---
title: "New Official 'Creates Momentum' to Survive the 'Rejection Period'"
description: "Chinese people have a peculiar way of perceiving others. There is a metaphor: facing a chicken, when you are also a chicken, it thinks you are tiny; when you are a turkey, it still thinks you are smaller; only when you are an ostrich does the chicken consider you its equal. In other words, we tend to belittle others' abilities and are often unwilling to accept them. Therefore, in the workplace, it is normal for a new official to face rejection and resistance from subordinates and peers."
author: "罗俊荣"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2015-04-15"
language: "en"
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markdown: "https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/new-official-creates-momentum-to-survive-the-rejection-period-c4d63877.md"
original_source: "https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/fuOraTXxwRB4zuqXjRKvwA"
translation: "https://xinjignxiao.com/zh/articles/%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%98-%E9%80%A0%E5%8A%BF-%E5%BA%A6%E8%BF%87%E4%B8%8A%E4%BB%BB-%E6%8E%92%E5%BC%82%E6%9C%9F-c4d63877.md"
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---

# New Official 'Creates Momentum' to Survive the 'Rejection Period'

> Chinese people have a peculiar way of perceiving others. There is a metaphor: facing a chicken, when you are also a chicken, it thinks you are tiny; when you are a turkey, it still thinks you are smaller; only when you are an ostrich does the chicken consider you its equal. In other words, we tend to belittle others' abilities and are often unwilling to accept them. Therefore, in the workplace, it is normal for a new official to face rejection and resistance from subordinates and peers.

Chinese people have a peculiar way of perceiving others. There is a metaphor about Chinese people: facing a chicken, when you are also a chicken, it thinks you are very small; when you are a turkey, it still thinks you are a bit smaller; when you are an ostrich, the chicken will think you are the same size as it. That is to say, we always see others' abilities as insignificant, and we are often not convinced by others.

So, in the workplace, it is normal for a new official to be rejected and resisted by subordinates and peers. Experiencing the 'rejection period' of a new official, we should not complain about fate or blame colleagues for not cooperating; nor should we feel self-pity and doubt our own abilities. Solving problems and getting out of trouble is the only way forward.

New Official Encounters the 'Rejection Period':

Liang Qiang was the newly appointed Guangzhou regional manager of a home appliance chain store. Guangzhou is a key consumption area in the country, but consumers there are very rational, and local competition is fierce. The Guangzhou market cannot afford to fail, so the company specially transferred Liang Qiang from Beijing to Guangzhou, entrusting him with an important mission.

Although he had the 'imperial sword' and was full of ambition, Liang Qiang faced numerous difficulties after arriving in Guangzhou, strongly rejected by local employees. Guangzhou is a city with an early developed market economy, and the home appliance retail industry is full of talent. Currently, most of the company's Guangzhou employees are industry elites with extensive experience. Liang Qiang was an outsider appointed by the head office, unfamiliar with the Guangzhou staff, and whether he could handle the competitive Guangzhou market was yet to be proven. Since it was the head office's arrangement, everyone had no choice but to be polite on the surface, while internally they were extremely dissatisfied.

'What's so great about Beijing? The market difficulty is far less than Guangzhou. With his abilities, he comes to our turf to show off!' 

'Look at him, he's still wet behind the ears. I wonder if he'll tremble when negotiating with manufacturers' bosses!' 

'I've been with the company for 10 years. Even if I have no great achievements, I have worked hard. Why wasn't I promoted to Guangzhou regional manager? And now we have to let an outsider boss us around!' 

...

Everyone adopted a wait-and-see attitude, wondering what extraordinary abilities this new manager had to complete the company's tasks. At the same time, they wanted to prove to the head office that this personnel arrangement was a major mistake.

