Be a Man and Do Things Pillow Book

Chapter 69
Expertise should be used where it is useful.

There was a Lu man who was good at weaving straw sandals, and his wife was good at weaving white silk.He wanted to move to Yue.A friend said to him: "If you go to Yue, you will definitely be poor." "Why?" "Straw sandals are used for walking, but Yue people are used to walking barefoot; white silk is used for hats. But Yue people are used to disheveling their hair. Relying on your strengths, go to places where you are not needed, so that you will not be poor, is it possible?"

This story tells people: If a person wants to develop his expertise, he must adapt to the needs of the social environment.If it is separated from the needs of the social environment, its expertise will lose its value.Therefore, we should decide our own actions according to the needs of the society and make better use of our expertise.

As the saying goes: self-knowledge is the most important thing in a person.It means to understand our own shortcomings and whether we are qualified for a certain job. We can't hit a stone with a pebble and overestimate our capabilities.Similarly, when we know our strengths, we can't poke our spears into the mud even more.Therefore, when doing things, we must learn to decentralize and delegate power, and let professionals perform their duties, just like offside on a football field is a foul.

Setting standards is a good way.

There was a young monk who worked as a bell ringer. After half a year, he found it extremely boring, but "being a monk for a day and ringing the clock for a day".One day, the host announced that he would be transferred to the backyard to chop firewood and carry water because he was not qualified to ring the bell.The little monk was very unconvinced and asked: "Is the clock I rang not on time and not ringing?" The old host told him patiently: "Although the clock you rang was very punctual and very loud, the sound of the bell is empty, weak and uninspiring. Power. The sound of the bell is to wake up the addicted beings, so the sound of the bell must not only be loud, but also round, thick, deep and long-lasting."

The host in this story made a common-sense management mistake. "Being a monk for a day hits the clock for a day" is caused by the host not announcing the work standards in advance.If the little monk had understood the standard and importance of ringing the bell the day he entered the monastery, I don't think he would be dismissed for sabotage.Work standards are the behavior guidelines and assessment basis for employees.The lack of work standards often leads to the inconsistency between the direction of employees' efforts and the overall development direction of the company, resulting in a lot of waste of human and material resources.Due to the lack of reference objects, employees tend to develop complacency over time, leading to work slack.The formulation of work standards should be digitalized as far as possible, and should be linked with the assessment, and attention should be paid to operability.

Cleverly leave a gap.

A famous entrepreneur is giving a report.When the audience asked about his most successful approach, he picked up a chalk and drew a circle on the blackboard, but the circle was not complete, leaving a gap.He asked back: "What is this?" "Zero", "Circle", "Unfinished business" and "Success", and the audience in the audience answered in a hurry.He did not comment on these answers: "Actually, this is just an incomplete full stop. You ask me why I have achieved brilliant results. The reason is simple: I will not do things perfectly, just like a full stop. There must be a gap left for my subordinates to fill it in."

Doing everything by yourself is stifling the wisdom of employees, which often backfires.If things go on like this, employees tend to form inertia, their sense of responsibility is greatly reduced, and the responsibility is all pushed to the managers.If the situation is serious, it will cause employees to feel bored, even if there is a mistake in the work, they will not be willing to raise it to the manager.What's more, no one is perfect, and personal wisdom is limited and one-sided after all.Draw a blueprint for employees, leave room for employees to use their wisdom, and they will draw better.Allowing more employees to participate in the company's decision-making affairs is an affirmation of them and also meets the spiritual needs of employees' self-realization.Give employees more responsibilities and rights, and they will achieve unexpected results.

An application of the prisoner's dilemma.

In game theory, there is a classic case of the prisoner's dilemma, which is very intriguing. "Prisoner's Dilemma" tells the story of two prisoners:
The two prisoners did bad things together, but they were caught by the police and locked up in two separate cells that could not communicate with each other for interrogation.In this situation, both prisoners can make their own choice: either betray his partner by confessing, that is, cooperating with the police, or remain silent, that is, cooperate with his partner instead of the police .Both prisoners knew that if they both remained silent, they would both be released, because the police could not convict them unless they confessed.But the police also understood this, so they gave the two prisoners a little incentive: if one of them betrayed, that is, denounced his accomplice, then he could be acquitted, and he could also get a bonus .And his accomplice will be sentenced as the most serious crime, and in order to increase the punishment, he will also be fined as a reward for the informer.Of course, if the two prisoners had betrayed each other, both would have been sentenced for the heaviest crime, and neither would have been rewarded.

So, what are the two prisoners to do?Do you choose to cooperate with each other or betray each other?On the face of it, they should cooperate with each other and keep silent, because then they both get the best result: freedom.But they have to carefully consider what options the other side might take. Prisoner A was no fool, and he realized right away that he couldn't trust his partner not to give the police evidence against him and walk away with a fat reward, leaving him behind bars alone.The allure of this idea is too great.But he also realized that his accomplices were not fools and thought of him that way.So Prisoner A concludes that the only rational choice is to betray his partner and tell the police everything, because if his partner is too stupid to keep silent, then he will be the lucky one to get out with a reward.And if his accomplice also confessed to the police according to this logic, then prisoner A would have to serve his sentence anyway, at least he would not have to be fined on top of that.So as a result, these two prisoners got the worst possible retribution according to desperate logic: jail time.

