To be a person, one must understand cunning.

Author: Lü Shuchun / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features:
7. The Way of Advancing and Retreating: Retreating One Step, the Road Becomes Wider
Everyone knows it's hard to be a person, and the difficulty lies in the word "change." When time, place, or the object changes, the skills of being a person must also change. This is a kind of "mind-game" in life. Only by understanding the principle of flexibility and change can one truly succeed. Most people believe they are underappreciated, but few will genuinely look for the reasons within themselves. They often enter the world with a high profile, only to be rejected with cold eyes. If they canly lower their pride and enter the world with a humble posture, the results might be entirely different.
A computer science PhD from the United States, after completing his studies, went to find a job in the U.S. With his impressive PhD title, his standards for employment were naturally high. However, he kept hitting walls—many companies didn’t hire him. After much deliberation, he decided to hide all his academic credentials and apply as a "low-profile" candidate. Soon after, he was hired as a data entry clerk. To him, it was like shooting a cannon at a sparrow, but he worked diligently and carefully without any negligence.
Soon, his boss noticed that he could identify errors in programs, something beyond the capabilities of an ordinary data entry clerk. At this point, he revealed his bachelor’s degree, and the boss gave him a job suitable for a university graduate. After some time, the boss realized that he often came up with unique and valuable suggestions, far exceeding those of an average college student. Then, he showed his master’s degree, and the boss promoted him again.
Still, after some time, the boss felt that he was different from others and "questioned" him. Only then did he present his PhD degree. By then, the boss had a full understanding of his abilities and immediately gave him a key role. The PhD position he initially aimed for was finally within reach. However, direct advancement failed, but retreating one step and advancing in a curve ultimately led to success.
To advance by retreating, to rise from a low position—this is both an art of life and a strategy for survival competition. When someone jumps high, if they are too close to the high jump bar, it’s not easy to cross it in one leap. If they step back a few steps and build up more momentum, their chances of success will be much higher. Life’s way of advancing and retreating is just like this.
This PhD’s method was clever. He first lowered his status and pride, even allowing others to look down on him, and then sought opportunities to fully display his talents, making others see him in a new light time and time again. Gradually, his image grew taller. If one initially seems incredibly impressive and is burdened with high expectations, but their subsequent performance disappoints again and again, they will eventually be looked down upon. This contrast effect is worth anyone’s attention. The higher others’ expectations of you, the easier it is to see your mediocrity and mistakes. Conversely, if people don’t have high expectations to begin with, your achievements will be more easily noticed and even surprising.
As the saying goes: "Retreat one step, and the road becomes wider." Here, the "retreat" refers to a different kind of advance. To temporarily step back, bow down, gather strength, and wait for the right moment—such a retreat, followed by advancement, will be faster, better, more effective, and more powerful. Bending low will enhance one’s explosive power and momentum, making others take notice.
Retreat is for the sake of future advancement. Temporarily giving up certain goals that hinder overall progress is to achieve greater success later. This retreat itself already contains the meaning of advancement, and this kind of retreat is a strategy of proactive pursuit. P27-29