Refined Execution - 36 Key Details That Determine Success or Failure

Author: Xue Qian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: Detail 3 Diligence and Responsibility: The More Important the Work, the Greater the Responsibility
MacArthur delivered a speech at West Point, saying, "You bear the fate of the nation during wartime. If you fail to live up to the expectations of the people, immediately there will be millions of souls in military uniforms—wearing khaki, brown, blue, and gray uniforms—rising from beneath the white crosses, shouting in unison: 'Duty, Honor, Country!' He placed responsibility in the highest position.
1. Fulfilling Duties to Perfection
To fulfill one's duties diligently and strive for perfection is the only way to quickly cultivate a rigorous character and gain extraordinary wisdom. It can lead ordinary people forward in the right direction and encourage the excellent to pursue higher realms. Many years ago in Japan, a young girl came to the Tokyo Imperial Hotel as a waiter. This was her first job in the world, meaning she would officially enter society and take her first step in life. Therefore, she was very excited and made a firm resolution: she must do well! She never expected that her manager would assign her to clean toilets! At this moment, she faced the choice of how to proceed in life: should she continue working or look for another job? To continue working—too difficult! To give up—turn back in the face of difficulty? Is there a retreat in life? She was unwilling to give up so easily because she remembered her resolution when she first arrived: the first step in life must be taken well, no mistakes allowed. At this critical moment, an experienced colleague appeared before her, helping her out of her confusion and distress, guiding her to take the right first step in life, and more importantly, helping her understand how to walk the path of life. That colleague didn’t use empty theories to lecture her; instead, he personally demonstrated it to her. First, he repeatedly wiped the toilet until it was spotless. Then, he filled a cup with water from the toilet and drank it down without hesitation! He did so without a second thought. Actions speak louder than words. He didn’t need to say a single word to teach her a very simple, yet profound truth: spotlessness lies in "newness." A new toilet is not dirty because no one would think a new toilet is dirty, and the water in a new toilet is not dirty, so it can be drunk. Conversely, only when the water in the toilet reaches a level of cleanliness that can be drunk does it truly mean the toilet has been wiped "spotlessly clean," and this has been proven to be possible. She suddenly realized, as if waking from a dream, and made a firm resolution: "Even if I spend my entire life cleaning toilets, I will be the best toilet cleaner!" From then on, she became a revitalized person; from then on, the quality of her work reached the level of her predecessor. Of course, she drank toilet water many times to test her confidence, to prove the quality of her work, and to strengthen her sense of dedication; from then on, she took a beautiful first step in life; from then on, she embarked on the path to success and began her journey of continuous achievement. Decades passed in the blink of an eye. Today, she is a senior official in the Japanese government—the Minister of Post and Telecommunications—and her name is Masako Wada. From the story, we see an unwavering pursuit of details, and it is this pursuit that has shaped this ordinary person into a