Leadership Three Forces

Author: Zhang Shangguo / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features:
1. What is thinking? There was a young logger who found a job at a lumber mill. The working conditions were good, and the pay was not low. That day, the boss gave him a sharp axe and marked out the logging area. He cherished it and resolved to work hard. One day, he cut down 18 trees. The boss said, "Not bad, keep it up!" The worker was greatly encouraged. The next day, he worked even harder but only cut down 15 trees. The third day, he doubled his efforts, but managed to cut down only 10 trees. The worker felt very ashamed and ran to the boss to apologize, saying he didn’t know what was wrong—his strength seemed to be getting weaker. The boss asked him, "When was the last time you sharpened your axe?" "Sharpen the axe?" The young man had an epiphany and said, "I was so busy cutting trees that I forgot to take time to sharpen my axe!" Logging requires a sharp axe, but what does work require? One night, a famous physicist walked into his laboratory and saw a graduate student still working diligently at the lab bench. The physicist asked kindly, "This late, what are you doing?" The student replied, "I’m working." "Then what did you do during the day?" "I was working too." "So you’ve been working all day?" "Yes, Professor." The student admitted with a humble expression, expecting praise from the renowned scholar. The physicist thought for a moment and then asked, "But in that case, I’m curious, when do you use your time to think?"
"Thinking is wealth," this is a quote by Lin Yutang. A reporter once asked young Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, "You’ve become the richest person in the U.S. today. Can you tell us what your main experience in success is?" Bill Gates replied very clearly: "First, hard work; second, hard thinking." Success is formed through thought, while failure is born from carelessness. The night before the bloom of wisdom, thinking is the prelude. One well-thought-out decision is better than a hundred hasty actions; one day of thoughtful planning is better than a hundred days of futile effort. A person who thinks well is the one with boundless strength. Einstein said it well: "Think, think, and think again—I became a scientist through this learning method."
From now on, while working diligently, take a little time for yourself (at least 30 minutes) to quietly reflect. This time can be in the early morning or at night, as long as your mind is clear and free from distractions. Use this opportunity to organize your work, analyze the main problems you are facing, or predict the direction of your future work. At this time, your subconscious will automatically open your treasure trove of memories and provide the necessary information. This kind of thinking will help you consider many basic matters, clarify various ideas, such as, "How can I do even better? What should I do next?"
Spend some time every day to practice rational, solitary thinking and focus on success. It will surely add to the rewards of your hard work. P3-5