CEO‘s Diary: Pulling the Organization Out of Inertia

The following meeting minutes are an AI-generated record of my workday. I hope that through these details, many of our friends can see that we are genuinely working hard every single day, striving to be a little better than yesterday, and building a stronger platform to empower our colleagues and clients.

When I decided to publish this, the Marketing Department strongly opposed it. They felt the format was too long and assumed no one would bother reading it. The Business Departments also objected, worrying that some of the content might expose our vulnerabilities and make us look weak. I, however, have a different perspective. Going back to my original intention: why am I writing this? I want people who actually care to see what Globevisa Gruop is truly like. If this were just another corporate PR piece, who would want to read it? The countless details below are indeed from an internal perspective, simply because this is an internal document. I let AI completely reconstruct my real working scenarios for the day, hoping that anyone seeking the truth about Globevisa Group can see the authentic picture through these records.

From 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM, Henry had six back-to-back meetings: Marketing, Project Management, a working lunch, an interview, Training (Sales Support Department), Tech, and referrals (Business Development).

This was not a typical workday of an executive "buried in meetings," nor was it a sample of a boss exhaustedly switching between different business lines. On the contrary, Henry was incredibly consistent throughout the day—consistently doing one specific thing: Pulling the team out of its inertia.

Pulling them away from what?

● Away from the habit of "we've always done it this way."

● Away from the organizational instinct to "just establish a rule first."

● Away from the illusion that "being busy means being effective."

● Away from management based on "gut feelings without evidence."

● And away from the path dependency of using old methods to patch up problems in a brand-new era.

From discussing AI with Marketing to exploring growth breakthroughs with Project Managers; from chatting about Duolingo over lunch to restructuring the consultant training system in the afternoon; from selecting tech tools to debating BD strategies at dusk. On the surface, the topics were entirely different. But in almost every meeting, Henry was asking the exact same fundamental questions:

● What was our original intention for doing this?

● Are you busy solving the real problem?

● Are you still using human effort to brute-force tasks that should be handed over to AI and tools?

● Why are we rushing to implement systems and rules before we've even tested the waters?

● Why are we making judgments without data, case studies, or hard evidence?

● Why do we subconsciously fall back on old methods when we are clearly stuck?

Throughout the day, Henry acted as a human compass, constantly recalibrating the direction. Every meeting was a process of pulling the organization back to "results, methods, and boundaries."

I. 9:00 AM Marketing: Starting with Systems, Ending with Human Evolution

The first meeting of the day was an internal Marketing discussion with Siren, Ember, Lynn, and Purple. The vibe was relaxed, starting with casual offline chatter. Henry didn't jump straight into a typical "report-feedback-conclusion" format. Instead, he started with a specific technical question: How is the leads tracking system recovering? Is the new dashboard ready? Is the dynamic export functioning? It sounded like a system issue, but Henry wasn't really focused on "how many functions have been restored." He wanted to know: Has our working efficiency actually recovered now that the system is back?

The answer was: Mostly, but we still need a lot of manual human intervention. Henry quickly shifted his focus from the tools to the people. The theme of the meeting rapidly pivoted from "system recovery" to "whether the Marketing Department has developed real AI execution capabilities."

1. He doesn't care if you "learned AI"; he cares if "AI produces results."

To the outside world, AI is a buzzword; internally, it's not new either. But Henry repeatedly emphasized one point: Learning about AI without applying it to business scenarios only creates anxiety.

He was blunt: "AI that actually changes how we work is the only real AI."

He gave an undeniable example: Using an AI's "deep thinking" feature to research a new Uruguay project generated high-quality marketing materials in just three minutes—easily outperforming our own internal drafts. You don't need to write complex prompts or show off technical skills; you just need to explain the task clearly.

His concern wasn't about "how smart AI is," but rather: If we are still relying on human effort to brute-force this level of repetitive work, our organization hasn't truly entered the AI era. That was his deepest anxiety during the meeting: It’s not that people don’t know how to use it, it’s that people can use it but aren't translating it into actual work results.

2. Marketing shouldn't be an "assembly line"; it should be the company's antennae.

Henry doesn't view the Marketing Department as just a team that "makes graphics, writes articles, posts on social media, and buys ads." Instead, he assumes they should be the first people in the company to sense new information, new platforms, and new trends.

He jumped from WeChat articles to podcasts; from AI-generated PPTs to watermark removal; from website building to the new AI SEO features on Wix. He wasn't just brainstorming; he was demonstrating a working state: Catching signals from daily life, seeing possibilities in what others are doing, and translating that back into our business.

