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Puppy Tom looked everywhere for a job, but after many busy days, he found nothing. He dejectedly complained to his mother, "I'm really a useless waste, no company wants me." His mother asked in surprise, "What about the bee, spider, lark, and cat?"
Tom said, "The bee became a flight attendant, the spider is in networking, the lark graduated from a music conservatory and became a singer, and the cat graduated from a police academy and became a security guard. Unlike them, I don't have higher education experience or a diploma." His mother continued, "What about the horse, sheep, cow, and hen?"
Tom said, "The horse can pull a cart, the sheep's wool is raw material for textiles, the cow can produce milk, and the hen can lay eggs. Unlike them, I have no abilities at all." His mother thought for a moment and said, "You're indeed not a horse galloping with a war chariot, nor a hen that lays eggs, but you're not a waste; you're a loyal dog. Although you haven't received higher education and your skills are limited, a sincere heart is enough to make up for all your shortcomings. Remember my words, son: no matter how many hardships you go through, cherish your heart of gold and let it shine."
Tom nodded vigorously after hearing his mother's words.
After enduring great hardships, Tom not only found a job but also became the administrative manager. The parrot was unconvinced and went to the boss to argue, saying, "Tom isn't a graduate of a prestigious university, nor does he know a foreign language. Why give him such a high position?"
The boss calmly replied, "It's simple, because he is a loyal dog."
If dogs are like this, what about us humans?
As employers who demand loyalty from employees, or employees who swear allegiance, what feelings and attitudes would we have when seeing this widely circulated story?
Why are employees not "loyal" to their companies?
In a corporate organization, there are often four types of employees: the high-ability wild horse, the high-loyalty dog, the waste with low ability and loyalty, and the owner with high ability and loyalty.
The reality is that owner-type talents are rare and hard to find. For employees, the practical approach is either to be a loyal dog or a high-ability wild horse. For bosses, the most practical approach is how to configure the working relationship between wild horses and dogs.
Brilliant wild-horse talents are often the driving force behind a company's progress. Without them, there would be no performance or advancement. However, loyal dogs are often the guarantee and cornerstone of maintaining daily routine work. Without loyal talents, all achievements would ultimately be unsustainable.
For bosses, between equally important character and ability, ability can be proven by diplomas and performance, but how can character be proven? Perhaps the best way is loyalty.
But in reality, we find that bosses generally lament that employees are not loyal! And employees also generally lament that bosses cannot make them loyal! Some companies even explicitly state that they don't want fresh graduates. The reason behind this is simple: they are unwilling to cultivate talent, and even if they do, it's in vain—often the apprentice kills the master.
Is that really the case?
So why are employees not loyal to their companies?
From the employee's perspective, the deep-seated reason for disloyalty is that employees cannot make themselves loyal due to vertical and horizontal comparisons.
Whoever feeds is mother. In a job market with high unemployment, the mindset of "whoever feeds is mother" makes many helpless people take any job first, only to find a few days later that the company is not what they expected, and they start considering other options.
The grass is always greener on the other side. As soon as they see another company offering better conditions, they can't help but waver. They bend over for three pecks of rice or even abandon their interests and goals for money.
Trying to get fat in one bite. Can you get fat in one bite? Most people would say it's impossible. But why do so many job seekers and employees aim for such unlikely goals in the workplace? Once, I interviewed a newly graduated PhD from a prestigious university. After a brief conversation, I felt it was okay and intended to hire him. At the end, I asked if he had any questions or requirements. He casually said, "Actually, I don't have many requirements, just a monthly salary of around 10,000 to 20,000 yuan, relatively flexible working hours, about half a month of annual leave, and preferably a company car. Of course, if there's an opportunity to go abroad, that would be even better..." I was speechless. A fresh PhD who went straight from undergraduate to doctorate, I really didn't know what he could do, yet he expected such a one-step-to-the-top arrangement. Initially, I considered hiring him because I thought he could do industry research, but I didn't expect...
Walking only looking at your toes. When I was a child, I often fell while walking. So my mother told me, "When walking, don't always look at your feet; look further ahead, and you won't fall easily." In the workplace, it's the same. Starbucks or Alibaba, they weren't great companies from day one; they grew gradually. Looking only at your toes is like looking at the sky from the bottom of a well. At least from a well, you can see the sky, but what about looking at your toes?
