up the bulk of my day. Whether I am hosting or attending, meetings are a great opportunity to learn, provide guidance and solve problems. They also make the week pass by quickly!
Practice Makes Perfect
Sukin, given the nature of your work in regard to intellectual property and patents, I imagine specificity and clarity are crucial concepts in your meetings. Are there any specific principles or plans that you uphold to ensure success in your meetings?
Sukin: Sure. While I don't always perfectly meet my targets, I do have some ideas and practices that I try to uphold to the best of my ability. These can be divided into three categories, pre, during and post-meeting.
💡 Pre-Meeting – Agenda Sharing
Before each meeting, I will share the agenda that is on the table for the day. I consider it a fundamental starting point that everyone in attendance should know why we gathered together. By providing the purpose and the background of the meeting in advance, it gives everyone the opportunity to prepare well, and be ready to contribute productively. From my experience, meetings without any proper preparation beforehand often fail to hit the ground running. When everyone arrives on the same page, it makes everything a lot easier.
💡 During - Staying Present
During each meeting, I try to remain present, reminding myself of my role and aims. If I am hosting, I make sure to confirm everyone understands the purpose of the meeting, allowing me to move forward without any hitches. If I am invited to a meeting, I make sure that I understand the host's intentions, and offer appropriate opinions and feedback in alignment with them. If I have nothing to offer personally, I will try to recommend someone else who could be of use in one way or another. Meetings, and discussions within them, often change and evolve in real time, so I try my best to follow the logic of every argument or suggestion, making sure that they always circle back to the host's original intentions.
💡 Organization – Arriving at a Consensus
After every meeting, I organize my notes, highlighting the key points of discussion. I primarily focus on the conclusions that were reached, in order to share them and to allow us to seamlessly transition into the next meeting. By sharing my notes, it ensures everyone remains on the same page, which is crucial for ongoing teamwork and cooperation.
Jiha, through your work in the Marketing department, how do you handle meetings? Do you have a specific communication style or mindset that you consider most important?
Jiha: Yes, I work to align myself with Nota's Leadership Principles (LP). In this I am not alone, throughout the company we strive to uphold the company LP, and work together to create a positive, productive atmosphere. When we are all on the same page, with the same expectations, it allows us to get on with our jobs, and minimizes the risk of any potential time-wasting at the beginning of meetings.
💡 Leadership Principles – Communication is Key
Our Leadership Principles, or LP, are not just trendy catchphrases. They are at the foundation of everything we do as a company. Each meeting room at Nota has a specific name, tied to a specific company LP. If you want to, for example, hold a meeting about our customers, you can reserve Room 2, which is also called the 'Customer-Centric' room. The idea is to inspire, and to leave no doubt about the purpose of each meeting.
Our LP are at the heart of everything that we do. New hires are given introductory LP sessions, to understand what they are, and what is expected of them. We even have company events and award ceremonies, such as LP Activity, LP Awards, Town Hall Meetings and Lounge Talks, to congratulate our colleagues and to reiterate the importance of the company LP.
💡 A Collaborative Mindset
Collaboration is at the root of our success. As individuals, we all have our own roles to perform, and responsibilities to uphold. When each of us does our job properly, collaboration comes naturally. This is especially true in meetings, where communication and collaboration is vital to the success or failure of our efforts.
Last but not least, Seokyeol. As I understand it, working in sales, your job is likely to have both internal and external meetings. How do you approach the external meetings? What specific aspects of preparation do you give the most attention?
💡 Preparation – Aligning Internal and External Perspectives
Seokyeol: As a representative of Nota, my job is to present the company in a positive light. Naturally, as first impressions are often the most enduring, this means a lot of preparation before every meeting with our clients. I prioritize introducing our company through a concise presentation, paired with an introductory document that conveys what we do, and the potential that we have.
After meetings with clients, I head back to the office to hold more meetings, often with our CEO Myungsu, to discuss the results. I do my best to take notes and document my external meetings, to share the results and provide more context and information for my colleagues. Additionally, for colleagues that couldn't attend for whatever reason, I will often conduct short 10-20 minute meetings or presentations that cover the key points of what we have discussed earlier that day, keeping everyone in the loop.
Today's interviews have been a fascinating insight into the meeting culture of Nota. I hope we have made it clear that a collaborative mindset runs through the company from top to bottom. Meetings are an essential component of the company's success. From the hiring process, to planning events, and taking on new initiatives, meetings are at the forefront.
By continuing to hold meetings and work together, we can help create an even more prosperous and healthy company culture.