In the first month, the cold war from subordinates left Liang Qiang helpless. Often at night, he would stay in his office, depressed, pondering solutions. Occasionally flipping through the 'Art of War' he brought from Beijing, he saw the chapter on 'Strategic Advantage': 'Thus, those skilled in war seek victory through strategic advantage, not by blaming others, so they can choose people and use the advantage.' And 'The advantage of those skilled in war is like rolling a round stone from a thousand-ren mountain; that is the strategic advantage.' Seeing this, Liang Qiang had a sudden inspiration: The situation I face now is like what the book says. My subordinates are at a high place, and I am at a low place. To manage them is like moving a huge stone from the foot of the mountain to the top, requiring great effort. But if I reverse it, standing at the top of the mountain, I can push the stone with a gentle hand, and it will roll down automatically. To end the cold war with my subordinates in Guangzhou and achieve effective management, I must stand higher than them, create the right 'momentum', and then they will naturally cooperate.

With this thought, Liang Qiang felt enlightened. In the following months, he began to implement his plan of building momentum step by step.

Solution:

Assess the Situation—Know Yourself and Your Enemy, and You Will Never Be Defeated

Liang Qiang realized that he was currently at a disadvantage compared to his subordinates. But that was not enough; he needed to analyze his situation more deeply, gather more objective information, and fully know himself and his opponents to remain invincible.

First, he needed to understand why the previous Guangzhou regional manager was replaced. There could be many reasons: poor performance, failure to meet head office requirements; poor relationships with subordinates, forced to leave due to collective complaints; poor relationships with clients, forced to leave due to client complaints; or leaving for better personal development opportunities. After investigation, Liang Qiang learned that the previous manager left mainly for personal development reasons. However, during his tenure, there were conflicts with subordinates, so Guangzhou employees had a feeling that the managers appointed by the head office were not good, just mouthpieces of the head office, using the authority of others to bully them, and other negative images.

Then, what were his own strengths and weaknesses as Guangzhou regional manager? This was relatively easy to understand. He had been with the company for seven years, starting as a salesperson, and through outstanding sales performance, gradually became the Beijing regional manager. He had full recognition and trust from the head office, which would allow him to secure more resource support from the head office for the Guangzhou region in the future. However, he was new to Guangzhou, unfamiliar with the language, culture, geography, and market, which explained why his new subordinates had doubts. His disadvantage as an outsider meant that in the early stage of his tenure, he would need to adopt subordinates' opinions and guide them to take responsibility proactively.

Finally, he categorized his subordinates in Guangzhou:

1. Those with strong business capabilities

As a home appliance chain, the company values sales performance most. Therefore, those with strong business capabilities are the core of the Guangzhou region. This category includes procurement, store managers, counter managers, and marketing personnel. They can handle business contacts and client relations independently, and winning their recognition would be the most difficult for Liang Qiang.

2. Those with good interpersonal relationships among colleagues

These people handle both official and personal matters appropriately and have a good reputation among colleagues. Based on experience, Liang Qiang would assign them to administrative positions. The urgent task was to win them over quickly to assist in managing grassroots staff, making his work more efficient.

3. Old employees and new employees

Old and new employees often have a not-so-close mentor-apprentice relationship. Before gaining recognition from old employees, he needed to acknowledge their mentor status. Then, new employees would naturally recognize Liang Qiang. This task should not be a big problem for Liang Qiang.

4. Logistics, customer service, and finance personnel

These are functional positions. Generally, they do not care who is the supervisor, as long as their work does not change too much under different supervisors. This was manageable for Liang Qiang.

For Liang Qiang to successfully take over the Guangzhou region, the key factor was 'people', because the head office's performance requirements, daily affairs, and relationship management all depend on people. To unite all subordinates, the biggest 'rejection' he faced was from the business and administrative personnel in Guangzhou.

Build Momentum—Combine the Extraordinary and the Ordinary, Inexhaustible

From the 'Art of War', Chapter on Strategic Advantage:

'In all battles, use the ordinary to engage, and the extraordinary to win. Thus, those skilled in using the extraordinary are as infinite as heaven and earth, as inexhaustible as rivers and seas. Ending and beginning again, like the sun and moon; dying and being reborn, like the four seasons. There are only five notes, but their variations are endless; there are only five colors, but their variations are endless; there are only five tastes, but their variations are endless.'

'In battle, there are only the extraordinary and the ordinary, but their variations are endless. The extraordinary and the ordinary give rise to each other, like a cycle without beginning—who can exhaust it?'

'Those who use strategic advantage in battle are like rolling wood and stone. The nature of wood and stone is to be still when safe, to move when in danger, to stop when square, and to roll when round.'