3. "Wild ideas" aren't enough; it comes down to execution.

The meeting eventually turned into a discussion on talent screening for Marketing. Henry clearly wasn't satisfied with superficial labels like "good aesthetics" or "social media savvy." He values three core traits:

● Basic capabilities: Whether it's aesthetics or tech skills, you need a ticket to enter.

● Receptiveness: Not just saying "yes," but genuinely willing to adjust and correct course.

● Execution: Having ideas isn't enough; you have to actually build and launch them.

II. 10:30 AM Project Managers: The Real Issue Isn't "Price Drops," It's "Narrow Information"

From 10:30 to 12:30, the attendees shifted to Siren, Nicholas, Cindy, and Snowy.

Cindy raised a very realistic problem: We want to push the Singapore project and increase market share. Our first instinct is always, "Should we lower the price?"

This is a classic dilemma: when growth stalls, price drops are usually the first reflex. Henry didn't directly debate the price cut. Instead, he dug deeper: Why is a price cut always your only solution?

1. Breakthroughs come from seeing more, not just thinking harder.

His answer wasn't that the market was too competitive or the clients too difficult. His diagnosis was: It's not that there's no path forward; it's that you have too little information. He delivered the heaviest line of the day: "Not knowing what you don't know is the biggest barrier to breakthrough."

When teams can't find a new strategy, they often think they just aren't thinking hard enough. But the real issue is usually a lack of diverse inputs. His advice wasn't to "brainstorm," but to expand their horizons: look at what local Singaporean HR professionals are discussing, what the labor market cares about, and what bank relationship managers are focused on.

2. He reframed the Singapore EP/PR narrative rather than fighting a losing battle.

When discussing the current difficulties and external attacks on the Singapore EP project (due to changing immigration policies), Henry didn't push for more aggressive sales pitches. He acknowledged reality: it is getting harder. But his solution was to redefine the product.

He pointed out that clients are betting on the policy landscape two or three years from now, not today. He urged the team to shift the focus to the "functional utility" of the status (e.g., a legal tax residency in Southeast Asia).

3. "Don't kill ideas early"—unless they cross the compliance line.

Someone mentioned a competitor's "Guaranteed PR" project for Singapore (high fee, big corporate endorsement, 95% pass rate, half refund if failed). While many managers might ask if it's profitable or replicable, Henry immediately shot it down: "Not compliant. Rejected."

While he constantly preaches not to kill new ideas in the brainstorming phase, compliance is the absolute boundary, not a trial-and-error zone. He views such projects as packaging promises and gambling on probabilities, which carries immense legal risk.

4. Redefining the Lawyer's Role in the AI Era.

Discussing smaller US visas (H-1B, OPT), Henry noted that tasks previously considered "not worth doing" due to high manual document costs have now had their barriers significantly lowered by AI. He sharply pointed out that the traditional junior lawyer's role (heavy document drafting) is actively being replaced by AI. The true growth path for lawyers now lies in client communication, branding, project development, and hybrid project management.

III. Lunch: Tying Sleep, Duolingo, and Salaries to Management Logic

Lunch with Owen and Siren was essentially an unstructured management seminar.

1. The "Sleep" Metaphor for Organization.

Henry compared management to sleep: If sleep were useless, evolution would have eliminated it millions of years ago. You can't use subjective willpower to deny objective rules. You can brute-force a project with overtime and sheer willpower in the short term, but long-term, the body (and the organization) will exact a toll if the underlying systems and directions are wrong.

2. Duolingo as a Blueprint for Corporate Training.

Discussing learning English on Duolingo, Henry wasn't focused on the language aspect, but on the mechanics: leveling up, sound effects, daily streaks, leaderboards. His immediate thought was: Why can't our new employee onboarding be designed like this? He instantly started translating the app's gamification into business applications for the training department.

3. To hire the top 3%, drop the "average salary" mindset.

When discussing the slow recruitment of top-tier talent in mainland China, Henry was realistic: If we truly want the top 3% of the talent pool, our compensation must align with that 3%. But he immediately pushed the thought further, considering the ripple effects: If a new hire's base salary is higher than a two-year veteran's, that disrupts internal order. How do we balance external acquisition with internal fairness?

4. After-sales feedback requires hard evidence.

Regarding customer service complaints, Henry was as strict as a judge: "Vague feedback is completely useless. Bring hard evidence." Saying a department is "generally bad" or a manager "has a bad attitude" doesn't help. Only specific cases, dialogue records, and exact contexts constitute actionable problems. He refuses "impression management" and only accepts "evidence-based management."

