&&20 Golden Rules for the Workplace&&

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This post was last edited by Youth passes by quickly on 2016-4-14 at 16:40. 1. There are only two types of people in an office: the protagonist and the supporting characters. 　　In the workplace, if you want a relaxed life and don’t want to advance, you’ll have to remain a background character for the rest of your life. The downside of being a background character is that you’re the first to go when things get tough, you get no credit for any achievements, and you’re the first to be laid off. The workplace today is by no means a place for the lazy; if you want to fare better than others, you must take on the leading role and let others play supporting roles. You can’t stand on others’ shoulders; you can only serve as a stepping stone for them. 　　2. Everyone should have great ambitions; even destroying the world is acceptable. 　　Having great ambitions is the primary requirement to be a protagonist. In the workplace, if you have no goals to strive for, you won’t be able to make any progress. In the end, you’ll merely become a supporting character, a pawn sacrificed by others. Therefore, whether it’s to destroy the world or to become the richest person, you must have aspirations and set them as your goals. 　　3. Don’t be deceived by ideals; ideals are necessary, but not someone else’s ideals – they should be your own. 　　When the topic of great ambitions comes up, some people think of corporate goals, corporate culture, and the passionate speeches given by managers. Forget about that; the boss’s ideals are just the boss’s, and in the workplace, you are independent. One must keep a clear head and not be easily deceived. No matter what others’ ideals may be, one must firmly keep in mind one’s own great aspirations – that is the foundation of one’s life. 　　4. If you really don’t have great ambitions, then strive for money. 　　Everyone has a time to retire from office; if it weren’t for money, who would want to hold such a position? Therefore, making money is people’s main pursuit. A dangerous situation in the workplace is when a boss tries to win people over with ideals, aiming to get them to work for free. But if you’re really willing to work for no money, then you have no value; and since you have no value, what’s the point of your existence? Money is the only thing that measures your value. If you really want nothing at all, then strive to make money. 　　5. You may not be smart, but you must be careful. 　　The workplace is the same; you don’t have to be smart, but you mustn’t be careless. Unintelligent people are at most a bit clumsy and perform tasks poorly. And in the workplace, it’s not a big offense. But carelessly, one can easily infringe on others’ interests and commit the major workplace taboo of offending people. By then, one wouldn’t even know why they were being mistreated. Keep your mouth shut; talk less about your colleagues when there’s time for fun and leisure, and avoid saying bad things about others when it’s better to speak kindly. 　　6. The boss will know everything you say. So one needs to think carefully about what to say and what not to say. 　　Don’t expect your private conversations to stay hidden from your boss. It’s true that the boss knows everything. It’s exactly the same in the workplace: as long as you’re not talking to yourself, you have to worry that the person you’re talking to will spread what was said. Experience tells us that every comment about the company eventually reaches the boss’s ears. So whenever you talk to anyone, you need to think carefully about what to say and what not to say. What must not be said absolutely must not be said, and even what can be said or left unsaid should remain silent. 　　7. It is necessary to have occasional heart-to-heart talks with the boss, but they should be targeted. 　　Remember, having a heart-to-heart talk is a means, not something that really forces you to say everything. Occasional heartfelt conversations, sharing some trivial personal matters, can make your boss think you are considerate. In reality, there’s never a boss who will truly open up to you. Never give away your heart the moment tears well up in your eyes. It is always the one who shares their heart that gets betrayed. 　　8. No matter when, pretending to be stupid is always the easiest way to avoid making mistakes. 　　Jin Yong also once said that in his old age, he would be able to hear what he was supposed to hear, and not hear what he wasn’t supposed to hear. When someone asks you to take a stance in person and choose a direction for things, whatever choice you make is wrong. Therefore, playing dumb is the best option; it’s the least likely way to make mistakes when there are no other choices. Don’t worry; pretending to be stupid is a poor attempt. Even if everyone can see that you’re acting foolish, they still can’t do anything about it. The truly unlucky ones are those who spoke out clearly; with these extras sacrificing themselves, it’s certainly not your turn. 　　9. Thinking of oneself as the smartest person is often the sign of being the stupidest. 　　In the workplace, those who always think they are the smartest are destined to play supporting roles. A truly wise expert appears foolish, being shrewd when necessary and acting silly when it’s not. 　　10. It’s essential to have a backer, but what’s even more reliable than that is making yourself valuable. 　　Therefore, in the workplace, building good relationships with supervisors is a necessary skill; it’s important to have a strong backer for oneself. And what’s more important than that is to make yourself valuable enough so that every boss feels compelled to win you over. 　　11. You belong to your boss, but the boss doesn’t necessarily belong to you. This point must be understood. 　　When a boss tells you that you belong to him, you must be clear in your mind that the boss does not belong to you. You belong to him; he belongs to himself. When your interests conflict with those of your boss, they will not hesitate to betray you. Always remember that you belong to yourself, and only you can be responsible for yourself. Don’t trust your boss’s pretended closeness; it can be a trap at any time. 　　12. Your boss says he trusts you a lot, but the truth might be exactly the opposite. 　　