Click to read the original text for details. Verizon, the largest telecom operator in the U.S., holds a similar position in the U.S. as China Mobile does in China. Recently, Verizon announced layoffs of 44,000 employees. The cuts affect more than 30% of the total workforce, mainly targeting "long-term employees," i.e., middle-aged people who have served the company for many years. The event has sparked widespread discussion. One netizen said, "You can scold middle-aged people with kids and mortgages to death." Behind this poignant joke lies the cautious mindset of middle-aged people trying to keep their jobs. But now it seems that it doesn't help much. Because if they are to be laid off, they will be laid off. Why are middle-aged people always the "main victims" in every round of layoffs? In summary, it's not more than that long-time employees naturally bear the "four sins." First, they are expensive. After years of service, their compensation has multiplied compared to the initial salary. Laying off one of them equals laying off several new employees, and you only have to offend one person. Why not do it? Second, they are lazy. Long-time employees and the company are somewhat like a couple in the seven-year itch. Passion has long faded, and physical stamina, endurance, and explosive power can't keep up. Isn't it normal to be disliked? Third, they are slick. Having been around for years, they know all the processes inside out. They can gracefully shirk responsibility and exploit loopholes in the system. Who wants to keep such seasoned slickers around for the New Year? Fourth, they are timid. If a layoff turns into a confrontation, middle-aged people with families and mortgages, perhaps counting on severance pay, are unlikely to dare to cause trouble. But young people with no dependents might be a different story. Mr. Hans Vestberg, the new CEO who executed the layoffs at Verizon, was previously the president of Ericsson before joining Verizon. During his tenure at his previous employer, he had repeatedly carried out exactly the same layoff measures. What's more interesting is that he himself was previously laid off by Ericsson's board due to poor performance. Thus, it can be seen that the more mature a large company is, the more complete its processes and systems are, and it operates fine without anyone. The company is not worried about having no successors. Society is fast-paced, and the times are cruel. The word "stability" has gradually become the most unstable risk. Visionary people have long arranged a way out for themselves. 1 Embrace Change: Don't Just Keep Your Head Down to Pull the Cart, but Look Up at the Road My friend Lao Zhou, a father of a 4-year-old, shared an experience of accompanying his child to an early education class. At the start of the game, parents in four groups gathered together, facing inward in a circle. The teacher kept throwing ocean balls into the circle. The parents pressed their bodies together, reaching inward with both hands simultaneously. Everyone moved in a uniform, standardized manner, as if pre-trained. In the end, not a single ball leaked out of the circle, and the challenge was successful. The teacher smiled and said, "Parents are all very 'standard.' Let's see what the children will do." The next four groups of children each presented completely different solutions: back-to-back in a circle, lying on their backs with legs connected, lying on their sides with head and feet connected in a circle, and lying prone holding hands in a circle. At that moment, Lao Zhou suddenly felt a surge of worry, "I'm afraid I can't teach my son well." "I understand the world is diverse, but in my eyes, I seem to gradually see only a single answer." "Every day I take the same route, eat the same fast food every week, choose the part of work I'm good at, and for evening entertainment, all I can think of is drinking and KTV..." "I don't want to think about other answers because this is the most direct, quick, and effortless, and it best fits the principles of economics. But it also causes my thinking to become rigid, and I settle in my comfort zone." Lao Zhou's words may expose the truth of many people's lives: you live, perhaps merely for the sake of living itself. You may have long lost curiosity and interest in things. When others absorb energy and explore different answers every day, you just replicate yesterday's life day after day. "Die at twenty-five, bury at seventy-five" has become the state of many people. There is a classic line in the movie Léon: The Professional: You're growing up, and I'm just getting older. Getting old has never been a physiological concept. The decline of bodily functions and the fading of appearance are only external. Stopping to accept the ever-changing world is the beginning of aging. No one likes to associate with people who are lifeless, and companies even more dislike employees who are stagnant and lack innovation. Andy Grove, former CEO and co-founder of Intel, once said, Innovation is the only way out. Eliminate the old self, otherwise competition will eliminate us. If you want to endure, never stay unchanged. Rigid thinking and self-complacency will only narrow your path, eventually leading to a dead end. So, while doing your job well, try to expose yourself to the world outside work as much as possible and calmly embrace the rapid changes. 