Nowadays, knowledge elites and economic elites are in cahoots, with professors and scholars writing books and giving lectures on management and training, all from the boss's perspective to torment the working class. Books like 'Details Determine Success' just make the foot soldiers work diligently; 'The Man Who Delivered the Letter to Garcia' tells you not only to work but to work smart; 'No Excuses' means work overtime, overtime, and more overtime, without stopping—if you take a break, you're making an 'excuse.' Master Na wandered through bookstores but couldn't find books like 'Give Employees a Raise Now' or 'Find Ways to Increase Employee Benefits'—all they have are books teaching bosses how to be thick-skinned. Alas!

So is there any way for us working folks? Especially for the fresh graduates just entering the workforce. After all, you can't just hang a sign around your neck saying, 'Newbie, please be kind.' So, based on my experience in the world, I've crafted six moves for surviving the workplace, for your reference, but note that this product comes with no warranty.

First Move: 'Smile is Invincible' This is the basic skill for entry-level, suitable for the tender greenhorns just out of school. Fresh produce sells by its appearance; it must be fresh and bright to stand out. Some say newcomers are like strawberries—good inside and out, but afraid of pressure. That's still a good strawberry. The problem is some strawberries, upon entering society, let their faces droop, lacking luster. Why? Because the current crop of newcomers are all post-90s, only children, little tyrants at home, raised like pets by their parents, who dare not defy them. That's why there are runaways and suicides—though rare, when parents see such news, they can't help but think of their own children. The more they love, the more they worry, and love turns to fear. So they treat their sons and daughters like emperors and empresses, fearing tragedy will strike them. Thus, the tender greenhorns rely on their parents at home, happily, but when they go out, they rely on friends, yet they don't know who their friends are or how to make friends, especially workplace friends who can help them advance. At the company, they see the boss and feel timid; they see colleagues and are either dull or aloof, with no professional demeanor on their fresh faces. Professional demeanor must be reflected on the face, and a smile is the foundation. Being able to smile is an attitude; knowing how to smile is a skill. For new recruits entering the workplace, attitude or state is crucial. If you're in good spirits and smile readily, you make a good impression on the boss. When layoffs happen, they usually rank by performance and eliminate the bottom, but sometimes bosses prefer to let go of older employees with slightly worse performance rather than newbies with worse or no performance. Why? Because for veterans, poor performance is one thing, but lack of room for improvement is more important to the boss. For newbies, as long as their mental state is good, they're considered teachable, and you'll get another chance. When Milutinović coached the Chinese national football team, he said a famous quote that was immediately embraced by all Chinese: 'Attitude determines everything.' The Chinese team had been shouting for years about 'breaking out of Asia and into the world,' but when Milu came, he saw that these guys were basically at kindergarten level. Teaching them skills and tactics was like playing the lute to a cow. So he started from the most basic level, saying: 'Attitude is important, and the results will be good.' Whether your attitude is good must first be written on your face. A smile on your face is the minimum state of a good attitude. Some brothers might not like hearing this—aren't you teaching us to be sycophants? Alas, subduing the boss isn't like a traffic cop with a driver or a city inspector with a street vendor. We're playing a high-difficulty game of the weak overcoming the strong. Traffic cops and inspectors use scolding, which has no technical content at all. The first move of the 'Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms' is also 'Hidden Dragon, Do Not Act,' meaning you should stay low-key at the beginning, or be a bit submissive. If the boss sees you smiling all day, optimistic, and energetic, he'll 'cut and paste' you into his 'likes' folder. Every big shot has come from being a nobody.

Second Move: Be Quick on Your Feet Do you all know Lei Feng? Of course you do. After his death, he received great honors. Chairman Mao personally wrote 'Learn from Comrade Lei Feng,' and it was proclaimed nationwide. Both military and civilians took Lei Feng as a model, and the campaign to learn from Lei Feng was truly in full swing. The campaign became politicized and eventually formalistic, but what was Lei Feng's real strength? What made an ordinary soldier a national role model? Before his death, Lei Feng was already a celebrity in the army and a key candidate for promotion. And from the materials about Lei Feng that have been disclosed, he was always welcomed everywhere. Every leader he had wanted to cultivate, complete, and promote him. Why? Because Lei Feng was likable mainly because he 'had eyes for work and was quick on his feet.' Lei Feng was the type who couldn't stay idle and always saw things to do—in northern dialect, 'you yan li jian' (having a keen eye for what needs doing). Lei Feng would sweep the floor if he saw garbage, help the train attendant deliver water if she was busy, and help others joyfully. The key was that he truly felt happy inside. His heart was clear and bright, like a mirror, as Buddhism says. He didn't calculate too much; he considered whatever he did as his duty, so he always found things to do. If you have a clear mind and sharp eyes, you can progress. In a company, wiping tables, sweeping floors, pouring water for colleagues, lighting cigarettes for leaders—it won't kill you, but it leaves a good impression, builds connections, and establishes your personal brand. The key is to be attentive to work, think what the boss thinks, worry about what the boss worries about, and you'll find there's so much to do in the company. If someone comes to the company and can't find things to do for a long time, they're close to being fired. Conversely, if you can spot problems everywhere and keep busy, all bosses have a common ailment or worry: they can't stand seeing a bunch of people idle with nothing to do. When they suddenly discover you have an eye for work, the simplest thing is to promote you to lead those who can't find work. From soldier to squad leader, that's how people get promoted. Whoever does more work and takes on more tasks will have more power. Power comes from managing more affairs—from ordinary employee to supervisor to department manager, this is basically true at this stage. Only at this level can you have the chance to rise further. How to engage in a battle of wits with the boss next? Listen to Master Na as I explain slowly.

