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Today's news:
1. According to AFP, Senegal has entered the ranks of oil and gas producing countries as Australian company Woodside Petroleum announced on the 11th that it had begun to extract oil at Cape Sangmar off the coast of Senegal. Senegal's oil and gas production will be used for export and domestic consumption in the country.
2. Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput, governor of the Bank of Thailand, warned in an interview on the 18th that any move to raise the central bank's inflation target could lead to expectations getting out of control and causing prices to rise faster, thus posing risks to economic growth. "The current inflation target range is suitable for the current situation and has a good effect."
3. SIA: In April, global semiconductor sales increased by 15.8% year-on-year and 1.1% month-on-month to US$46.43 billion. This is the first month-on-month positive growth since December 2023. The Americas grew by 4.2% month-on-month to $12.64 billion, Europe decreased by 0.8% month-on-month to $4.25 billion, Japan grew by 2.4% month-on-month to $3.59 billion, and China grew by 0.2% month-on-month to $14.17 billion.
4. Cailian Press: It is reported that TSMC may launch new price increase negotiations in the second half of the year, mainly for 5nm and 3nm, as well as the future 2nm process. It is expected that the price increase decision will be officially effective as early as 2025.
5. CINNO: In June, the price of a-Si/LTPS smartphone panels is still in a downward channel. The price of a-Si panels will continue to fall by $0.1 compared with May, and the price of LTPS panels will fall by $0.2. After a period of price increases, the price of flexible AMOLED panels has gradually stabilized, and individual projects may show a slight downward trend.
6. The direction that generative artificial intelligence is more optimistic about is the agent. The agent is the website in the AI era. There will be millions or even more agents appearing to form a huge ecosystem. The transformation of the big model for the ToB business will be very profound and thorough, an order of magnitude greater than the influence of the Internet on ToB.
7. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang: Robotics will make a major breakthrough in the next 2-3 years, and humanoid robots will become as common as today's cars. In 100 years, humanoid robots will be everywhere and may become the largest machine system in human history.
8. Mitsui Chemicals: It will start mass production of components for the most advanced semiconductor lithography machines, and plans to set up a production line in the Iwakuni Otake Factory in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, with an annual production capacity of 5,000 sheets. The production line is expected to be completed in December 2025. It can support the next generation of lithography machines to be launched by ASML of the Netherlands.
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Today's Insights: SMART Leadership - Inspiring B2B Success
In the realm of leadership, the ability to ask insightful questions can be a powerful tool for enabling individuals to find self-motivation and maintain long-term drive. Leaders, especially in the business world, must possess the skill of asking "smart questions." Our company have developed his unique "SMART" mentality to harness the power of questioning.
Systematic: Building a Continuous Inquiry Framework
The first element, Systematic, highlights that questioning should not be a sporadic activity but a continuous, methodical process. This approach involves delving deeply to uncover the underlying issues behind apparent problems. For instance, a leader might reflect on past successes and failures, asking questions such as, "What lessons did past experiences teach us?" and "What specific factors contributed to our success?" Systematic questioning spans past, present, and future timelines, aiming to understand how past experiences influence current situations and what steps should be taken to address future challenges.
Meaningful: Ensuring Purposeful Questions
Meaningful questions are those that are closely aligned with specific goals and purposes. Leaders must avoid asking arbitrary questions that lead to confusion or divergence. Instead, they should continuously review and adjust their questions to ensure they remain focused on desired outcomes. A useful technique is identifying the "adjectives" and "objects" within a goal. For example, if the goal is to "find a business manager who can report within three months," the focus should be on candidates who can meet this timeline and location criteria. This method helps maintain clarity and prevents digression.
Actionable: Defining Clear Steps and Plans
Actionable questions are vital for confirming specific actions and implementation plans. Often, meetings conclude without clear next steps, leading to confusion and inefficiency. By asking actionable questions, leaders can outline precise paths to achieve their goals. This involves dividing tasks into manageable steps and assigning responsibilities. Additionally, it includes considering alternative options, identifying potential risks, and planning mitigation strategies. This level of inquiry ensures that connected questions are translated into concrete actions.
Resourceful: Embracing Strategic Flexibility
Resourceful questions require a forward-looking strategy that can adapt to various scenarios and extend across different areas and departments. When supervisors pose questions, they should consider the broader impacts and possible implications for all involved parties. For example, in a sales project, it is essential to discuss with finance and manufacturing departments to ensure product costs are reasonable and financial assessments are feasible. This holistic approach broadens the scope of inquiry, making it more comprehensive and complete. Leaders must also balance conflicting goals, finding ways to allocate resources effectively across multiple projects.
Trigger: Sparking Imagination and Innovation
The final element, Trigger, focuses on stimulating imaginative thinking and generating new ideas. Effective leaders ask questions that encourage different perspectives and cross-industry comparisons. For instance, they might prompt colleagues to consider how first-quarter sales data relates to gross domestic production or how changes in the semiconductor economy affect sales performance. These seemingly unrelated questions can break conventional thinking patterns, opening up new possibilities and fostering creativity.
The ability to ask good questions is a hallmark of exceptional leadership. The development of the "SMART" method stemmed from personal experiences and challenges faced during career growth. Early in his career, the President and General Manager of the display technology company was confronted with a critical decision: whether to remain in a challenging sales role or return to the familiar manufacturing environment. His supervisor at the time posed two profound questions that significantly influenced his decision and career trajectory: "What do you want to be in 10 years?" and "Will returning to manufacturing bring you closer to or farther from that vision?"
These questions prompted deep reflection, leading him to stay in the sales role, which ultimately contributed to his professional growth. By 2013, he became the first foreign general manager of Taiwan Corning at the age of 42, a milestone in his career shaped by the power of effective questioning.
In 2021, he was promoted to the President and General Manager of Corning Display Technologies Greater China, continuing to cultivate a culture of inquiry within the organization. His journey underscores the importance of leaders asking meaningful questions to inspire self-motivation and long-term stability among their teams.
In conclusion, the "SMART" mentality offers a robust framework for leaders to ask questions that are systematic, meaningful, actionable, resourceful, and imaginative. By adopting this approach, leaders can drive their teams towards greater creativity, problem-solving, and sustained success. For B2B importers, engaging with a company that embraces such a thoughtful and innovative leadership style can lead to fruitful partnerships and significant business growth. This method not only enhances internal operations but also positions the company as a forward-thinking and strategic partner in the global market.