2 Persevere with Goals: Only by Knowing What to Do Can You Achieve Something When you first enter the workplace, what is your career goal? To have a strong network? To earn more money? To quickly rise to a management position? My senior schoolmate Qin Ting said when she joined the company that her ideal was to have control over her life and work freedom after the age of 40. At that time, she was only 22, a fresh graduate entering the company. Over the years of working in Beijing together, I clearly saw how she achieved her goals step by step. She never engaged in ineffective socializing or took sides, because it "serves no purpose other than wasting time and creating conflicts"; she never complained and always spontaneously accepted more challenges, because it could "quickly catch up with the old-timers and make herself stand out." In her third year, she became a department manager, and then successively rose to director, regional director, and vice president. When she was 38, the company adjusted its strategic goals and decided to lay off 20% of its staff. Laid-off employees could receive severance pay of N+4 months' income (N being the number of years of service). Ting Jie was not among that 20%, but she made a prompt decision and raised her hand to take the money and leave. Many headhunters proactively approached her, recommending lucrative new positions, but she declined them one by one. "I chose to leave because the room for advancement was small, and it might disrupt my original plan for age 40. Now I just want to pause and take a breather. In the first half, I achieved my goal ahead of schedule; in the second half, I want to change the pace and enjoy life." Afterwards, she became a freelancer. Although she didn't have to go to the office, she still worked seriously and lived seriously. In psychology, there is Locke's law: For a person to succeed, they must set a goal, and more importantly, set steps to implement the goal. With a specific goal, there is focused action. In Ting Jie's 16-year career, all her decisions and actions never deviated from her original intention. With every step, she moved closer to her initial goal. General Sarnoff, former chairman of RCA, once said to President Roosevelt when he was a student: "Young man, there is never a job called 'whatever' in this world. The road to success is paved with goals." Having clear goals, practicing them steadily, and not fearing the future is an important reason why a middle-aged person can leave a company gracefully. 3 Continuous Growth: 99% of Boiling Frogs Are Due to Giving Up Learning Writer Feng Tang's article popularized the concept of the "middle-aged greasy man." In the article, he wrote: "At thirty, don't learn new skills; a real man doesn't need to read after forty." In my youth, that was the first time a man made me feel a strong sense of middle-aged greasiness. What traits make middle-aged men appear especially greasy? A big belly? Keys hanging from the belt? Buddhist beads on the rearview mirror? Loving to talk about wine culture and tea culture? No, these are only external. Lack of culture, not learning, and vulgar speech are the fundamental reasons why a middle-aged person becomes annoying. I once interviewed an 82-year-old lady. Her first words to me were, "Young man, let's add each other on WeChat." During the interview, her expressions were vivid, her thinking clear, and her speech fluent, making it hard for me to believe she was over 80. Her son told me that at home, she usually shops on Taobao and Meituan by herself. After retiring at 55, she began self-studying English and violin. At 74, she went abroad with the Sunset Red Art Troupe to perform violin and could converse fluently with foreigners in English. Constantly trying new things and maintaining a strong learning ability is the biggest reason the lady looks so young. Similarly, continuous learning ability has always been one of the core skills that companies value most. My former subordinate Da Hu is now the technical director of a well-known company. In the past, no matter how tired he was, he insisted on learning. Besides mastering technology, he would also learn about products, operations, and so on. He said he always remembered what his mentor told him: "Education represents the past, ability represents the present, and learning ability represents the future." Over many years in the workplace, I have seen too many outstanding colleagues seamlessly transition across departments and functions. They seize opportunities to climb the promotion ladder at the first moment, relying on continuous learning. Continuous learning ability allows a person to have the confidence to leave at any time. 4 The Only Things That Never Betray You Are Your Cognition and Ability The book The Black Swan explains this truth: We have a terrible illusion that volatility, randomness, and uncertainty are bad things, so we try to eliminate them. But it is precisely these attempts to eliminate them that make us more vulnerable to "black swan" attacks. As the world changes faster and faster, "black swans" will only