During World War II, the German Army was able to sweep across Europe with a one-to-ten ratio. What was the secret? After the war, experts studied their success and found that the Nazi new recruit selection system was one of the key factors. After training, instructors would evaluate each recruit: smart or stupid, diligent or lazy. This divided everyone into four categories:

  • Smart and diligent: assigned to logistics support.
  • Smart and lazy: assigned to staff positions, becoming future officers. (Smart and lazy people will think of ways to improve efficiency and simplify tasks; they are also good at delegating and not doing everything themselves.)
  • Stupid and lazy: assigned to infantry. Infantry doesn't need brains; just follow orders.
  • Stupid and diligent: not kept in the military, sent to farming. Why? Because stupid and diligent people disrupt discipline and cause chaos. This simple four-quadrant system clearly shows the differences among recruits and helps determine the right job for each. In business, looking at companies around us, the interesting thing is not the management lesson from the Germans, but why those considered low-quality can perform well? Smart people who are good at thinking often lag in action, while those quick to act often have shortcomings in thinking. This is why team building is necessary. The German story is not just a simple team management tool or technique; digging deeper, each industry is different, some are more strategy-oriented, others prioritize execution. How you build your team depends on your unique circumstances. Both thinking and acting are important, but relatively speaking, action is more important. After all, there is no such thing as a "perfect plan" in this world; any business idea or blueprint requires actual action. In executing your strategy, make full use of the PDCA cycle to adjust tactical details in time. This is indispensable for any business strategy. Therefore, when facing the same external environment, it's easy to understand why those who may seem less smart but have stronger execution are more likely to succeed. Of course, factors like bottom-line demands and adversity quotient also play a role; you can consider more. In team building, we can evaluate differences from the following dimensions:
  • Confidence: People with strong execution are always confident and fully committed to what they do; smart thinkers tend to be cautious or skeptical.
  • Communication: Thinkers value the atmosphere of communication and wait for the right moment to express; executors need clear communication more urgently.
  • Action: Executors start acting as soon as they think of something; thinkers may reject ideas before even thinking them through.
  • Resources: Executors use company resources and often ask others for help; thinkers rarely ask for help or even forget to ask, which greatly affects efficiency.
  • Execution: Those with lower education often have higher execution. As long as the company's overall direction is right and the team cooperates, they can implement the company's intentions well. In contrast, those with higher education often spend energy questioning whether the company's decisions are correct, wasting energy and developing internal resistance (perhaps unconsciously). People with resistance find it hard to truly do things; they waste most of their time and eventually find excuses to explain why they "can't do it." Now, considering your industry and actual business needs, will you still only value education? Of course, "low education" here means low education but high ability. If someone has low education and poor execution, and the company lacks good plans and supportive colleagues, their success rate will be lower than those with higher education. There's no need to always use KPI; simple and practical is fine. As long as it solves problems, a small German story might make you reflect and gain something. -END- Content Selection Reply with the following keywords to search and read related articles: Sales Supervisor, Second-tier Management, Regional Manager, Distributor Management, New Channels, City Manager, Competition, 2015, Manufacturer-Dealer Game, Product Slow Sales, 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, Closing, Market Visit Inspection, Baijiu, Beer, Sales Increase, Agency Products, Cross-region Sales, KA, Terminal Merchandising, New Market, Market Operation, Learning, Book Recommendations, Inventory Management, New Salespeople, Consumer Promotion, Execution, Old Products, Expired Product Handling, Model Market, Franchise Recruitment, New Media, Distributor Development, Performance Appraisal, Assessment, Annual Planning, Shopping Guide, Morning Meeting, Display, Transformation, Inventory Pressure, Holidays, Distributor Cost Control Channel Operation, Marketing Theory and Laws, Brand Truth, Order Meeting, Team Management, Training, Debriefing, Debriefing Report.