Thus, the key to building momentum is to use the extraordinary and the ordinary well. Here, the extraordinary and the ordinary refer to kindness and authority. The 'extraordinary' is 'kindness', meaning the supervisor should care about employees' work and life from the side, making them feel human warmth and emotional affirmation and satisfaction. The 'ordinary' is 'authority', meaning the supervisor requires employees to work with full effort and seriousness, without procrastination.

Liang Qiang's current task was to repeatedly use the method of 'extraordinary and ordinary' to build momentum among all employees in Guangzhou.

First, Liang Qiang announced that in the first month of his tenure, all arrangements in the Guangzhou region would remain unchanged, and all employee positions would remain unchanged. This was the 'extraordinary' method. A new official should stabilize people's hearts and avoid panic. On one hand, it showed that the new supervisor respected existing practices in Guangzhou and recognized employees' abilities, believing everyone was capable of doing their jobs well. On the other hand, as an outsider, he wanted to give subordinates a low-key impression and be more approachable. Subordinates often think that officials from the head office are arrogant and stubborn, leading to resistance and opposition. Liang Qiang needed to eliminate this rebellious mentality.

Next, 'a new official lights three fires' was necessary. This was the 'ordinary' method. Subordinates respect supervisors with real substance. Liang Qiang required each department to report to him weekly, and he would listen carefully and seriously, verifying the authenticity and reliability of all data. Through repeated questions and answers, he kept subordinates on their toes and familiarized himself with the Guangzhou market faster.

Then, Liang Qiang visited more than a dozen stores in the Guangzhou region in the shortest time and contacted all suppliers. After comprehensive analysis, he formulated a three-week promotion plan with suppliers in the busiest stores to seize market share from competitors. During the execution, Liang Qiang set strict rules for business personnel, from store managers to salespeople, with strict requirements on customer service etiquette, product familiarity, sales skills, and work initiative. Liang Qiang personally supervised for a month, and the results were indeed good, exceeding expectations. With this move, Liang Qiang used his experience and dedication to gradually establish authority among business personnel.

After a month, Liang Qiang gradually understood his subordinates, and it was necessary to make appropriate adjustments to complete his layout in Guangzhou and better leverage the team. He first called the administrative department head to discuss the details of personnel adjustments, and then the administrative department implemented them. The administrative staff had the best relationships with employees, so implementing Liang Qiang's layout and momentum building faced almost no resistance.

Finally, it was the combination of the extraordinary and the ordinary, balancing kindness and authority, adjusting them to a reasonable level among employees. For routine positions like customer service and after-sales, which are mostly governed by rules and regulations, Liang Qiang let everyone follow procedures. For business positions, he allowed them to fully exercise their initiative. He involved them in discussions on sales strategy, procurement plans, grassroots management, and training, while he only controlled the principles. Behind the hard work of subordinates, Liang Qiang made every effort to secure more resources from the head office to benefit the Guangzhou region. He organized birthday celebrations and performance evaluations among employees to foster harmony.

Show the Momentum—Subdue the Enemy Without Fighting

In the 'Art of War', subduing the enemy without fighting is the highest level of warfare. In battle, through psychological tactics, you break the enemy's morale and make them surrender automatically. Of course, Liang Qiang and his subordinates were not enemies, so he could not use a win-lose approach. Liang Qiang needed to show his 'strength' and 'advantages' to make subordinates voluntarily support his leadership in Guangzhou.

Now, Liang Qiang's 'layout' was basically formed. In business, he integrated with business personnel, gaining authority through ability; he also established good relationships with suppliers and clients, taking the initiative in business. Through the administrative department, he completed personnel reassignment, ensuring stability in core positions. For logistics personnel, it was basically a smooth transition, continuing to work as usual. Liang Qiang's layout was like an invisible net, letting subordinates strive forward in their respective grids. Then, he stayed outside the net, pulling it toward his goals.

After three months of building momentum, Liang Qiang gradually resolved the resistance and opposition from employees. On one hand, he had more harmony with subordinates, better cooperation, and higher efficiency. On the other hand, as the supervisor, he controlled the overall situation of the Guangzhou company and no longer worried about another 'rejection' incident.

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