Click the image for details Click the image for details Introduction: Xingche, former senior product manager at WeChat, the fastest-promoted professional at Tencent. Focused on career advancement and writing in the product field. In the workplace, as long as the company isn't yours, you'll always have a boss. As long as you have a boss, you'll inevitably curse. What do you curse about most? Why does this idiot change his mind every day! Sometimes several times a day! Even what he just said changes the next moment! I can't take it anymore! I'm furious! Whoever wants to serve him can do it! In the end, nine times out of ten, you don't quit; you choose to swallow your anger and continue following this ever-changing leader, of course, continuing to curse him a thousand times in your heart. 1 Cursing and Being Cursed In my years in the workplace, I've encountered many leaders—team leaders, directors, general managers, VPs, and CEOs. I've also been a leader, a team leader, a VP, and a person in charge of a super-large project. I have cursed my leaders countless times in my heart because they always change. I think they don't know how much I want to do my job well, how many business possibilities I've considered, and how deeply I trust their decisions... But then, they change. What about the research I did, the documents I wrote, the materials I organized? Were they all in vain? Does your one sentence, "Let's try a different approach," destroy all my hard work? Also, have you thought it through, boss? I feel like your thinking isn't as thorough as mine. Have you considered the pitfalls ahead? I'm worried—should I say this or not? I'm sure you've had similar experiences. I can tell you responsibly that this will happen often in your future career. No matter what kind of leader you follow, as long as someone is above you, you can't escape it. Having been a VP at a startup for a year, I deeply understand this. Today, I'll help you resolve this knot in your heart. Actually, the leader isn't wrong. 2 Some Things We All Know First, let's reach a few common understandings. Whether it's the company's CEO or your superior, they all want the company to succeed. The former benefits directly from success, and the latter gets better compensation only if the company succeeds, right? * Those who change their minds also genuinely want the company to get better. * Second, their IQ is not low; at least, not lower than ours. * Finally, when handling company affairs, they know more upper-level information than you, and they also have more time to think. If you don't object, these are our three common understandings. Based on these, can we draw a conclusion: > They're not stupid; their intentions are good; and some reasons for their decisions may be unknown to subordinates. Looking back at our past selves, doesn't that set of curses we repeated in our hearts seem a bit untenable? 3 Revealing the Hidden Reasons Actually, leaders change their decisions mainly for three reasons. First, they've received newer, more important information. > In a company, leaders always know more than subordinates. If you become a leader one day, you'll deeply agree. Therefore, when your leader makes a decision after some thought, and you can't understand it, you can almost be sure he has information you don't—fresh, just-out-of-the-oven information. In the battlefield of business, a company is like a small boat in the ocean; it must adapt to every wave to avoid being capsized and to reach the other shore. Therefore, adapting to the environment, being flexible, and responding agilely are the unchangeable rules of survival. As a CEO or middle manager, he must possess such qualities. Second, they've done a second round of thinking and reached a (in their view) more reliable conclusion. > Leaders are also human; not every decision is perfect. When he first answered your question, he might not have been fully focused on your report because just a second before you approached him, he might have been dealing with a difficult client, just received a resignation letter from a key employee, or planning how to report an unimpressive piece of work to his own boss. Calming down takes time, switching contexts takes time. At that moment, he might not have absorbed all the information, and to give you a clear response, he hastily gave you a conclusion (at least better than what you could have given). Also, allow him the opportunity to optimize, because optimization is something to be thankful for—it shows he's not just going through the motions but striving for perfection. Third, they've forgotten their previous decision. > Being a leader is actually doing two things: taking responsibility and constantly making decisions. Scientists have studied that making decisions is one of the most energy-consuming activities in life. If you become a leader one day, sitting in the office all day, continuously answering questions from subordinates and handling sudden emergencies, you'll find you get hungry quickly. After work, you just want to collapse in the back seat of a taxi on the way home. That's "physical and mental exhaustion." A leader I had at WeChat once told me, he's like a doctor, with all business people queuing up for him to take their pulse and prescribe medicine, each patient taking half an hour to an hour, varying times. Therefore, your leader might have simply forgotten a decision he made earlier. After all, he has too much information to absorb, too many judgments to make, and too many risks to bear. Of course, the above three points only apply to normal leaders. The world is big, and there really are some leaders whose left brain is flour, right brain is water, and they like to shake it, turning it into a mess. For them, Xingche has nothing to say. You can curse them in your heart; I don't object, but cursing is useless. Better to recommend them for window sealing, so as not to waste the natural paste. I've said so much, hoping to help you understand the inescapable issue of "leaders changing decisions." 