In his new book, Shi Yuzhu mentions that he and Jack Ma discussed on a plane how 'entrepreneurs must be bad guys,' and the two hit it off. In fact, not only Shi Yuzhu and Jack Ma, but cases of 'bad bosses' are everywhere. Numerous evidence shows that teams led by 'bad bosses' have far better execution than those led by 'good bosses.' Moreover, some comment that history is often created by 'bad guys,' such as Liu Bang, who was half a rogue; Cao Cao, who was mischievous from childhood; Li Shimin, who forced his father to rebel; and Zhu Yuanzhang, who was shameless. Because only 'bad guys' dare to rise up and change. Creating a great company may be the same, because 'bad bosses' have stronger nerves, more unconventional thinking patterns, and dare to break conventions and traditional constraints. Business competition is ultimately a game of 'hardball,' where the 'bad' (tough) win in a narrow encounter, and it comes down to competition between 'bad guys' (hard men). If strictness is great love, then what is indulgence? Below we review successful 'bad bosses' and analyze how to be a good 'bad boss.' Shi Yuzhu: Only Recognize Merit, Not Toil There is an old Chinese saying: 'Even without merit, there is toil.' Generally, when something is not done well, the person involved will find such a 'high-sounding' excuse, and people often use this phrase to comfort them. However, in Shi Yuzhu's mind, this is not the case. Shi Yuzhu's principle is: In the company, only merit is recognized, not toil. This phrase is also the first item in Giant's corporate culture. It sounds a bit ruthless, but Shi Yuzhu does it. Shi Yuzhu said that if frontline salespeople in Giant do not perform well, they may not even keep their 300 yuan base salary, but if they do well, they can get astonishingly high sales commissions. Shi Yuzhu also formulated a very special incentive policy: for the top 5 performers in sales tasks, Shi Yuzhu gives a shiny trophy to show praise, while for the bottom 5 market development teams, he gives a black banner with the words 'Countdown No. X' in gold, making them feel ashamed. Shi Yuzhu's provocation method indeed worked; the teams that received the black banner with 'Countdown No. X' found that shame helped them work harder and catch up. In his new book, Shi Yuzhu mentions that when doing products and marketing, he conducts detailed, authentic consumer interviews, but interviews can be falsified. To ensure the authenticity and validity of interview reports, Shi Yuzhu introduced a punishment method for falsified interviews. At the national conference, he would bring out the falsifier and make him repeat on stage a hundred times, for example, if his name was Zhang San, he would say 'Zhang San has no credibility, Zhang San has no credibility' a hundred times. Next time, they would not dare. These practices sound a bit 'abnormal,' but Shi Yuzhu indeed built a marketing team with top competitiveness in all of China. Jack Ma: Those Who Have Been at the Company Less Than a Year, Whoever Proposes Strategy Leaves On August 29, 2011, Alibaba Group Chairman Jack Ma sent an internal email, very directly criticizing the impatience and attitude of some new employees. He warned those who have been at the company less than a year: never write strategic reports for him; whoever proposes strategy leaves! He directly stated three points:

  1. We will never promise you wealth or promotion; at Alibaba, we promise you will be unlucky, depressed, wronged, painful... very frustrated...
  2. Those who have been at the company less than a year, never write strategic reports for me, never rashly propose Alibaba's development plans... Whoever proposes, leaves! But once you have been an Alibaba person for three years, I will listen attentively to what you say. We like small suggestions and small improvements... We are grateful for every small improvement action you take.
  3. The company is not here to develop us; the company spends money to hire us to develop our customers' growth. We develop ourselves by developing customers. Jack Ma's basic meaning is: You are hired to do things, not to propose ideas. It is very direct and sounds harsh. This letter to new employees seems ruthless, but it reflects Jack Ma's management philosophy. Jack Ma has repeatedly emphasized the importance of execution on various occasions. It is said that Jack Ma and Masayoshi Son once discussed a question: A first-class idea with third-class execution versus a third-class idea with first-class execution, which is more important? The two came to the same conclusion: a third-class idea with first-class execution. Jack Ma once called Alibaba 'an execution team, not an idea team.' Ren Zhengfei: You Have Made Great Progress Recently, from Very Poor to Relatively Poor How 'bad' is this boss Ren Zhengfei? You can tell from the following quotes:
  4. 'Entering Huawei is like entering a grave.' — Ren Zhengfei said to new employees just entering Huawei.
  5. 'Huawei has no academicians, only 'courtyard scholars.' If you want to become an academician, do not come to Huawei. Small improvements, big rewards; big suggestions, only encouragement.' — Ren Zhengfei criticized some R&D personnel for ignoring the market and only burying their heads in research.
  6. 'You have made great progress recently, from very poor to relatively poor.' — Ren Zhengfei commented on a financial director's 'progress.'
  7. 'If this person has a mental illness, I suggest sending him to the hospital for treatment; if not, I suggest dismissing him.' — Ren Zhengfei criticized a Peking University student who wrote a 'ten-thousand-word letter' to him just after joining Huawei.
  8. 'Within five years, you are not allowed to make naive innovations. Whatever the consultants say, whatever methods they use, even if you think they are unreasonable, you are not allowed to change them. After five years, when you have used the system well, I can authorize you to make partial changes. As for structural changes, that is a matter for ten years later.' Ren Zhengfei said to Huawei cadres. From these sharp quotes, one can appreciate Huawei's corporate culture: continuous sense of crisis, the spirit of fighting to the death, and unwavering adherence to systems. However, it is precisely this corporate culture that has trained a 'wolf-like' team that the industry envies. Zhang Ruimin: Finish Today's Work Today, Improve Daily Zhang Ruimin transformed people by being a 'villain,' starting with 'smashing refrigerators' and 'not allowing employees to urinate or defecate anywhere.' Known as the godfather of modern Chinese enterprise management, Haier's Zhang Ruimin once said, 'Great people are first villains.' The widely circulated management experience of Haier is often made up of small stories of 'villain' management. Hu Yong said: 'Everyone must push their chair back to its original position after a meeting.' Xie Ailin said: 'So-and-so did not put the chair back after work, and will be fined such-and-such amount.' The reason Zhang Ruimin did this was to 'transform people.' He proposed the management concept of 'Finish today's work today, improve daily.' Its connotation requires every worker and manager to learn to manage their own time and goals. Haier researchers call it the 'OEC Management Method,' meaning comprehensive control and cleanup of every day, every person, and every matter. By being a 'villain,' Zhang Ruimin completed the transformation of Haier people. In fact, there are many 'bad bosses' among entrepreneurs. It is said that Microsoft's Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer often curse at employees who fail to complete tasks and sarcastically mock those who cannot quickly grasp their intentions. Dell's Michael Dell is a famous 'villain' in the IT industry, and Larry Ellison even printed the challenging slogan 'Kill the opponent' on employees' T-shirts. Ask yourself: As a boss, are you a 'bad boss'? As an employee, did you encounter a 'good boss' or a 'bad boss'?