Walking and Thinking (A Flight Diary for Business People)

Author: Chen Huixiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Ten years ago, when I first met Huixiang, he offered a piece of advice and a warning to the "China Entrepreneurs" magazine, which was just beginning its second phase of entrepreneurship. The advice was to make "China Entrepreneurs" a themed magazine, focusing on in-depth coverage of one or two major events or themes in the business and economic sectors each issue. The warning was that the magazine's positioning determined its service audience—selective, demanding readers—and that if done well, it could achieve the same level of success as "Fortune" or "Forbes," but if not, there would be no middle ground, only a dead end. Because of these words, Huixiang became one of the most important mentors for the second phase of "China Entrepreneurs" and gradually became my close friend. One weakness of human nature is that the more you possess, the more easily you tend to overlook it. After becoming friends with Huixiang and seriously studying the motivations behind his success with books like "Why Lenovo?" and "Critique of Chinese Enterprises," I naturally assumed I knew all his strengths and even believed I possessed some of the important values he represented. However, every time we met and chatted, he would bring me unexpected surprises. Just like someone who has climbed Mount Xiangshan, believing they have fully understood its beauty, only to discover new aspects with each climb and be amazed by the scenery they had once overlooked. And precisely because of this, you don’t fall into "aesthetic fatigue" but instead deepen the relationship, making it more enduring and rich over time.
In recent years, everyone has been busy with their own affairs, and though Huixiang and I occasionally exchanged information, our interactions were infrequent. Subconsciously, my judgment of Huixiang fell into another: according to the "cruel law" of media professionals, few can be long-term "exploited" for high-value content by the media. Readers, the times, and media standards are all constantly changing. Under the strict criteria of media professionals, we watch as leaders in business, academia, and other fields pass one by one, leaving behind long-lasting memories or respect for their "classic performances," but few have the opportunity to create new, greater value once they leave the stage. I had assumed Huixiang would not be able to break this "common rule" and its "destiny," placing him in the category of an old friend who is "no use when together, but often missed when apart." This time, I was wrong again. Because I "discovered" once more that meeting Huixiang would not be a dull, "nothing-to-do" encounter but would always be "something," always yield "gains," and often significant gains. Several years ago, he told me he planned to temporarily step away from his role as a strategic consultant and planner for entrepreneurs—the "Emperor’s Mentor"—and take on the role of vice chairman and CEO for a private entrepreneur with billions in assets. He said he had an agreement with the chairman, and this was just a temporary choice—to immerse himself fully in the CEO role to provide more authentic intuitive experience and material for his lifelong pursuit of empirical research on enterprises. After less than two years as CEO, leading the team to increase the company’s annual revenue by billions, he indeed left, and just as he had said, he used this valuable experience and years of accumulated knowledge to publish a groundbreaking work explaining how Chinese enterprises can navigate through structural reforms to overcome deadly thresholds and ultimately achieve long-term sustainability—"Dance to the Top."
The president of Legend Holdings, known as the "Father of Chinese Enterprises"—Liu Chuanzhi—wrote a passionate preface for the book, urging future generations, "We have only climbed over hills; what you face are the real peaks." Zeng Ming, a renowned expert in corporate strategy and former president of Yahoo China, hailed it as "a must-read for Chinese enterprises breaking through growth bottlenecks." Seeing the manuscript, I was not only delighted by Huixiang’s new breakthrough contribution but also happy that Chinese enterprises, constantly plagued by various troubles, now had a book to help them.
In addition to the painstakingly crafted "Dance to the Top," Huixiang recently presented another manuscript that caught my eye—his new "treasure," the book you hold in your hands, "Thinking on the Go." If "Dance to the Top" systematically explains the theory of corporate structural reform in a serious tone, then "Thinking on the Go" presents a series of insightful thoughts in a relaxed manner, each one capable of reshaping your management philosophy. Since 1999, Huixiang has traveled among hundreds of enterprises, like a pastor listening to the worries and doubts of countless entrepreneurs, and like a doctor diagnosing the health and longevity of market economy rulers. Between takeoffs and landings, after observing and inquiring, the invaluable experiences, pressing concerns, insurmountable thresholds, and common pitfalls of Chinese enterprises and entrepreneurs often stir Huixiang’s thoughts, forcing him to reflect deeply and record his valuable insights into essays and diary entries that all business professionals should read and enjoy.
Given that this is a long-term record of reflection, the words are both profound and vivid, but it’s impossible to guarantee that every piece perfectly represents his new judgments. If we hold it to perfection, we might find some articles or viewpoints carry the imprint of the past. However, from another angle, if we start from the real trajectory of Chinese enterprises and entrepreneurs, if we want to build today’s and tomorrow’s thoughts and actions on a more solid foundation, doesn’t the "Thinking on the Go" we’ve compiled during his "Emperor’s Mentor" career offer an even greater, irreplaceable value?
Therefore, if I had to summarize Huixiang’s "Thinking on the Go" in one sentence, I would say: It’s a small book written for business professionals, worth, worth, worth treasuring, and worth reading at any time.