4 Besides Cursing, You Can Do This Merely understanding isn't Xingche's style. Besides cursing in your heart, what else can we do to become the "timely help" in the leader's eyes? First, be good at asking questions > "Boss, what's the main reason for your conclusion? Did you get some information I don't know?" Find the right moment to ask this. If your boss dodges and doesn't answer, don't press further; just go execute. But know that you've already left an impression of being "smart." And if your boss tells you the truth, congratulations—you've become someone he can share "secrets" with. His trust in you has unknowingly taken a big step forward. Second, dare to refute > "Boss, I understand your approach, but based on my frontline experience, the following problems might arise." When you find that the boss's conclusion doesn't match the actual situation you know, you must boldly say this. Of course, pay attention to your sentence structure; it should be "affirmation + confusion", never use "direct negation." Second, firmly believe you have absolute say on frontline situations because you are the one who witnessed them. Remember, don't argue relentlessly, don't embarrass your leader, and know when to back off. Because you should know that no matter how the boss responds next, in his mind, you've already become a "pragmatic, daring to challenge" good employee. Third, remind your boss > "Boss, what you're saying now is different from what you said before. What's the consideration behind this change?" This sentence is actually the simplest. As long as you dare to say it and don't overdo it, the goal is achieved. Then just let it be~ Because you've become his notepad, and his fondness for you is self-evident. 5 Sharing Everything At the end of the article, I'll share some workplace insights that are deeper and more important than the tactics above: 1. Don't be angry anymore. A team should trust each other, especially your superiors. Because you also hope that one day, when you become a leader, you'll get full trust from your subordinates. 2. Stop cursing. Everyone makes mistakes. Moreover, leaders bear much more risk and pressure. 3. Anger and cursing are useless. Finding ways to steer things in a positive direction is what you should do most. 4. Playing the right role at the right time isn't opportunism or sycophancy; it's a kind of cultivation. The ability to settle things with a single sentence or leverage with minimal effort requires daily accumulation. 5. If one day, every proposal you make doesn't require more thought from your leader, and all he says is: "Don't show me; you decide. I trust you. " Then congratulations, you can go to a higher level to fight monsters~ New Distribution's "7th B-end E-commerce Study Tour" is recruiting now! Event Schedule: > June 19-23, Suzhou·Shanghai·Hangzhou. 19th: Check in at designated hotel in Suzhou; 20th: Visit Suzhou Medline; 21st: Visit Shanghai Hd; 22nd: Visit Hangzhou Wangcang; 23rd: Return or free sightseeing. Introduction to the Platforms Visited: Medline Youshang Software, a well-known domestic information system provider. In 2015, it launched the "Medline" brand. Based on Youshang Software products, with AI technology as the core and efficient operation as a breakthrough, Medline helps distributors build new B2B business models. It has provided software technical services to distributors in more than 50 cities nationwide. Hd Company Shanghai Hd Information Engineering Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Hd Company): a domestic first-class management consulting and software R&D company for commercial circulation, e-commerce, and modern logistics solutions. Since its establishment over 20 years ago, it has been committed to creating modern commercial management models for clients. Hd's systematic products and solutions with independent intellectual property rights are highly competitive in chain retail, commercial real estate, and warehousing logistics. It currently supports more than 500 well-known large and medium-sized commercial enterprises and group users across 30 provinces and cities. It is the largest retail software provider in China. Wangcang Zhejiang Wangcang Technology Co., Ltd. was founded in June 2011. It is the earliest and currently the only large-scale independent fourth-party intelligent warehousing and distribution service provider in China. Wangcang has been committed to innovation, implementation, and daily operation of refined and collaborative warehousing and distribution solutions for e-commerce enterprises. Today, Wangcang has the capability to provide solutions from B2C e-commerce warehousing and distribution to B2B+B2C full supply chain integration. Relying on its self-developed adaptive warehousing and distribution integrated management system, combined with years of warehouse construction and management experience, and self-developed equipment, Wangcang has formed comprehensive competitive advantages. Wangcang's system can seamlessly connect with all sales platforms, enterprise ERPs, logistics and express resources, and in-warehouse operational resources (such as equipment, labor, warehouse space application, etc.). Through our services, single-warehouse efficiency can be greatly improved, achieving resource interaction and allocation between warehouses. Through big data, we provide value-added services such as supply chain optimization and supply chain finance for cargo owners. At the same time, through open systems and management advantages, we provide franchise business for warehouse owners. Organization Form 1. Company visit 2. Actual market case visit 3. On-site explanation 4. One-on-one communication Participating distributors only need to pay a registration fee of 200 yuan. Other expenses are self-covered. Long press this QR code or click "Read Original" to register. Long press the QR code to add WeChat for registration Group photos from previous study tours: 6th B-end E-commerce Study Tour group photo, from top to bottom: Zhongke Shangruan, Shuhai Supply Chain, Yunmei Co., Ltd., Yishang Logistics. 5th B-end E-commerce Study Tour group photo, from top to bottom: Huiwangxing, Beiquan, Tongying Tianxia, Quanshihui, Zhongke Shangruan. 4th B-end E-commerce Study Tour group photo, from top to bottom: Alibaba Retail Link, Qianmi Network. Click "Read Original" to register -END-