First Essay: On Working for Others
Many people wish to be their own boss. However, those who have not been bosses cannot understand the difficulties of being one.
To be your own boss, seven conditions must be met: capital, opportunity, courage, intelligence, fate, diligence, and frugality. If any one of these is lacking, the desire will be lost;勉强为之 (forcing it) without all these conditions will not last long. Moreover, bosses come in different sizes and wealth levels, each with their own difficulties. The larger or richer ones have their own challenges, as do the smaller or poorer ones. In today's rapidly changing, increasingly competitive market where everyone wants to be a boss, it's not easy to be a small or poor boss, nor is it easy to be a big or rich one.
Therefore, if one does not have the conditions to be their own boss, they should work for others and not force themselves into entrepreneurship, so as to avoid unnecessary troubles.
Working for others has at least four advantages: (1) survival benefits and accumulation of growth capital; (2) security in retreat and potential for progress; (3) opportunities to gain knowledge, skills, connections, and opportunities; (4) if one has good personal conditions and luck, the company may offer shares, allowing one to directly become a "boss." By this reasoning, working for others is also working for oneself. Understanding this truth is a prerequisite for being a good employee.
Working for others is also a societal need. Without large, excellent enterprises supporting modern society, and without numerous excellent employees supporting modern enterprises, the state of affairs would be unimaginable!
Working for others is itself a kind of "business," similar in nature to being one's own boss, both aiming for profit through exchanging one's value with the environment to gain benefits, and both constrained by environmental conditions and unable to act freely. The difference lies only in that: businesses seek profit from society, constrained by social factors; employees seek profit from the business, constrained by corporate factors.
We often see successful bosses but take unsuccessful ones for granted; we often see unsuccessful employees but overlook successful ones; we often see the arrogance of bosses but don't fully understand their hardships; we often see the misfortunes of being an employee but don't consider their advantages. In fact, successful bosses are everywhere, as are unsuccessful ones; there are many unsuccessful employees, but there are also many successful ones; while being a boss has its advantages, it also has its hardships; while being an employee may have its disadvantages, it also has its ease. Therefore, correctly viewing working for others can help those who lack the conditions to be their own boss achieve success through the path of being an employee.
Second Essay: Recognizing a Principle
In a market economy, companies have the right to choose employees, and employees have the right to choose companies. In the mutual selection process between companies and employees, if both parties recognize each other, they cooperate; if not, they part ways. The things recognized or unrecognized by both sides are called values.
The value a company provides to its employees is reflected in three aspects: Are desires satisfied? Are tasks aligned with aspirations? Do people align with hearts? That is, can the benefits provided by the company satisfy the employee relatively well? Can the work assigned by the company play to the employee's strengths or contribute to achieving personal goals? Do the people within the company get along well with the employee or does the employee feel happy in interpersonal relationships within the company?
The value an employee provides to the company is also reflected in three aspects: skill, character, and personality. Skill refers to work ability, character refers to psychological and behavioral goodness, and personality refers to individual qualities.
That is, if a company can relatively satisfy an employee’s demands regarding benefits, career, and connections, then the company possesses the value that attracts talented individuals to work there or remain committed. Otherwise, talented individuals will not join or stay. The more a company fulfills the needs of talented individuals, the greater its appeal; the less it fulfills them, the weaker its appeal. If an employee can relatively meet the company’s requirements for skill, character, and personality, then the employee possesses the value that attracts the company to accept or value them. Otherwise, the employee will not be accepted or valued.
Thus, the process of cooperation between employees and companies is the exchange of an employee's skill, character, and personality with the company’s benefits, career, and connections. Employees must understand this principle: knowing only one's own desires but not the company's, wanting to fulfill one's own desires without first fulfilling the company's, is an obstacle to success; knowing both one's own desires and the company's, wanting to fulfill one's own desires by first fulfilling the company's, is the shortcut to success.
Third Essay: On Skills
When companies hire employees, they usually prioritize the technical competence of the employee. Furthermore, an employee’s technical competence often affects the development of their character and personality traits, so it should be carefully evaluated.
Human skills have three origins, two types, and four levels. Understanding them can help achieve self-awareness, awareness of others, understanding of benefits and harms, and knowing when to advance or retreat.
