Every entrepreneur who finds success must first overcome immense pain. For me, the deepest agony is watching longtime colleagues stagnate and become obsolete as the company rapidly evolves. Some dedicate “the entirety of their youth” to the organization, only to become a roadblock to its progress—or even, tragically, its saboteur—leading to an agonizing separation.
I carry one such devastating experience.
I had a female employee who was exceptionally close to me. She worked with us from the very beginning, navigating the bitterness and turbulence before we ever tasted success. In our early years, she was incredibly resourceful, smart, and a true master of “street smarts.” She could solve any problem and was highly regarded by everyone. She married one of my best friends, and through all our personal crises, we supported each other completely. She had long ceased being just a colleague; she was family.
Yet, her fatal flaw was a profound unwillingness to learn new skills. She refused to learn English or update her knowledge of management, sales, marketing, finance, or accounting. As the company grew, she continued to live solely on her existing knowledge. She could not manage anyone new and only performed the tasks she had always performed.
She gradually became redundant—her presence neither helped nor hindered the company. We needed people who were fluent in English and equipped with modern skills, not just “errand runners.” Although her emotional intelligence kept her popular, the respect of new hires quickly vanished; they did not esteem a “founding veteran” who had nothing new to offer.
The end was catastrophic. Driven by desperation, she committed a gross legal violation, engaging in personal business activities but using our company’s name. Her actions threatened to collapse our entire company and expose everyone to legal risk had we continued to tolerate it. Our institutional investors—who demand compliance—were resolute. The Board made the decision that she had to go, and her violations were reported to the authorities. We lost a longtime colleague and a dear friend (her husband) in a spiral of hatred and bitterness.
The leadership failure
Because I was not directly running the company at the time, I had repeatedly pressed my co-founder and CEO (her direct manager) to raise her standards. Yet, he dismissed my concerns: “She doesn’t want to learn, why are you forcing her? Are you crazy?” He never seriously required her to learn English, pursue higher education, or demand excellence in her work quality. I consider this his greatest failure: the mediocrity and idiocy he allowed to take root in a dedicated colleague. To this day, I have not forgiven him.
Even now, the memory haunts me. I still ask myself: If only I had been more resolute in requiring her professional development, especially English proficiency. If only we had insisted she adopt systematic work methods instead of allowing her to become an assistant for small errands. If only we hadn’t tolerated her lack of professional rigor. If only we had parted ways earlier, realizing she was no longer a fit. She could have been a strong, capable leader. Instead, our reckless permissiveness ruined her. Our own organizational complacency allowed her to become mediocre.
A few months ago, I had to choke back tears to let go of another junior employee I valued highly. I gave him every opportunity to learn English and take on new roles, but he wanted to remain “comfortable.” After two weeks of sleepless consideration, I made the decision to terminate his employment. On his last day, I told him: “I genuinely like you, but I have to let you go because with your current mindset, you will certainly fall behind in a few years. And at that point, it would be far more painful for the company to fire you. I hope this termination serves as a wake-up call for you to change.”
The dangers of organizational stagnation
When employees stop learning and refuse to change, long-term staff follow one of two paths.
- The organizational ‘zombies’: If they are benign and not overly intelligent, they become unthinking, passive staff who merely drift through the company. They survive on history and loyalty but contribute nothing new.
- The manipulators (‘Ma giáo’): If they are intelligent but lazy, they turn to “unethical shortcuts” rather than the path of professional excellence. Lacking new skills, they rely on cunning and manipulation to survive. Externally, they lobby for deals instead of winning on merit. Internally, they engage in office politics, badmouthing rivals and managing their boss’s perception while stifling subordinates. This trajectory either leads them to a high position from which they eventually collapse the organization, or they render the entire workplace so toxic and hostile that no one else can thrive.
The experience with my former colleague remains a permanent obsession. I vowed never to repeat that tragedy.
In every organization I lead, the capacity for self-study and the discipline for continuous learning is the single highest virtue and non-negotiable commitment. I demand that all my associates, from junior to senior leadership, continuously learn, read, gain new skills, and seek new experiences. Leaders who haven’t completed graduate studies must do so. Those who avoid English proficiency must become fluent. Those who reject the learning mindset will be decisively dismissed, sooner rather than later.
When a learning policy is established, excuses are irrelevant. There is no room for being busy with business, home issues, or minor ailments. You learn, period. On one occasion at a large consulting group I oversaw, I announced I would halt all salary reviews and bonuses for nearly 100 employees because they failed to complete required training. Within one week, every single employee had finished their courses.
Do not allow your staff or colleagues to become “zombies” or to turn to “unethical shortcuts.” The greatest sin of a leader is allowing mediocrity to settle in. And never tolerate complacency or mediocrity—in your team or in yourself.
