Student Question
Hello, Master Chi. I was recently promoted to supervisor, and I’ve been reading quite a few books on management. I’ve come across two schools of thought. The first says a manager should openly share their thoughts and intentions with subordinates — full transparency. The second says you should never let them know your true thinking, keeping subordinates guessing. Which strategy is actually better for a manager?
Master Chi’s Response
This past week or so has had me flying between Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, and New York — so writing longer pieces has been a bit difficult. Dear brothers and sisters, please bear with me.
Tonight’s words are meant to be just that — another late-night heart-to-heart between you and me. Mutual encouragement, mutual support. I want you to know: whether you’re alone or not, you have a close friend who is always thinking of you. [hug] [heart]
Student Question
Dear Master Chi, greetings! I have a self-built rural home in my hometown. The neighbors to the west raised both their house and their perimeter wall higher than ours many years ago; the neighbors to the east are at the same height as us. Things haven’t gone well for our family over the years — a few unfortunate events have occurred. I’ve heard the saying, “Better to let the Azure Dragon rise ten thousand feet than to let the White Tiger press down upon you,” and I can’t help but wonder if this might be a factor. I would be grateful for your guidance on whether there is a connection, and whether any remedy exists. Thank you sincerely!
L茵Z: “A truth, a trend that is re-emerging — and to obscure it, an unrelated title was given. Yet it still couldn’t escape notice… But that’s alright. The sky-curtain has its cracks, and that is precisely where the light enters…” — I’ll ask again: any community members who know the answer, please share!
2023-11-18 20:19
Commander replied to L茵Z: It’s this piece — “The True Power Lies Where You Cannot See” — it’s still in the Awakening Society (觉悟社) archives.
Student Question:
I’m currently a software engineer with three years of experience and one of the core contributors in my department. There are about three or four of us at a similar level, each leading our own project. One step above us is an open Manager Assistant position, and above that are two Deputy Managers and one Manager.
My direct supervisor has always been satisfied with my work, and the top leader has a favorable impression of me as well. During one conversation, he gave me some hints about what leadership work actually involves, and said, “Now that you’ve been here three years, if you have any ideas, feel free to bring them to me.” I think I’m in a position to apply for the Manager Assistant role. Looking at how promotions have gone in peer departments, three Manager Assistants were selected over the past three years, and after about a year, two of them were promoted to fill Deputy Manager vacancies.
Tonight, since I’m out, I won’t write anything long.
Honestly, I prefer it this way — no grand philosophizing, just talking to you like a close friend. Wherever the conversation takes us, that’s fine. Light and easy.
Like right now. I want to share a secret with you: the one thing that makes a decisive difference, that keeps you moving forward smoothly, comes down to just three words — hold steady.
If you want consumer spending to rise while simultaneously siphoning away the money people could spend, consumption won’t go up — it’ll shrink even further. When people feel financially insecure, they cut expenditures. That’s precisely why Alibaba bet wrong while Pinduoduo seized the moment: Alibaba gambled on a national consumption upgrade, while Pinduoduo gambled on a national consumption downgrade.
Many people are waiting for a money-printing story that drives housing prices back up. That story is not going to happen.
Student Question:
My current job is in e-commerce operations. I’ve been at my first company for two years and have been thinking about making a move — what you might call “riding a donkey while searching for a horse.” I’ve been scheduling interviews after work each day.
You previously mentioned three dimensions to consider when evaluating a job: first, whether you can learn and grow; second, whether you have a good boss to learn from and a positive work environment; third, whether the salary is high. Any job that satisfies two of these three is a good job.
If you cannot be your own master, others will master you. Sometimes you struggle your entire life only to find you’ve spent it fighting to break free from a trap someone else set for you. This is why all human effort ultimately serves one purpose: to claim sovereignty over one’s own destiny. This applies equally to individuals and to any collective.
Before the First World War, Britain served as the world’s dominant power. As its grip on the world began to loosen, it started planning for what came next. Britain controlled the world and ruled the seas for four hundred years from three small islands — achieved through two strategies: divide and conquer, and a global colonial economic system built before anyone else could. The former fragmented others into pieces too small to resist; the latter made Britain’s own position ever more secure — the more players drawn into the system, the stronger Britain’s footing, and the greater the profits extracted through the system’s built-in bias.
Tonight, I want to share a small reflection — just a casual late-night chat between you and me.
Don’t let obsession run too deep.
Do what you can, then let Heaven decide. Once you can see the broad direction clearly, giving seventy or eighty percent of your effort is enough.
Because the day you truly come into great wealth, you’ll find that managing it drains your mind and spirit. Buy a grand estate, and you’ll discover maintaining it is just as exhausting. Achieve fame and success, and you’ll find troubles multiplying by the day — an endless stream of people seeking your favor, and just as many who resent you.