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Successful Leaders Cultivate These 5 Traits
Kon Leong describes himself as a mission-driven CEO with entrepreneurship in his blood.
He founded ZL Technologies, his third business, in 1999.
Over the past twenty years, and without venture capital funding, his company has helped large businesses securely manage their information, such as email and files.
Based in in the heart of Silicon Valley, ZL Technologies helps enterprises manage critical information. It employs approximately 130 people, and its customers include Fortune 500 companies in financial services, healthcare, and manufacturing industries.
I asked CEO and co-founder Kon Leong what traits should a leader today cultivate if they want to build a company that lasts twenty years or longer. He said:
“The best leaders and managers are those who don’t want to be. It’s kind of similar to how the best king is the one who never wanted to be king.”
1. Solve Customer Problems
New entrepreneurs sometimes set up a business because they feel confident the marketplace needs their inspired idea.
Instead, Leong suggests aspiring entrepreneurs consider what problem they want to solve for others.