TRANSLATION | Eugenia Yang

「因為我很喜歡改變，做不一樣的事。」談笑風生中，科林儀器執行長林士堯如此說道。自正式執掌科林以來，突破以往父親林文正專注於眼耳科的本業，更跨足診所經營與通路管理，不僅延伸企業核心能耐，也恰好顯現了他不滿足於現狀、不駐足於過往，樂觀向前、追求挑戰的個人特質。

“I like change. And all the different things that come with it.” Ever since officially taking over Clinico, David Lin has chosen not to simply follow his father’s focus on ophthalmology and otolaryngology. By taking on clinic management and access management, he simultaneously extended the core capabilities of the company and demonstrated his willingness to move forward and take on challenges with ease and confidence.

新舊觀念通

「你只做設備、通路，沒辦法真正了解現在的消費者在想什麼。」為了讓父親願意跳出本業經營，林士堯花了不少時間與父親溝通，也不斷與父親分享「錢也是一種資源，要願意去嘗試，讓這個資源更有底氣。」當有實力可以延伸核心能耐，便能創造更多機會，擴充發展空間，也為同仁造就更多成就感。對於企業二代的傳承問題，林士堯表示長輩創業一輩子，多少希望能保有掌控權，不論二代能力與否，總要面臨放手的那一天，而最關鍵在於適時做到告知，安心之餘，也能讓長輩心裡擁有掌握感。個性與父親大相徑庭，共事過程卻相當有默契，他認為一切始於父親給予的身教與價值觀，「有信任就會有默契，事情就很簡單，因為你知道他會配合你。」

致知在格物

賈伯斯曾言「我深信，成功與不成功的企業家之所以不同，有半數原因在於能否堅持下去。」提及成功企業家的特質，林士堯認為應具備四大要點：自我認同的理念、傳達理念的能力、吸引人才的技巧、面對挑戰的能力。「不可解的問題一定可以拆解。」回歸總體方向、審視執行方式，以格物致知的態度面臨一切囹圄，造就了林士堯豁達大度的性格，「挑戰肯定很多，不管過去的結果是好是壞，你總是會過，時間會推著你走，能不斷面對挑戰，達成就沒什麼。」也不太相信世界上會有什麼樣的低潮，笑答沒辦法給出太戲劇化的答案。身為科林儀器的掌舵者，除了本業持續做強深耕、達到垂直整合，升級現有服務模式之外，也冀望進一步優化品牌個性。採訪尾聲，他說了聲「乾杯！」將自身診所提供的調酒一飲而盡，眼裡滿是熠熠光芒。

Slow but Steady 

A few years ago, after receiving the news of his grandmother’s illness, David immediately returned to Taiwan from Australia to be with his family and also joined the family company. Looking back now, he jokingly says it might have been a well-planned scheme, but still admits that he does find the job interesting. “The way foreign businesses manage companies is different from that of Taiwan. Instead of working abroad as an employee, why not stay and try running a new business model?” Taking his place step by step, David admits he received a lot of backlash at first, since he was trying to replace his father’s passive management with a stronger, more systematic one. The concept of having regular meetings and planning annual goals was hard for senior employees to accept. “Fortunately, my father was very supportive of these changes and agreed with my decisions.” 

Merging of Old and New 

“You can’t really understand what consumers are thinking if you only focus on equipment and channels.” In order to convince his father to be more open about stepping into different business fields, David had spent a lot of time communicating with his father through sharing his own experiences. “Money is also a kind of resource, so we have to be willing to try different things to truly harness it.” Once we have the ability to strengthen our core capability, we will then be able to create more opportunities to expand our development potential and establish a better sense of achievement for the employees. When it comes to passing the business onto the second generation, David says that it is understandable that parents would want to retain their control, since they’ve been in business for their whole life. Regardless of capability, it is essential that we notify them on important decisions for their peace of mind. Despite the fact that they have very different personalities, when it comes to working together, David still shares a tacit understanding with his father. He believes it all stems from his father’s teachings and values. “Once there is trust, there is a mutual understanding. It makes it easier to accomplish things because I know he’s willing to work by my side.”

Knowledge is in the Mind 

Steve Jobs once said, “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” Speaking of the characteristics a successful entrepreneur should hold, David believes that there are four major ones: self-reflection, the ability to convey ideas, the skill of recognizing talents and the capability of overcoming challenges. “There are no problems that cannot be solved.” Meanwhile, when it comes to executing, always holding an open-minded attitude in the face of difficulties is why David acquired his optimistic and generous personality. “Challenges never cease to exist. Regardless of our past, time always pushes us forward.” As the leader of Clinico, he continues to strengthen and deepen cultivation to achieve a vertical unification of the company. Besides upgrading the existing service model, he is also hoping to further optimize his brand personality. Towards the end of the interview, David offers his toast as he finishes his drink in one gulp, while his eyes shine with passion and total confidence—”Cheers!”