Great leaders do not fade away. They just step aside so that the next generation can take over and take the organization to greater heights. That's what Jack Ma, the charismatic man behind Alibaba Group did, even when he was at the height of his career. The billionaire stepped down from his post as CEO of Alibaba Group as of 10 May 2013.
That day was coincidentally the 10th anniversary of Taobao, Alibaba's version of eBay or Amazon, That day was filled with songs and dances, despite it being Jack Ma's last day as CEO as he moves on to become chairman of the conglomerate -with Jonathan Lu helming the CEO position. This is what he told his staff that, as reported by Tech in Asia.
The importance of trust
"What is the thing that has made Alibaba what it is today? What is the thing that has made me what I am today? I have no reasons to succeed. Alibaba and Taobao have no reasons to succeed either.
But today, we have walked so far and for so many years, with so many aspirations for the future, I believe it is trust that has made us walk this far.
When no one believes in the future, we chose to believe.. we chose to trust.. that 10 years later, China will be better. We chose to believe that our colleagues will do better than myself. I believe the younger generation of Chinese will do better than us. I'm thankful that my colleagues have trusted me. It's tough to be CEO but being a CEO's employee is even tougher.
All of you are building a new kind of trust. This trust helps to make the world more open, more transparent, and more responsible. I feel proud of you.
I can walk till today all thanks to everyone's trust. Because of trust it has made the journey easy. I believe and I also urge everyone to support and trust Jonathan Lu and the team as you have always supported and trusted me.
The importance of embracing change
Computers are fast, the internet is even faster. When we haven't really understood what is mobile internet, big data comes along. Times of change are for the younger generation.
Today, a lot of young people think that big companies like Google, Baidu, Tencent and Alibaba took all your chances to succeed. Ten years ago, when we saw numerous giant companies, we were also once lost and worried. But ten years of determination, we have walked to today. If it wasn't a time of change, the younger generation would not have a chance. We don't need a rich father to succeed, What we have is determination and a vision.
A lot of people hate change, but because we have embraced this change that's why we have a future. The next 30 year, this world and China, will have even more change. This change is an opportunity for everyone. Grab this chance. It's only in times of change that someone can be clear of what he has and wants, and what he needs to give up.
Building Alibaba for 14 years, i'm honored that I'm a businessman. Business people in this age aren't just doing business for profits. I think we are the same as any artists, educator and politician who's doing our best to make this society complete.
14 years in business made me understand life, hardship, determination, and responsibility. It also made me understand that when other people succeed it means we have succeeded as well. What we look forward to most is the smile on our employees' faces.
An ongoing mission
"Building a company to this size, I feel humbled and proud, What we achieved today, has greatly surpassed the efforts we have put in. This society, at this time, for Alibaba to continue to prosper, we have to solve problems in society. There are so many problems in society and these are opportunities for everyone. If there isn't any problem, then there's no need for all of you.
All people of Alibaba, please continue to serve small businesses. Because small businesses are where most of the Chinese dreams live. 14 years ago, we set a mission that there will be no business too hard to do, helping small enterprise to grow.
Today, this mission lies in your hands. People say e-commerce and the internet created an unfair advantage. But my understanding is that the internet created a truly fair platform
Handing over the baton
"To make sure a company doesn't age and make no mistakes, I chose to believe the younger generation. By believing in them, you also believe in the future. So I will not return to Alibaba as CEO. There's no use for me to return because all of you will do better.
Moving forward, I will be doing things that I'm interested in, such as working on education and the enivornment. Besides work, let's work hard together to improve China. Let the water be clear, the sky be blue, and the food be safe."