If your boss truly trusts you, he wouldn’t need to bring it up frequently at all. True trust is demonstrated through actions. It is a sign of trust when a supervisor is willing to share with you the things that cause harm and the workplace conflicts. On the other hand, if your boss verbally says they trust you, you should be cautious instead; it’s quite possible that you’ve done something that made the boss suspect you of disloyalty. 　　13. Think from the perspective of your supervisor, and act from your own perspective. 　　When your boss trusts you and asks you to do something, you need to keep a clear head; don’t be foolish enough to do everything. You should consider things from your supervisor’s perspective and understand why they do what they do and what objectives they aim to achieve. Then, based on their own stance, they make choices—some things they do, while others they shirk. Even someone like Yu Zecheng, who seems to be utterly loyal to the station master, isn’t willing to do just anything. Choose to do things that are in your own interest, and decline those ideas that are not beneficial to you. Use what you have done to please your boss, and by not doing certain things, let your boss know that you have done your utmost. 　　14. If your supervisor suddenly falls from power, don’t panic; complete the tasks on your own, and then use this opportunity to find a new supporter. 　　In the workplace, it often happens that bosses suddenly collapse. If you happen to encounter it, don’t panic; finish the task at hand on your own, and do it well and excellently. And this is the capital that will enable you to establish yourself in the future; you can use it to find new backers. Once again, you must make yourself valuable; this is more important than having someone to protect you. 　　15. Do things well, and keep working throughout your life. 　　“There is no contradiction between the two statements, “Do things well and keep working until old age” and “Make yourself valuable.” Value manifests itself in critical areas; it’s in these vital places that it must suddenly come to the fore. And when it doesn’t matter much, especially when doing tasks that require effort without yielding any rewards, don’t try too hard. If you do well forever, you’ll keep doing it. If people think that you only have the ability to do menial work, then no matter how hard you work, there will never be a day when you can rise to a higher position. 　　16. There must be flaws. 　　In the workplace, it’s essential to have flaws. A person who is perfect and flawless will be envied and kept at a distance by others. If even your supervisors keep their distance from you, your career path becomes dangerous. So smart people deliberately expose some flaws, especially those that are not serious, to make their bosses think they can control them – that’s the safest approach. But the disadvantages must not be fatal; they cannot be your true weaknesses. They can only serve as topics for casual conversation in pleasant moments, useful for building rapport with others, but certainly not something that can be used to coerce others. 　　17. Those who are half a grade above you are often the most dangerous; those at the same grade are natural enemies. 　　If one already holds some official position, then one must surely understand this phrase well. Because those who are half a level above you will feel threatened, fearing that you might soon be on par with them, so they will try to undermine you whenever they get the chance. Whether it’s one rank higher or just one rank, they’re still your superiors; it’s extremely dangerous if they start targeting you. And those at the same level are inevitable enemies; as long as your boss isn’t a fool, he will surely stir up conflicts among his subordinates. 　　18. Nine out of ten sentences should be true; only by saying one false sentence will people believe it. 　　In the workplace, the rule of “nine truths and one lie” is also the best approach. A person who talks nonsense will not win the trust of their boss; only those who are loyal and hardly ever lie can deceive everyone at the most critical moments. You need to be honest; only honest people can earn the trust of others. Without others’ trust, there is no room for lies in critical situations. Lying is only necessary at the most critical moments; say as little as possible if you can. Everyone has probably heard the story of the Boy Who Cried Wolf. 　　19. Treat every lie as if it were a matter of life and death, and you won’t feel guilty for lying. 　　A crucial challenge in the workplace is how to overcome one’s own psychological barriers. Some people are naturally unable to lie; they feel guilty whenever they do. At this time, you need to remember your great ambitions. When a person has aspirations, ideals, and beliefs, he can do anything. Yu then became someone who lied to complete tasks, killed people, and did many bad things. It’s entirely because he has faith to support him, so he doesn’t feel guilty. And you must also remember that every lie can be life-threatening; if you can’t convince yourself, you might not be able to achieve your dreams. If you think that way, will you still feel guilty? 　　20. Everyone stands on the side of evil, because everyone has their own version of goodness. 　　Finally, a word on the principle of ideals. Everyone has their own ideals, and what is conducive to one’s own ideals is good, while what hinders others’ ideals is evil. People have different positions and various needs. So in the eyes of others, you must be on the side of the evil. You will always be your own goodness and others’ evil. But what constitutes true great goodness, and what constitutes great evil? Lying to achieve an ideal is evil, but it is not a great evil. And if your goal is to destroy the world, then that is true evil. For example, if you aspire to a successful career and happy colleagues, then even if you do bad things to achieve this goal, it is merely a minor wrongdoing. Doing great good while committing small evils has always been despised by the sages. But the sage does the same himself. Such sages can be listed from Confucius, Mencius, and Wang Yangming all the way to more recent figures. Confucianism teaches the principle of integrating knowledge with action, meaning that as long as one’s ideals are noble and good, nothing is beyond one’s reach. However, you must truly be sure that your aspirations are good.