Learning does not begin and end in the classroom. Some of life’s most significant lessons can come from a variety of places, often unexpectedly. For Jensen Huang, the CEO of Silicon Valley tech giant Nvidia, one of the most profound learnings of his life did not occur while in a boardroom meeting or the digital realm but while traveling overseas and visiting a Japanese garden.
The Japanese Garden Experience
Despite transforming Nvidia into a market cap exceeding $3 trillion, Huang, the co-founder and current CEO, is known for his meticulous attention to detail. Currently owning approximately 3.5% of the Santa Clara, California-based chipmaker, Huang’s business approaches have earned him high praise from influential figures like Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg. Musk has lauded Huang’s visionary leadership, while Zuckerberg has referred to him as “the Taylor Swift of tech,” highlighting his significant influence in the industry.
Beyond the Swift comparison, Huang has earned a few other labels throughout his career. In a recent interview with 60 Minutes, he candidly shared that members of his team have referred to him as “demanding,” a “perfectionist,” and “not easy to work for.” These labels reflect the high standards Huang sets for himself and his team. Yet, it was a personal experience shared at Caltech’s 130th commencement ceremony in Pasadena that offered Huang a profound lesson. He recounted how this lesson helped him understand the importance of patience and the value of taking time to perfect his craft.
During his time at Nvidia, Huang used to spend one month each summer working in one of the tech giant’s overseas offices, often with his family in tow. On one such trip, Huang and his family spent a weekend in Kyoto, where they visited the Silver Temple and its moss garden in the eastern mountains.
Huang recalled, “The day we visited was a quintessential Kyoto summer day… I noticed the lone gardener. Now remember… The moss garden is gigantic… and exquisitely maintained. I noticed the lone gardener squatting, carefully picking at the moss with a bamboo tweezer and putting it in the bamboo basket. The basket looked empty—for a moment there, I thought he was picking imaginary moss into a pile of imaginary dead moss.”
Intrigued by the gardener’s meticulous methods, Huang approached him and asked, “What are you doing?” The gardener replied, “I’m picking dead moss. I’m taking care of my garden.” Huang, puzzled by the gardener’s dedication to such seemingly insignificant details, inquired, “But your garden is so big?” The gardener’s response was simple yet profound: “I have cared for my garden for 25 years. I have plenty of time.”
This seemingly straightforward sentiment from the Japanese gardener left a lasting impression on Huang. The lesson about patience and dedication resonated deeply with him and influenced his approach to both his professional and personal life. Huang realized that achieving greatness requires a commitment to continuous improvement and an appreciation for the incremental process of perfecting one’s craft. This experience helped him understand that he has the time to be a perfectionist and that life does not need to be dictated by a constant rush toward the next project.
Applying the Lesson to Business
Huang has since applied this lesson to his business practices. He prioritizes his tasks each day, starting with the most critical ones, which enables him to better support his team throughout the rest of the day. This approach reflects his belief that to achieve extraordinary results, one must embrace the demands of perfectionism and be willing to invest the time and effort required to attain excellence.
For those who view Huang’s perfectionism as a demanding trait, he embraces the label with pride. In his view, striving for excellence should not be easy. As he puts it, “If you want to do extraordinary things, it shouldn’t be easy.” This mindset not only drives his own success but also serves as an inspiration for others striving to achieve greatness in their own fields.
In summary, Jensen Huang’s journey illustrates that profound lessons can come from unexpected places and experiences. The Japanese gardener’s dedication to his craft provided Huang with a valuable perspective on patience, perseverance, and the pursuit of excellence. These insights have become integral to Huang’s approach to leadership and business, reinforcing the idea that true success often requires a combination of hard work, meticulous attention to detail, and the willingness to embrace the long-term journey toward perfection.