The three origins of skills are: natural endowment, acquired knowledge, and enlightenment. Natural endowment comes from ancestry, acquired knowledge comes from postnatal cultivation, and enlightenment comes from practical experience. “Natural endowment” refers to a person's innate tendency towards intelligence or foolishness, determined by genetic inheritance from parents; “acquired knowledge” refers to the influence of social culture on a person, determined by historical circumstances; “enlightenment” refers to the level of a person's insight and creative ability, determined by their intelligence.
Skills have two types: soft skills and hard skills. Those with soft skills mostly develop through mental effort, while those with hard skills mostly develop through physical labor; those with mental skills excel in using words, while those with physical skills excel in using their hands and feet; a person may possess both types of abilities, but it is rare to excel in both areas.
Skills have four levels: no skill, average skill, proficient skill, and specialized skill. A person with no professional expertise who cannot handle basic work is considered to have "no skill"; a person with some skill in a specific field who can handle basic work in that field is considered to have "average skill"; a person who masters the knowledge of a field and can apply various strengths is considered to have "proficient skill"; a person who becomes an expert in a specific field and can do what others cannot is considered to have "specialized skill". For a given professional task: those with no skill are common because they cannot create value for the company and are generally not hired, even if hired, they are placed in the most basic positions; those with average skill are numerous because such people are easily found in the market, and companies tend to use them casually; those with proficient skill are fewer because they can handle tasks that those with average skill cannot, and since they are rare, they are generally valued and trusted by companies; those with specialized skill are extremely rare because they possess top-tier abilities in a field, bringing significant value to the company, and are normally treated like gods and treasures by the company.
Under normal circumstances, generally speaking, the higher the employee's skills, the better their character and personality tend to be; because the higher the skills, the more valuable the person, the more valuable they are, material benefits naturally follow, and behavior naturally tends toward kindness, the more valuable they are, the more connections naturally form, and personality naturally improves; conversely, the lower the employee's skills, the worse their character and personality tend to be; because the lower the skills, the less valuable the person, material benefits are naturally harder to obtain, behavior naturally may tend toward unkindness, the less valuable they are, the harder it is to form connections, and personality naturally tends toward being worse.
Therefore, truly wise employees are those who enhance their skills to achieve success in their careers; employees who overly focus on material benefits and worldly interpersonal relationships while neglecting professional skills are confused or foolish.
Fourth Essay: On Character
Some companies place more emphasis on an employee's character than on their skills. This is because skills can be acquired through learning, whereas character, once formed, is not easily changed.
Companies particularly value the character of those who rely on soft skills, as such individuals often hold decision-making and managerial positions, and their character directly affects the company's major interests. Therefore, good employees usually pay great attention to cultivating their character, aligning their preferences with the company's, and embracing goodness.
An employee's character refers to the impact of their thoughts and actions (good or bad) on the company's benefits. Hidden desires are "thoughts," external behaviors are "actions," thoughts and actions conforming to reason are "good," and thoughts and actions contradicting ethics are "evil"; those who are good benefit the company, those who are evil harm the company; employees who accumulate virtue may lose personal benefits by protecting the company's interests but ultimately receive rewards; employees whose actions are evil may gain some personal benefits by harming the company's interests but ultimately face punishment.
The character of corporate employees can be summarized as "ten evils and ten goods," with the good benefiting the company and the evil harming it.
Ten Goods:
1. Loyalty first;
2. Integrity second;
3. Consistently giving full effort in work third;
4. Consciously protecting the company's interests fourth;
5. Actively caring about the company's cost-effectiveness fifth;
6. Keeping away from private cliques sixth;
7. Refusing ill-gotten gains seventh;
8. Enthusiastically helping others eighth;
9. Respecting talent ninth;
10. Sacrificing oneself for others tenth.
Ten Evils:
1. Selfishness and greed first;
2. Forming private cliques second;
3. Secretly seeking personal gain third;
4. Neglecting the company's interests fourth;
5. Excluding capable individuals fifth;
6. Shying away from heavy work sixth;
7. Taking credit and shifting blame seventh;
8. Lying eighth;
9. Flattery ninth;
10. Being a yes-man tenth.
In corporate life, it is common to see good people not receiving good rewards and evil people not facing evil consequences, but good people eventually receive good rewards and evil people eventually face evil consequences. If employees with good character consistently fail to receive good rewards from the company, and employees with bad character consistently fail to face bad consequences, it indicates that the company is not functioning properly or that the boss lacks good intentions. Talented and virtuous employees should choose to follow good practices as soon as possible.
