When I was a child, reading 'Journey to the West,' I always had a question: Why was Tang Seng so incompetent, yet Sun Wukong insisted on taking him to fetch the scriptures? If Sun Wukong had gone alone, wouldn't it have been much less troublesome? Later, as I grew up and started working, first being led and then leading others, I finally understood: Tang Seng leading Sun Wukong made perfect sense. Without it, the great mission of fetching the scriptures would never have succeeded.
So what exactly did Tang Seng have that Sun Wukong lacked? What factors made Tang Seng a leader while Sun Wukong was just a worker?
- "Lofty Beliefs"
The first thing Tang Seng had that Sun Wukong didn't was "lofty beliefs." In the face of his noble beliefs, Tang Seng wouldn't blink even at the cost of his life. Sun Wukong, on the other hand, was highly capable but lacked unwavering conviction, often wanting to give up. People without beliefs cannot inspire confidence or motivation in others; they tend to retreat when faced with difficulties. If a leader is timid and retreats, the team will fall apart. Moreover, beliefs that aren't lofty enough won't work either—selfish beliefs or beliefs of mere comfort will drive others away. Compare this with Song Jiang in 'Water Margin': a man without lofty beliefs, who ultimately surrendered to the court. His highest ideal was that, so he ruined his team.
- "Incompetence"
The second thing Tang Seng had that Sun Wukong lacked was "incompetence." Incompetence can also be a leader's asset! Because Tang Seng was "incompetent," he appreciated capable people and could tolerate their other flaws, thus finding three skilled disciples to protect him. If Tang Seng had been all-powerful, Sun Wukong, given his personality, wouldn't have been willing to follow him. It was precisely because Tang Seng was incompetent that Sun Wukong had a place to use his talents and fully realize his value during the journey.
Consider the highly capable Sun Wukong: his own disciples on Flower-Fruit Mountain were all useless. He was so skilled that he looked down on other capable people, so they didn't want to follow him. Because he was too strong, his team became a bunch of good-for-nothings. In one chapter of 'Journey to the West,' Sun Wukong quarreled with Tang Seng and formed a fake team to fetch the scriptures—fortunately, he didn't go, because if he had encountered a powerful demon and been captured, who would have saved him? Who would have called for reinforcements? His own team was useless, so they could only watch their leader die. Tang Seng, in contrast, despite being helpless, was very safe. When Sima Yi captured a small soldier from Shu and asked what Zhuge Liang did daily, the soldier thought it wasn't intelligence and said that the Prime Minister personally supervised all military law matters involving 20 or more lashes. Sima Yi then knew that Zhuge Liang would die of exhaustion—a leader who does everything himself will tire out before the enemy even arrives, while Tang Seng, the "immortal meat," remained safe.
When starting a business, a highly capable boss is essential for survival. But once survival is assured, entrepreneurs must consider how to build platforms for employees to realize their value and seek employees who complement their own weaknesses, rather than doing everything themselves or pretending to know things they don't. Otherwise, they'll exhaust themselves and have no energy for growth; employees will be reduced to "hands and feet," and the company will hit a development bottleneck.
- "Benevolence"
The third thing Tang Seng had that Sun Wukong lacked was "benevolence." Tang Seng's compassion extended even to demons, so he would never maliciously scheme against his subordinates. Although he used his three disciples for protection, he never intended to exploit them; instead, he led them to work together, grow together, and succeed together. In the end, all three disciples achieved their own accomplishments, and Tang Seng didn't do what Zhao Kuangyin did—"relieving generals of their military power over wine" or "killing the hound once the hare is dead." In contrast, Sun Wukong was far behind in this regard. He became the Victorious Fighting Buddha, but what about his monkeys on Flower-Fruit Mountain? They remained just monkeys.
There's a Japanese company that invites all employees' fathers to the company for discussions with managers. The boss tells all managers: "When you don't know how to treat your subordinates, recall today—these fathers entrusted their children to you, hoping you'd teach them to grow and lead them to success. Think about whether you are worthy of that trust."
- "Interpersonal Relationships"
The fourth thing Tang Seng had that Sun Wukong lacked was "interpersonal relationships." Tang Seng was a disciple of Sakyamuni Buddha in his previous life, while Sun Wukong was a stone monkey born from heaven and earth with no connections. Although he had a master, he had poor relations with his fellow disciples and was expelled; he swore brotherhood with the Bull Demon King but later fell out; he was a neighbor of the Dragon King of the East Sea but robbed him; he was a colleague of Erlang Shen and other heavenly officials but disrespected them, and later caused havoc in heaven, kicking many in the rear. In short, Sun Wukong's interpersonal relationships were poor.
Tang Seng was different. He kowtowed to every immortal he met and had no enemies. He was not only a disciple of Tathagata Buddha but also a sworn brother of Emperor Li Shimin. He had high-level connections in both the human and divine realms. Such a person as boss naturally enjoys smooth sailing.
Society is made up of people. Without people, all wealth and material things are meaningless. People are the most essential resource and the creators of all wealth. A boss who knows how to create interpersonal resources externally and high-quality talent resources internally is bound to be successful.
In summary, what did Tang Seng have that Sun Wukong didn't? He had lofty beliefs, was incompetent but knew how to use people, had a benevolent heart, and possessed good interpersonal relationships. Therefore, Tang Seng could be the leader to guide Sun Wukong. Although Sun Wukong is a hero in our eyes, he couldn't accomplish great things on his own; he needed a leader like Tang Seng to guide him. In this sense, Tang Seng is the true hero.