In the process of dealing with other companies, we will inevitably encounter similar dilemmas. At this time, we need to have enough understanding and trust with each other. Without a minimum trust as a foundation, we must not rush to cooperate.After having enough trust in the other party, sincerity is also essential. If there is no sincerity or too greedy, there may be a bad situation where neither party benefits.

When selecting team members, it is like looking for people in the same boat in a torrent. You must make sure that everyone is going in the same direction as yourself.It is very important to look for such a person or people when doing things.

Mattley's Law.

We not only do the most important thing, but also grasp the main aspects of things when doing things.

There is an internationally recognized corporate management law called "Mattley's Law", also known as the 20/80 rule.The gist of it is to define 20% of the business priorities as the key aspects of business operations, so as to guide entrepreneurs to focus on management and focus on business operations.

Speaking of which, what Matale's law advocates is the business strategy of "do something, don't do something".It takes 20:80 as the fixed ratio, which itself shows that enterprise management should not cover everything, but should focus on key people, key links, key positions, and key projects.Therefore, if an entrepreneur wants to make a difference, he must focus on the 20% of the key operational tasks of the enterprise management, and take slanted measures to ensure that they get key breakthroughs, and then use the key points to lead the overall progress to achieve overall progress in enterprise management. .

Figure out which business imperatives are among the 20 percent that should be prioritized.As far as general enterprises are concerned, there are no more than six aspects: key talents, key products, key markets, key users, key information, and key projects.Selecting the key points of these six aspects according to the proportion of 20% of the operating work and implementing Matale's law will have an important foundation.

现实生活中确实大量存在20/80现象。细心的酒吧老板会觉察到，经常光顾酒吧的顾客中，大约两成顾客为八成的啤酒销量买单；对出版社书籍出版延期的诸多原因统计分析发现，80％的出版延期大约是20％的导因造成的；20％的优质客户为银行提供了80％的利润；20％的驾驶员引发了80％的交通事故；家中20％的地毯面积占磨损面积的80％；女士们80％的时间穿她们拥有的20％的衣服等等。如果不拘泥于数字的精确性，“20/80法则”揭示了一个道理：一小部分原因、投入和努力，通常可以产生大部分结果、产出或收益；反过来看，人们所付出的绝大部分努力，实际上与既定目标和成果无关。

For individuals, we can also implement this rule and grasp the key points when doing things.There is only one focus in a period, and only one thing at a time.Smart people must learn to grasp the key points, first solve the important problems, and then solve the secondary problems.

Make good use of the 20/80 principle, that is, use your energy where it is most effective.

When American entrepreneur William Moore sold paint for Glidden, he only earned $160 in the first month.He analyzed his sales chart carefully, and found that 80% of his revenue came from 20% of customers, but he spent the same time on all customers.So, he asked to reassign 36 of his least active customers to other salespeople, and he concentrated his energy on the most promising customers.Before long, he was earning $1000 a month.Moore never gave up on this principle, which led him to eventually become the chairman of Kelly Moore Paint Company.

May wish to be a parrot boss.

A man went to buy a parrot, and saw a sign on the front of a parrot: This parrot can speak two languages, and the price is [-] yuan.

There is a sign in front of another parrot: This parrot can speak four languages, and the price is [-] yuan.

Which one should I buy?Both are well-groomed, very flexible and cute.The person can not make up his mind.

Suddenly, I found an old and toothless parrot with a dull and disheveled fur and a price tag of [-] yuan.

The man quickly called the boss: Can this parrot speak eight languages?

The owner said: no.

The man stambit: Then why is old and ugly and has no capacity, the worth of this aloofer?
The owner replied: Because the other two parrots called this one the parrot boss.

This story tells us that a real leader does not necessarily know how strong he is. As long as he knows how to trust, delegate power, and cherish, he will be able to unite forces stronger than himself, thereby enhancing his worth.

On the contrary, many very capable people are too perfectionist and do everything by themselves. No one is as good as themselves. In the end, they can only be the best public relations personnel and sales representatives.This kind of person does not know how to delegate power and give full play to everyone's role.Therefore, the style of doing things determines whether a person can manage well. Doing different things requires different talents.

The Nine Laws of Self-Motivation.

Successful people in their careers are mostly people who have mastered self-motivation.Once self-motivation is mastered, the process of self-shaping begins.Here are nine of the most critical ways to motivate yourself.

(1) Establish a vision.

The first step toward self-definition is to have a purpose that you wake up to and strive for every morning. It should be your purpose in life.The vision must be built now, not delayed.You can make some changes according to your own ideas at any time, but you can't have a vision for a moment.

(2) Choose friends.