IV. Afternoon: SSD (Training) - Bringing Things Back to the Original Intention

The afternoon session focused on the SSD (Support & Training) department.

1. Training isn't "firefighting."

Henry immediately recalibrated the department's positioning: SSD shouldn't be the troubleshooters running around putting out fires when consultants make mistakes. Their true purpose is to proactively design consultant growth.

Drawing from his own experience dealing with his child's school applications, he realized that consultants often lack structured, systemic knowledge.

2. Memorize the core 20% to solve 80% of problems.

Henry argued that consultants hesitate to pitch niche projects not because they lack sales skills, but because they can't remember the three or four key parameters of those projects. He proposed compressing project knowledge into a question bank. His logic is highly results-oriented: Get them to memorize the absolute core concepts first so they have the confidence to speak to clients. Perfect comprehension can come later.

3. If you can't measure it, don't mandate it.

There was a debate on whether reading the training textbooks should be mandatory. Henry didn't deny the value of the books, but he stuck to a core principle: "If an action cannot be verified or assessed, do not make it a mandatory requirement." You can't prove someone actually read a book, so keep it as supplementary reading. Only measurable, verifiable actions should be part of the core KPI system.

4. What is the goal of the Morning Meeting?

When discussing reforming the morning meetings, Henry stopped them from just changing the format and asked: What is the actual goal here? Is it project exposure? Is it knowledge retention? If it's retention, why does everyone forget the information three days later? He isn't against reform, but he strongly opposes changing forms without clearly defining the goal and the metrics for success.

V. 4:00 PM Tech: Stop Reinventing the Wheel & Cut Your Losses

The 4:00 PM meeting with Purple focused on tech tools.

1. Prioritize standard SaaS, reject heavy custom dev.

Henry’s stance on tools (CRM, data platforms) is firm: use third-party standard products. He dislikes in-house development and heavy customization because it creates long-term maintenance nightmares. Who maintains it later? How do we handle updates?

2. "If everyone left, who would you rehire first?"

To gauge the true backbone of the team, Henry asked a brutal but effective question: If the entire team quit today, who is the very first person you would rehire? This forces management to cut through polite evaluations and identify the individuals who can independently sustain the business.

3. Cut your losses when a project deviates.

Discussing internal CRM projects that had strayed from their original goal of "using native functions" into "endless custom patching," Henry's rule was simple: Acknowledge the deviation and stop the bleeding. Correcting the course is far more important than stubbornly following through on a mistake.

VI. 5:00 PM Channels/BD: Run the Business Before Writing the Rules

The final meeting focused on Business Development and Globevisa+.

1. Data first, judgment later.

He approved a detailed channel tracking sheet because it moves the team away from relying on "gut feelings" about which partners are effective, forcing judgments to be based on trackable facts.

2. Learn the details, not just the shell.

When analyzing successful competitors, Henry demands granular details: What is their exact internal SOP? How do they handle channel visits? How is commission structured? You can't just copy a concept; you have to study the operational mechanics.

3. "Flexibility over perfection" for unproven business models.

When the team suggested creating extensive rules, approval flows, and budget categories for brand-new BD initiatives, Henry pushed back hard: This business hasn't even taken off yet. Don't build heavy systems and rules for low-frequency, unproven scenarios. That is a classic big-company disease. His underlying philosophy for new ventures: Test small, handle exceptions on a case-by-case basis, review the results, and only establish formal systems once the volume justifies it.

Conclusion: A Day of Continuous Calibration

If you break this day apart, it looks incredibly fragmented. But viewing it as a whole, Henry was doing the exact same thing from morning till night: Pulling the organization out of the illusion of "just doing work," and forcing it to face real problems.

He didn't provide grand, perfect, final answers. Instead, he performed high-intensity, everyday calibrations: calibrating direction, methods, boundaries, and people.

Perhaps this is exactly what an organization needs most in an era of rapid change. It's not about adding another perfect rule or a catchy new concept. It's about having someone constantly reminding everyone:

Don't lose focus. Don't take things for granted. Don't be fooled by empty formalities. Don't use human effort for things AI can do. Don't make judgments without evidence. Don't build systems before the business is proven. And never forget why you started in the first place.

In an era where old paths are failing, new tools are emerging daily, and organizational inertia is incredibly strong, the rarest asset isn't just diligence or loud declarations. It is the relentless ability to pull a team out of its old frameworks. And that is exactly what Henry did today.