1. Recruit Talent Anytime, Anywhere Talent comes from three sources: attracted, screened, or bought with high compensation. Li Yunlong's people, like the monk who was originally in the Nationalist army, agreed to join immediately upon hearing it was Li Yunlong—that's attraction. Zhang Dabiao was selected for his excellent performance in battle. Company Commander Sun of the cavalry was obtained in exchange for five machine guns. Wherever Li Yunlong's troops went, they never forgot two things: recruiting soldiers and preparing weapons and equipment (tools). This is how the team grew from over a thousand to nearly ten thousand. In teams, a common phenomenon is that recruitment only happens when there is a shortage or someone leaves. They say this saves human resources and reduces costs. But is that true? When a team has no talent reserve, the existing talent feels no crisis, so they lack motivation, and efficiency drops. On the surface, costs seem saved, but these employees are not dedicated, performance suffers, and they create problems, leading to higher costs overall. Moreover, when each key position has only one employee with no backup, how can you screen good employees? If the key employee leaves one day, you won't have time to recruit excellent talent; you might just grab anyone to fill in temporarily. This is called lack of planning in management. A good team recruits talent anytime and anywhere, and replaces unsuitable people immediately. Only this ensures normal team development. Leaders must always keep the initiative in their own hands and not let subordinates lead you by the nose!

2. Soul, Values (Team Culture) "There must be a momentum, a spirit to fight to the end. Like a swordsman who meets his opponent on a narrow path and finds he is the best in the world. Even knowing he will die, he must draw his sword. Without such courage, he shouldn't be a swordsman. Falling to the opponent's sword is not shameful; it's a glorious defeat. We Chinese must never be cowards. When facing an enemy, we must draw our swords." This spirit in the military is called the soul—the military soul. In a team, it's called values. If a team has such a culture, no matter what difficulties or unfavorable situations arise, every employee will try every means to solve them, just like every soldier in 'Drawing the Sword'. But in reality, when a team faces difficulties, often only the president or boss tries to find solutions. The rest leave on time, indifferent, thinking that if they can't solve it, they won't be harmed, and their salary won't decrease. Isn't this like Chu Yunfei's troops? If they can't win, it's okay; if things get tough, they run because they have a retreat. The president and boss can only move forward; they have no retreat. Either victory or death!

3. Action In a team, a leader must have keen insight and action. Once they notice any sign of trouble, they must immediately investigate and analyze the cause, find the crux of the problem, and prevent it from worsening. For example, a department head should always observe employee behavior and emotions. If anything abnormal occurs, they should immediately find ways to correct and resolve it. Li Yunlong's action is also shown when he discussed with Zhao Gang forming a special team of martial arts warriors. Zhao Gang said, "Alright, handle this as soon as possible!" Li Yunlong replied, "Not as soon as possible—I'll go right now!" If every team member or manager had such action, the team would inevitably develop.

4. Responsibilities (Division of Labor) and Systems

  1. In the Battle of Lijiapo, when discussing the battle plan with Political Commissar Zhao Gang, Li Yunlong arranged to lead the assault team as the vanguard. When the vanguard was all sacrificed, Zhao Gang would take over. Zhao Gang said, "You (Li Yunlong) are derelict in your duty. A regiment commander should be at the command post, not leading the assault. If I call the brigade commander..." This is called unclear job responsibilities in team management. The military is like a team: different divisions have different responsibilities. If artillerymen do cavalry work, and cavalry do infantry work, it can only mean that most of the unit is dead; otherwise, it's chaos. In a team, if the boss does employee work, or the president does subordinate work, the team is close to closing down. Especially the president, who should only do what they should do. What should a president do? The president should do the most important things, such as thinking—about the team's strategic direction, what is done well, and what can be improved. Learning—from peers' good methods and experiences, mastering industry information inside and out, improving leadership, and recruiting excellent talent anytime, anywhere.
  2. When Li Yunlong and other army-level leaders went to the Nanjing Military Academy to study, two things annoyed him greatly. First, they were not allowed to carry guns. Second, for each day late, they had to sweep the road for one day. Li Yunlong was unwilling but had no choice. This is called equality before the system, regardless of your position or past contributions.

5. Leadership

  1. The protagonist Li Yunlong is hot-tempered and dislikes following rules, but why does he listen to the brigade commander? Li Yunlong caused him many troubles, yet why did the brigade commander still reuse him at critical moments? Example: Li Yunlong was demoted to a uniform factory, but later the higher-ups sent him to be a regiment commander again. He refused, so the brigade commander rushed over and gave him a scolding. He didn't dare say a word and obediently took office. Reason: The brigade commander knew Li Yunlong's character well. He was uneducated, and such people often hate being lectured with big principles, so you can't reason with him. The best way is to use his own methods against him. He usually curses and scolds, so when he meets someone even tougher, he submits. Conclusion: Leaders must have the ability to know people and use them well. As a leader, you must not only know your subordinates' abilities but also understand their personalities and place them where they are useful. Also, use people's strengths and avoid their weaknesses. Don't deny all their strengths because of a few flaws.
  2. Li Yunlong himself is a strong leader. His leadership is mainly shown in his popularity and his leader's trait—personal charisma. He makes his subordinates both love and fear him. They love him because he is considerate, cares for them, and shares hardships. They fear him because of his rough exterior and his sharp tongue. Another example: Li Yunlong's principle on the battlefield is never to leave a brother behind. Even if he breaks out of the encirclement, if he knows a brother is still inside, he will return to rescue him.

6. Interpersonal Communication Skills Most leaders have strong communication and reaction abilities, and Li Yunlong is no exception. Although he is usually hot-tempered, he has one virtue: he never holds grudges. So even if he explodes, he can quickly turn anger into joy, never holding overnight grudges. This is very valuable for a leader. Whether with superiors, subordinates, or peers, there is almost nothing he can't accomplish in communication, even if his methods sometimes seem unconventional. But as long as it solves the problem and doesn't violate principles, it's fine.

7. Learning Ability The central government ordered all senior officers to study in Nanjing. Many didn't understand. The Japanese were defeated, Chiang Kai-shek was overthrown, so what was there to learn? Only one person understood why: Kong Jie, because he was sent to support Korea against the Americans. He had seen the world and realized that their war methods were indeed superior. Like many teams that feel great at the start, better than peers, but once they step up and compare with other teams or go abroad and see large enterprises, they realize they are frogs at the bottom of a well. The central senior leaders realized they couldn't rely on old experiences and theories to compete. They had to learn better military strategies, which led to Li Yunlong and others studying at the Nanjing Military Academy. For teams, continuously learning from more successful teams is a necessary trend for development. You can choose not to learn, but your competitors will learn for you!