Don't release the hawk until you see the rabbit. "As long as the boss pays me more, I'll work hard!" "As long as the company meets my needs, I'll stay loyal!" These are typical examples of not releasing the hawk until seeing the rabbit. The question is, if you were the boss, what would you do? The answer might be in there!
From the company's perspective, the reason why companies cannot make employees loyal is that they don't have mechanisms and governance structures that enable employees to truly and continuously be loyal.
Family ownership. The mindset of family ownership invisibly divides employees into family and non-family factions, naturally forming loyal and disloyal groups. Thus, everyone thinks it's natural for family members to be loyal because they have a stake in the company, while non-family members are naturally disloyal because they don't have a stake, and if they are loyal, it's just a personal high standard, like Lei Feng, not representative. This is one of the root causes.
Miserliness. The second root cause is the miserly mindset. "I worked so hard to build this empire, why should I share it with you?" Money disperses people gather; money gathers people disperse. Everyone knows this, but few business owners truly understand it. Niu Gensheng understood it, so Mengniu quickly became successful and grew bigger. But many private business owners are trapped in this mindset and cannot retain excellent talents or let them play a better role to quickly strengthen and expand the company.
Hidden rules. "It's hard to find a three-legged toad, but aren't there plenty of two-legged people?" This is the hidden rule of some business owners. China has plenty of talents now. "There are thousands of useful talents; if they don't work, change them daily!" This "short, flat, fast" employment mindset makes it impossible for companies to form a soil that fosters loyalty and long-term retention.
Remembering the good old days. "Jobs are so hard to find now, and competition is fierce. I'm providing you with a stable and decent job; that's already a blessing. I'm not charging you money, so don't make demands! In my day, we had to pay to work, and we worked as long-term laborers for three to five years..." Society changes, times change, but the only constant is the interest relationship and the bonds of reason, law, and emotion formed on that basis.
Whipping the fast ox. Advocate learning from Lei Feng, but never let Lei Feng suffer. This is Huawei's management philosophy and principle. But in many companies, it's the opposite: the idle are idle to death, and the busy are busy to death. Once this situation and dedication continue or far exceed personal endurance and the company's compensation, the balance of loyalty is overturned. Even the most loyal and dedicated person has limits, especially in comparisons within and outside the company.
How can employees be "loyal" to the company?
So, what is loyalty? How can employees be loyal to the company?
Is the loyalty that companies perceive the same as what employees perceive? Is it the different understanding that leads to the lack of loyalty?
From the perspective of win-win for both company and employee, loyalty is not loyalty to the company, boss, or supervisor, but loyalty to one's profession, abilities, and responsibilities. Only then does loyalty have true meaning.
Loyalty to profession means treating an ordinary job as a career, even as a cause. This kind of loyalty is a hundred or ten thousand times better than shouting loyalty to the company every day. This is the starting point of loyalty.
Loyalty to abilities is truly being loyal to your boss and your profession. Loyalty without ability is just servility, a slave's loyalty. Once there's no return, such a slave will immediately fly away, kick someone when they're down, or betray. But loyalty to abilities, even if temporarily unrewarded, improves your skills and level, which is the best reward in itself. Therefore, this is the foundation of loyalty.
Loyalty to responsibility is not only a manifestation of conscience or an adjustment of mindset, but also a reflection of the spirit of contract. If professions can change and abilities can improve, responsibility is eternal. It is the turning point and direction of loyalty. Without it, loyalty becomes distorted.
Therefore, we say that loyalty is loyalty to one's profession, regardless of the company providing it;
Loyalty is loyalty to one's abilities, regardless of who the boss is;
Loyalty is loyalty to one's responsibility, regardless of who the supervisor is or whether you like them;
Loyalty is not a simple slogan, nor simply loyalty to the company, boss, or supervisor. Loyalty is the comprehensive embodiment of loyalty to profession, abilities, and responsibility!
Therefore, in the new era and new business environment, we believe that for employees to be loyal to the company, they must:
Be loyal to the profession, not the company!
Be loyal to abilities, not the boss!
Be loyal to responsibility, not the supervisor!
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