10 pieces of advice from a senior manager

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As a seasoned professional manager, a practical practitioner, and an expert in execution, I am sharing the valuable insights I have gained over the years from my work as a professional manager. I hope that these experiences, gained through hard work, will inspire deeper reflection among everyone and be useful to all of us. 　　　　 1. There is no hierarchy in work; whether you are an ordinary engineer today or a senior manager, you must maintain a balanced mindset. In practical terms, this shows up as being kind to others and always maintaining humility and caution. If you greet the doorman when you are an engineer, you should continue to greet him even after becoming president; never act arrogantly, otherwise you will meet a quick death. 　　　　 2. High-earners die: If you think the monthly salary you can earn today is acceptable, then don’t go out of your way to seek promotions and raises. When your salary rises to the point where the boss pays constant attention to you, your death is near. 　　　　 3. Leadership support: As professional managers at all levels, one must never forget the importance of maintaining close ties with leaders, especially for middle-level managers. For your ideas, plans, and proposals to be implemented successfully, you must first obtain the support of leadership. I firmly believe that in this world, only those who are led well, and cadres with leadership support, are like treasures. 　　　　 4. Public trust: For a cadre to be successful, in addition to leadership support, they also need to gain the trust of their colleagues. Therefore, it is important to always strive to get along well with your colleagues; on those trivial matters that don’t involve any principles, you should fight for their interests and earn their trust – that way, success will be within reach. For specific examples, please refer to my \"A Professional Manager’s Self-Reflection.\" 　　　　 5. Requests and reports: Never believe that there is real authority within a company. Don’t think just because you have an MBA you can push aside the Party committee and start a revolution. Those who focus solely on their tasks without paying attention to their surroundings, and who don’t seek advice or provide updates, will never earn their boss’s trust or appreciation. The boss spent money to hire you, but in reality he’s very anxious, fearing that you’ll take the money and not do any work. So you need to proactively report your work to your boss every day, so that he knows he isn’t wasting money by hiring you. 　　　　 6. Disdain turtles: Towards all those who have studied abroad (returning overseas students), as well as those domestic **minor MBA graduates, don’t even consider them – adopt a disdainful attitude toward them, that’s right! To manage, you actually don’t need too much theory. The more knowledge one has, the more reactionary they become! Whether it’s *, Bill Gates, Li Hongzhi, or Lai Changxing, few successful people have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Believe me! Over 90% of the reason turtles return is that they can’t make it abroad. Mentally disabled individuals among those going abroad ； Or they are simply people like Fang Hongjian, who graduated from \"Cladon\" University. Use them? Just stay there! The only purpose of the turtles is to hang their cards at the company’s entrance to attract venture capital, just like signs in front of restaurants. As for working efficiency, the \"Hanyang-made\" box cannons are still the best. ——Debatable — Editor’s note 　　　　 7. Three key skills: To be a competent professional manager, one must know three things: communicate effectively, execute tasks with full commitment, and remain humble and cautious. At the same time, depending on your industry and management role, you must be familiar with two things: all the terminology related to your field of expertise, as well as all the interesting anecdotes about notable figures in that industry that can be used in conversations. For example, as a human resources manager, I spend about 6 hours each day talking with people in various departments. I always make sure that any HR policies of the company are implemented thoroughly and to the fullest extent. I bowed and greeted everyone I met, including the aunt who was sweeping the floor. I am familiar with all the theories, concepts, and terms related to human resource management – things such as recruitment and interview techniques, structured interviews, job descriptions, performance evaluation, the Balanced Scorecard (BSC), Theory X and Theory Y, training, corporate culture, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, employee satisfaction, career development planning, salary management, and so on. At the same time, I have a broad but not in-depth understanding of the industry in which my company operates. 　　　　 8. Rabbits don’t eat the grass near their nest. As a professional manager, one must never develop feelings for colleagues around them; for example, one should not date colleagues of the opposite sex, nor become close friends with them. Apart from work matters, there are no personal feelings involved. Never be a pushover; maintain your seriousness, or rather, your authority. 　　　　 9. Retire at the right time: When you feel that you have reached the peak, with both your position and salary having reached heights that cannot be surpassed any further, it’s time to start looking for a way to withdraw gracefully. For example, starting to contact headhunting firms and handling matters related to leaving a job. This cycle should last around half a year to a year. In other words, if you have reached your peak but remain in that position without any change for over a year, that is considered a failure on your part. 　　　　 10. The passing geese leave their trace – What is most valuable for a professional manager is not their salary, but their reputation. “One must always remember the principle that \"when people pass by, they leave their names; when geese fly by, they leave their sounds.\" Under no circumstances should one do anything that harms the interests of the original company, nor should one engage in sneaky and despicable acts against colleagues. When talking about old companies in the context of new ones, it’s important to speak positively about them. In any company, as long as you work there for even one day, you must give your full commitment and treat your job with dedication and passion. Even if you have to complete your departure procedures tomorrow, you should still give it your all today to secure one last deal for the company.