Strategy in Business Warfare - A Textbook for Chinese Professional Managers

Author: Yu Changbin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: 3. People and. "People and" here mainly refers to the general and cadres. When it comes to the general, we have to discuss the standard of being a general. What kind of person can be a general? What kind of person can be a cadre? This is a very difficult question to clarify. The current popular standard for selecting cadres is "possessing both virtue and talent," but in fact, it is a very vague concept because "virtue" and "talent" have no essential difference.
(1) Good and Bad. The "virtue" we often talk about includes: good and bad, the noble and the petty, etc. Good and bad is also a problem that is hard to define clearly. For example, a cigarette case placed on the emperor's desk is considered a national treasure, while placed in a toilet, it becomes something nobody wants to see. Why does the same thing, due to different placement, have such a stark contrast in terms of good and bad? The above examples show that good and bad are highly colored with personal and national sentiments, making them both definable and difficult to define. Given this, in a unit, don't always think the leader is wrong, except for illegal acts—everything else should be followed. Remember, when you are comfortable, it is when you have a harmonious relationship with the leader. So, how to distinguish good and bad people in society? The answer is simple: see if they break the law. Those who break the law are bad people, and those who don't break the law are good people.
(2) The Noble and the Petty. "The noble" and "the petty" are concepts frequently mentioned in China's classic literature. The classics do not clearly define what a noble person is, but they clearly state how a noble person should act. As for what a petty person is, it seems clear, yet there is no definition of the petty in the classics. It is possible that only China has this concept, as it is a typical product of Chinese culture. The petty person, in essence, is someone who hinders others. Often, a person is labeled petty only when they hinder others. Upon closer examination, it is found that hindering others requires qualification, and qualification is ability. Those without ability would not hinder others. Wu Ciyou, Kangxi's teacher, once vividly compared the noble to water and the petty to oil when teaching. He said, "Water is bland in taste, pure in nature, and clean in color, capable of washing clothes. When boiled, adding oil will not cause splashes, much like the noble who possess a degree of tolerance. Oil, on the other hand, is strong in flavor, slippery in nature, and heavy in color, capable of polluting clothes. When boiled, adding water will cause splashes, much like the petty who lack tolerance." Although this description is brilliant, it only reveals the superficial characteristics of the noble and the petty, without defining what a "noble" is or what a "petty" is. This passage left a deep impression on Kangxi, who often used it to study the people around him. Naturally, the first person he thought of was Wei Dongting, whom he considered loyal, witty, generous, and cheerful, like a vast river. Then, what about Mingzhu? Smooth and docile, sweet and fragrant, he seemed a bit like "oil." Together with Wei Dongting, he felt secure, knowing everything would be carefully handled by Wei Dongting, and he enjoyed the dignity and authority of an emperor. But with Mingzhu, he felt pleased, hearing his words made him feel a sense of superhuman superiority and honor. Kangxi once asked Su Malage, "Would it be good if there were only noble people around the emperor?" Su Malage recalled the famous saying from "The Memorial on Sending Out an Expedition" by the Han general Zhuge Liang, "Be close to virtuous ministers and keep away from petty people," and replied, "Of course,"