Fifth Essay: On Personality
Recognizing an employee's personality as one of the three essential qualities is based on the following facts and views: Companies invariably view an employee's personality as a type of work ability, though often in vague and unintentional ways. This importance is directly reflected in the standards for hiring employees, assigning duties, and distributing work.
An employee's personality always influences their benefits. Employees with good personalities will naturally have good connections, while those with bad personalities will naturally have poor connections. Connections directly affect a person's benefits: those with good connections receive much assistance and gain fame and fortune; those with poor connections receive little assistance and do not gain fame and fortune.
An employee's personality always influences their career aspirations and professional skills. People with certain personalities are only suitable for growth in certain professional fields, and certain skills require people with certain personalities to master them. Acting against one's personality will inevitably lead to disappointment.
A person's personality has two origins: innate and acquired. Innate personality forms the basis, while acquired personality forms the surface. Innate personality is generally difficult to change, while acquired personality can be adjusted accordingly.
Personality inherited from ancestors, arranged by the rules of life, is called innate personality and includes five elements: blood, temperament, courage, desire, and strength. The blood type of an individual is "blood"; the characteristics of personality are "temperament"; the state of courage is "desire"; the physical condition is "strength." These are primarily influenced by genetic laws and life rhythms, making them difficult to alter. These situations form the basis of human nature, hence they are called innate personality.
The personality traits exhibited after being influenced by the environment are called acquired personality and include seven elements: personality, courage, emotions, breadth of mind, style, humor, and handling affairs. Personality can be either strong or gentle; those with high aspirations and great courage, or those who humbly submit, are considered strong; those who are timid and incapable of bearing responsibility are considered gentle. Courage can vary in size; those who dare to take risks are considered big, while those who do not dare to take risks are considered small. Emotions can vary in richness; those who easily feel emotions upon encountering objects are considered rich, while those who do not easily feel emotions are considered simple. Breadth of mind can vary in openness; those who treat others kindly are considered open, while those who treat others harshly are considered narrow-minded. Style can vary in sensitivity; those who are quick and straightforward are considered sensitive, while those who hesitate and drag are considered dull. Humor can vary in length; those who are proactive and outspoken are considered long, while those who are shy and reserved are considered short. Handling affairs can vary in impatience or steadiness; those who are impatient and reckless, disregarding consequences, are considered impatient, while those who are cheerful and cautious, acting rationally, are considered steady. Acquired personality can change due to changes in work and living environments, improvements in knowledge and skills, changes in desires, changes in age, and differences in the people and matters faced, so personality is changeable.
Since personality can change, it can be cultivated. Common methods for cultivating personality include: maintaining innocence, enhancing cultural sophistication, pursuing reasonable goals, blending with the masses, valuing others' preferences, and adapting according to the situation. Respecting innate personality and growing in harmony with it is called "going with the flow," which brings psychological peace and helps cultivate moral integrity; enhancing cultural sophistication and improving skill levels is called "cultural enhancement," which elevates one's demeanor and helps cultivate moral integrity; having realistic and reasonable desires is called "reasonable pursuit," which brings long-term satisfaction and helps cultivate moral integrity; maintaining interactions and consistency with the majority is called "blending with the masses," which reduces loneliness and helps cultivate moral integrity; valuing the satisfaction of the company and colleagues' needs is called "valuing others' preferences," which earns good returns and leads to improved personality; adapting personality according to work needs is called "adapting according to the situation," which leads to improved personality.
Sixth Essay: On Fulfilling Desires
The primary goal of work for the vast majority of people is to seek benefits. Benefits are the foundation for survival and development; having no desire for benefits is self-deception, and not talking about the desire for benefits is deceiving others. Therefore, it is understandable for employees to have a desire for benefits, and the issue lies only in the methods of calculating power and obtaining benefits.
The benefits a company can provide to employees are divided into four types: tangible benefits, intangible benefits, livelihood benefits, and residual benefits. Tangible benefits, in material terms, include salary, bonuses, stock dividends, and welfare; intangible benefits, in non-material terms, include skills, knowledge, reputation, opportunities, and interpersonal relationships; the part of the acquired tangible benefits used to maintain daily expenses is called livelihood benefits; the part of the benefits outside of livelihood that can be saved and repeatedly increased in value is called residual benefits.