Stay away from "friends" who don't support your goals.The people you associate with can change your life.Associating with cynics, they will pull you down; associating with those who want you to be happy and successful, you have taken the most important step in the pursuit of happiness and success.

(3) Meet the fear.

The best kept secret in the world is that after conquering fear comes something safe and beneficial.Overcoming even small fears will increase your confidence in your ability to create your own life.If we try to avoid fear, they will chase us like mad dogs.At this time, the scariest thing is to close your eyes and pretend that they don't exist.

(4) Dare to compete.

Competition has given us valuable experience, no matter how good you are, there will always be others, so you need to learn to be humble.Compete wherever you are, and always be happy.Understand that in the end it is far more important to surpass others than to surpass yourself.

(5) Introspection.

Most people see themselves through other people's impressions and perceptions of them.However, if you build your personal image on others based on other people's one-sided words, you will face the danger of seriously restraining yourself.Therefore, just regard these beautiful words as embellishments in your life, and you should decide the game of life by yourself.Don't look for yourself from others, you should often introspect and shape yourself.

(6) TO CRISIS.

Crises can inspire us to do our best.Ignoring this phenomenon, we tend to foolishly create a life in pursuit of comfort, trying to design various more and more relaxed lifestyles, so that we can live in peace.Of course, we don't have to wait for crises or tragedies to come. Challenging ourselves from within is the source of our life force.Joan of Arc said: "The outcome of all battles is first decided in my own mind."

(7) Dare to make mistakes.

Sometimes we don't do something because we are not sure to do it well.When we feel out of shape or low on energy, we tend to put aside what we have to do or wait for inspiration to strike.You don't want to do that.If there's something you know you need to do but don't feel motivated to do, just do it and don't be afraid to make a mistake.Give yourself a little self-deprecating humor, and treat things you can't do well with a joking mood. Once you do it, you will enjoy it.

(8) Don't be afraid of rejection.

Instead of passively accepting rejection from others, face it positively.When your request falls through, use the rejection as a question: "Can I be a little more creative?" Instead of recoiling at the word "no," let the rejection inspire you to be more creative.

(9) Willing to do small things.

The key to shaping yourself is to be willing to do small things, but do it now.Self-shaping cannot be achieved overnight, but a gradual process.A little here and a little change there will spice up your day.

Sometimes it's good to change the mood.

Even though we can't choose what we do, we can choose how we do it.Say to yourself: "I am doing what I want to do." This is not self-deception, but a positive state of mind.Try to look at what you do from another angle, and you will have a new understanding of it.This kind of positive psychological suggestion will sweep away your irritability when doing things.

In the past, we advocated "do what you do, love what you do", but now it seems that you can't find this kind of "screw-like" dedication. On the contrary, "do what you do, hate what you do" is everywhere.Quite a few people in the workplace feel "tired". Even Microsoft employees say that to endure Microsoft is to endure a life of working twelve hours a day and six days a week.Of course, the most important "tiredness" is not work tension and pressure, but "heart" bitterness, "heart" tiredness, subordinate rebellion, leadership oppression, and intrigue among colleagues.In fact, the workplace itself is a happy world, it's just that you "don't know the true face of Lushan Mountain".

We all have some bleak experiences in our lives that make us feel down and feel like the world just sucks.Those brave people often use the words of Mencius to motivate themselves: Heaven will send great tasks to people... More people may only feel pity for themselves.

In fact, what is the experience of most people?If compared with Mary Jane, the protagonist of "Fish":
A loving husband died of illness, leaving behind a large amount of medical bills in arrears, with two young children and, worse, taking over a team that was "unresponsive, power-fighting, impoverished and passive".Regarding the working environment, Mary Jane recorded in her diary: "Nothing happens at work can excite them. I have thirty employees under me, most of them are slow, the work is not saturated, and the wages are very low. Some of them have been repeating the same slow-paced work for years in the same way. It is extremely boring. When I walk around the small workshop, all the oxygen in the air seems to be sucked out, which is almost unbearable. breathe."

One lunchtime, Mary Jane left the office building to escape the suffocating atmosphere of the "third floor."While wandering around, I walked into the Pike Street Fish Market, where the joyful mood and energetic atmosphere deeply moved Mary Jane.A fishmonger named Ronnie told her about the past and present here, and she realized that the Pike Street Fish Market used to be the same as other markets, with simple and repetitive work and boring time, but a discussion changed everything. Everything, and make Pike Street a world famous tourist attraction.After repeated contacts, Mary Jane learned several important lessons from the fish market:

Choose your own attitude: Even if you can’t choose the work itself, you can choose the way you work; treat your work with a playful mood, and be happy every day; treat every job with sunshine, humor, and a happy mood. People; focus your attention on happy work, and a cascade of positive emotional exchanges will ensue.

Dare to take on your own responsibilities.

A task assigned to us by our superiors is often for a result, or an effect.It is impossible for us to ask our superiors one by one what to do.Otherwise, it is tantamount to letting the superiors do it themselves.

"Letter to Garcia" describes such a story:
(End of this chapter)