Third Move: Understand the Factions In Chinese enterprises, if they're a bit larger and have been around a while, political struggles are intense. Mao Zedong said that wherever people gather, they divide into left, center, and right. 'Without parties outside the party, there are imperial thoughts; without factions inside the party, there are all sorts of strange things.' So, soldiers aspiring to rise must keep their eyes and ears open. Remember, use only your eyes and ears, not your mouth. The mouth is the smelliest and can easily ruin things.

Fourth Move: Learn to Choose Sides In enterprises, bosses don't necessarily oppose or eliminate internal cliques. For a boss who has grown big, the biggest worry internally isn't that subordinates don't work hard, but that they might deceive him. 'Listen to all, and you'll be enlightened.' So having contradictions and competition below actually helps the boss understand the situation. At the same time, with competition, each faction must perform, which benefits the company's business. But everything has its limits. If factions raise their banners high, make a big show, and often fight with emotion, then the boss will suppress them to keep the forces balanced. This is especially true in state-owned enterprises. If subordinates become too powerful and unruly, and go to higher-ups to collude, stories of usurping power can unfold.

Fifth Move: Trim Your Sails For newbies, there are two principles to grasp:

  1. If you're far from the big boss, find someone in the company who can promote you. This person might be your direct superior or a leader from another department. Be attentive and humbly connect with them. Of course, you still need to do your job, but without a recommendation from above, you'll suffer at critical moments. There are three reasons why soldiers don't get promoted: first, no backing—like a widow sleeping, no one above; second, policy changes—like a sex worker sleeping, the person above keeps changing; third, lack of unity—like sleeping with your wife, your own people keep fighting each other! The first point is very important.
  2. If you can get close to the boss, for example in a small or medium company, then directly study the boss, study the people around him, what he likes and dislikes. Mencius said, 'Those who work with their minds rule; those who work with their strength are ruled.' In fact, before ruling, you must work with your mind. Be attentive, concerned, and dedicated—only then will you have a chance. Lei Feng was pure by nature, with no worldly thoughts, and in that era, he 'did good deeds without asking about the future.' Today, when learning from Lei Feng, you should learn his sharp eyes and quick hands, but to progress further, just learning from Lei Feng isn't enough. When you have time, you can read 'The Deer and the Cauldron' (Lu Ding Ji). Wei Xiaobao is also worth learning from, of course, marrying seven wives might be a bit hard to emulate.

Sixth Move: Find a Mentor Cultivating and promoting newcomers is a virtuous deed. Generally, executives and bosses with any sense pay close attention to this. The key is they're too busy to inspect personally. As a newcomer, you must dare to show yourself, find your own mentor, and satisfy their desire to show favor. For us, having someone promote you is the 'kindness of recognition' that has been praised countless times since ancient times. You must repay that kindness. If someone has promoted you, you should repay them, even at the cost of some immediate interests. A person who repays kindness builds a personal brand in the workplace. Like a product, only with a brand can you get a good price and good sales.

Source: 纳兰醉天 (Nalan Zuitian) Reply with the following keywords to search and read related professional articles: Sales Supervisor, Second-tier Management, Regional Manager, Distributor Management, New Channels, City Manager, Competition, 2015, Manufacturer-Dealer Game, Product Stagnation, Terminal Visit Management, Route Management, Deep Distribution, Internal Management, Sales Skills, Profit Improvement, Recruitment, Distribution, Daily Management, Team Motivation, Trade Promotion, Sales Misconceptions, New Product Launch, Township Market, New Product Pricing, Sales Target Achievement, Forcing Orders, Market Visit Inspection, Baijiu, Beer, Sales Increase, Agency Products, Channel Crossing, KA, Terminal Merchandising, New Market, Market Operation, Learning, Book Recommendations, Inventory Management, Sales Newbie, Consumer Promotion, Execution, Old Products, Expired Product Handling, Model Market, Investment Attraction, New Media, Distributor Development, Performance Appraisal, Assessment, Annual Planning, Shopping Guide, Morning Meeting, Display, Transformation, Stock Pressure, Holidays, Distributor Cost Control, Channel Operation, Marketing Theory and Laws, Brand Truth, Order Meeting, Team Management, Training, Debriefing, Debriefing Report. Reply with number 1 to enter the document library for browsing;