Most people calculate benefits by focusing more on tangible benefits and livelihood benefits, and less on intangible benefits and residual benefits. This is a cognitive bias. In fact, intangible benefits can generate tangible benefits, and can even serve as residual benefits to benefit one for life; residual benefits, once obtained, are worth ten times the livelihood benefits, because livelihood benefits will be exhausted for survival, while residual benefits can continuously generate profits. Therefore, employees who earn 500 in salary but can only sustain basic living are actually earning less than those who earn 600 in salary and can save 100, by more than ten times in real benefits.
This statement implies two meanings: First, those who earn 100 in residual benefits compared to those who earn 1000 in residual benefits differ by more than a hundredfold; Second, obtaining residual benefits requires thrift and the desire and skills to create compound interest from residual profits.
From the perspective of employees' psychology and behavior in seeking benefits, they can be divided into three categories: those who prioritize personal private interests, those who prioritize corporate benefits, and those who balance both interests. "Those who prioritize personal private interests" have a strong desire for tangible benefits, and some even resort to underhanded tactics to obtain benefits. Such people invariably neglect corporate benefits, and thus are not welcomed by companies. Many companies precisely suffer losses or failures due to the prevalence of such people or their presence in key positions. "Those who prioritize corporate benefits" are usually experienced, deeply understand the meaning of social and personal life, possess outstanding skills, and often occupy key positions in the company. They do not need to excessively pursue benefits, as benefits naturally come to them with reliable guarantees. The mechanism is that seeking benefits for the company aligns with their own interests. "Those who balance both interests" exchange their own value for their own benefits, valuing both their own benefits and the company's benefits, obtaining benefits through transparency, fairness, and ethical means. Such people are trustworthy to companies, and the majority of employees belong to this category.
The above classification implicitly contains a preconceived concept: those who prioritize personal private interests are abnormal and should be abandoned; those who prioritize corporate benefits are admirable and should be promoted; those who balance both interests are normal and should be respected.
Seventh Essay: On Fulfilling Aspirations
Not all employees have career aspirations; those who prioritize direct material gains over career aspirations make up half of the population. However, all employees have opinions on whether they are satisfied or dissatisfied with the work assigned by the company. Two types of employees can be seen here: those with career aspirations who enjoy or dislike their work, and those without career aspirations who enjoy or dislike their work. Employees with career aspirations evaluate whether they are satisfied or dissatisfied with their work based on whether the work assigned by the company suits their strengths or aligns with their career aspirations. Employees without career aspirations evaluate whether they are satisfied or dissatisfied with their work based on whether the work assigned by the company is relatively easy or profitable.
Therefore, the following discussion on "establishing career aspirations" mainly applies to those without career aspirations, while the discussion on "fulfilling career aspirations" mainly applies to those with career aspirations.
As social division of labor becomes increasingly refined, an individual can only reach a high level of skill within a relatively narrow professional field. People with special skills are often welcomed and valued by companies, and those who can be valued by companies inevitably seek fame and profit. This is a fundamental reason why employees should value career aspirations and establish correct career aspirations. It also includes: people with career aspirations strive to realize their dreams and find joy in the process; if a person does not have career aspirations, they will lack direction and ambition, and such people will inevitably fail to improve their skills. Failure to improve skills will result in being undervalued and underutilized by the company, leading to a loss of both fame and profit. Therefore, such people often experience little happiness and many setbacks.
Establishing career aspirations involves considering two issues: what the company needs and one's own abilities. People with special skills that do not meet the company's needs are not utilized by the company, and those with aspirations but unaware of their own abilities find it difficult to achieve their goals. Therefore, establishing career aspirations requires evaluating: the company's current and future needs, and one's own current and potential abilities. The company's current needs are important, but future needs are even more important; one's own current abilities are important, but potential abilities are even more important. Knowing the company's current needs and one's own current abilities allows one to know their career position; knowing the company's future needs and one's own potential abilities allows one to know their career prospects.
For those who have already established career aspirations, achieving them requires three things: specialization, diligence, and innovation. Adhering to existing ideals is specialization, dedicating oneself wholeheartedly to the chosen profession is diligence, and daring to innovate and solve problems is creativity. That is to say: persisting in existing ideals without diversifying or wavering will lead to achieving one's aspirations; fully committing oneself to the chosen profession, avoiding superficial engagement and striving for deep understanding, will lead to achieving one's aspirations; being adept at discovering problems in one's profession, daring to tackle difficulties, and solving doubts will lead to achieving one's aspirations.
For those who have already