increase, and the "iron rice bowl" has become a fairy tale in our parents' memories. No matter how wonderful a company is initially, there may come a day of decline; even if we ourselves are perfect, it's hard to guarantee we won't be dismissed due to uncontrollable factors. "In this era, your job will betray you, your industry will betray you, your profession will betray you. The only things that won't betray you are your cognition and your ability." I deeply agree with this statement from the internet. The biggest difference between middle-aged people who embrace change, persevere with goals, and continuously grow from the start, and those who make no preparations, is— When the day of "layoffs" truly comes, will you leave calmly with severance pay, or will you be anxious, at a loss, and helpless? In the adult world, there is never anything easy. If a "black swan" strikes, may each of us remain unflustered and leave with dignity. Yan Gongzi, a cross-disciplinary engineering man with a radiant hairstyle. Years in the Fortune 500, focused on writing about the workplace. Interpreting the fickle world, writing heartfelt stories. WeChat public account: Yan Gongzi (Yangongzi2015). 2018 China FMCG Urban Distribution Logistics Conference At that time, New Distribution will invite industry bigwigs, FMCG warehousing and distribution experts, and distributors transitioning to unified warehousing and distribution platforms to discuss and answer questions around the theme of "New Distribution, New Urban Distribution," focusing on future development trends of FMCG urban distribution logistics and practical cases of distributor transformation to unified warehousing and distribution. We hope it will bring you different inspiration and thinking! The specific meeting topics are as follows: List of Participating Companies In no particular order Hunan Zonglan Diandan Network Technology Co., Ltd. Jingbang (Wuhan) International Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd. Mengniu Dairy Qinghai Hanxiang E-commerce Co., Ltd. Unilever Service (Hefei) Co., Ltd. Shanghai Branch Huicong Hunan Xuan'ang Food Co., Ltd. Guangzhou Tongdaoren Information Technology Co., Ltd. Qingdao 888 Trading Co., Ltd. Uni-President Enterprises (China) Investment Co., Ltd. Hunan Province Zhongxiang Gongpei Logistics Co., Ltd. Shenglong Ingredients COSCO Shipping Logistics Warehousing and Distribution Co., Ltd. Guangxi Yongpai Liquor Industry Co., Ltd. Shangqiu Kangrong Trading Co., Ltd. Jinan Dingzhong Economic and Trade Co., Ltd. Liaoning Bimai Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. Kunming Xiongjia Trading Co., Ltd. Shaanxi Houheng Trading Co., Ltd. Guangzhou Dingwo Enterprise Information Consulting Co., Ltd. Shaodong Jiajiale Trading Firm Boda Trading Industrial Bank Changsha Branch Wuhan Muchen Convenience Store Chain Co., Ltd. Fujian Fuxing Yuncang Logistics Co., Ltd. Guizhou Yilimi E-commerce Co., Ltd. Jiangxi Xiao Laoer E-commerce Co., Ltd. Jinshan Koufu Shanxi Taihang Yuanjing Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. Shanxi Dezhun Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. Shaoyang Tongdeli Trading (Xiangbang Logistics) Huanfu Tongda Express Urban Distribution Beijing Xinjingxiang Food Co., Ltd. Wuhan Huizhong Tianhong Liquor Industry Co., Ltd. Changsha Paide Biotechnology Co., Ltd. Chao'an Tuqiang Guizhou Yihe Bopin Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. Jiangxi Kang'en Industrial Development Co., Ltd. Xiangtan County Yisuhe Town Yuhua Paper Store Luoyang Yuanlang Trading Co., Ltd. Tongchuan Yaozhou District Huayuan Supermarket Co., Ltd. Hunan Yongfu Jiujiu Trading Co., Ltd. Zhejiang Chengchengtong Logistics Co., Ltd. Chongqing Kaiguo Materials Trading Co., Ltd. Beijing Xianmaixianmai Data Technology Co., Ltd. Hanchuan Qixing Trading Co., Ltd. Tongxin Jiuzhiru Trading Co., Ltd. Guizhou Meiguo Guoguo Network Technology Co., Ltd. Hubei Anjie Logistics Co., Ltd. Hubei Kuaixiao Hulian Technology Development Co., Ltd. ...... Representatives of Distributor Transformation (Proposed) In no particular order Chairman of Jiangsu Huashang Urban Distribution Network Co., Ltd. Rong Jun Chairman of Hubei Yijiaren Logistics Co., Ltd. Wang Bo General Manager of Sichuan Chengdu Xingrenxing Trading Co., Ltd. Jiang Shuming Chairman of Shandong Yunbang Warehousing and Logistics Co., Ltd. Liu Jichen Chairman of Chongqing Lingyu Consumer Goods Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. Tu Mingyu Chairman of Guangzhou Zhongshan Wanrong Marketing Co., Ltd. Yang Su Chairman of Sichuan Bajie Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. Yuan Xia Co-founder of Hubei Pengdun Meiyitian Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. Li Qiangyun Chairman of Henan Xuchang Jiulegou E-commerce Co., Ltd. Zhang Jianyong Founder of Hebei Changyi Logistics Co., Ltd. Ma Haichao General Manager of Hebei (Chengde) Wulian Yuncang Co., Ltd. Meng Yucun Chairman of Urumqi Su'an Jinchi Logistics Co., Ltd., Xinjiang Zhang Xun Chairman of Jilin Sanxian Lianggou Zhang Hailing Founder of Hebei Dunjie Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. Qiang Huitao General Manager of Hunan Damei Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. Liao Lei ...... -END-