Life is worth remembering because it is full of contradictions.

Author: He Chengwei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: The boss, Mr. Zhu, was known for his fiery temper. Even a minor mistake by an employee, such as a few cents discrepancy in the ledger, could lead to hours of scolding. This day, an employee named Xiao Li made a major blunder, potentially causing a large number of customers to leave the company. Soon, Xiao Li was called into the boss's office, and everyone held their breath, sweating for him. After about ten minutes, Xiao Li came out. Upon returning to his seat, he lowered his head and started rummaging through his desk for something. Everyone thought: "Now he's done for! Xiao Li is packing his bags!" But after a while, they saw Xiao Li's face pale, and he worked silently without a word. Occasionally, Mr. Zhu would come out to check, not only without getting angry but even walking more calmly than usual, even patting Xiao Li's shoulder. Later, the boss told everyone that after he called each lost customer to apologize, he managed to retain them. Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
At the year-end banquet, Mr. Zhu delivered a speech, recounting this incident: "You must wonder why I get angry over small mistakes but remained surprisingly calm when Xiao Li made such a huge blunder. The reason is simple: getting angry over small things is to teach you to stay alert and avoid making big mistakes. As for when a real blunder occurs, you have already been blaming yourselves enough—why would I need to say more?" Mr. Zhu raised his glass: "A big mistake hurts us all. How can one who is injured strike another who is injured? What matters most is to calm down, help each other, and overcome the difficulties."
In peacetime, "make a big fuss over small matters" to ensure vigilance; in wartime, "make a small fuss over big matters" to stabilize morale. P14-15