Super Struggle in the Office: The Super Employee Preface to “Super Employee” In mainland China, decades ago, the office was a place many yearned for. Apart from government agencies, only state-owned enterprises had such a place. The power figures sitting inside wielded significant influence and strategized, while office workers at least enjoyed being sheltered from the elements and had less strenuous work, so many fought tooth and nail to get in. However, those who could actually sit in these offices, be they leaders or secretaries, mostly had considerable qualities and had to go through strict scrutiny; getting in was not easy.
Suddenly, like a spring breeze overnight, private companies and private enterprises have sprung up everywhere in China. In many big cities, one could easily find over a dozen or twenty companies or offices in a single building. From small companies with a few idlers to large conglomerates with millions in assets and dividend distribution, various public affairs have emerged, giving rise to offices of all sizes, making it much easier to enter an office. Thus, the people sitting in these offices have become more diverse and complex. However, no matter how complex the relationships, they can be divided into two groups in the office: bosses and employees (in this book, for the convenience of discussion, when there is a hierarchical relationship, “leaders” are uniformly categorized as “bosses,” and “those led” as “employees”).
With all kinds of bosses, there come all kinds of employees, with different educational backgrounds and experiences, diverse personalities, and where there are people, there are relationships, and where there are differences, there are conflicts. Relationships are intricate, conflicts become apparent, and struggles are inevitable. Although the office is not filled with swords and daggers, it can certainly be described as a place of overt and covert struggles.
The aim of the boss is to gain more profit and respect, while employees hope to receive remuneration commensurate with their labor. However, bosses and employees have their own calculations of what constitutes fair compensation, leading to differing conclusions and thus, conflicts arise. Some employees work hard but do not show a good face to their bosses; they offer suggestions out of responsibility but often embarrass the boss. “Good” employees do not always receive “good” treatment, and the issues here are not just the boss’s fault.
Conflicts are perpetual, and struggles are unavoidable. Struggles have their chaos and destructiveness but also their friction and motivational aspects. The struggle we discuss here is not about irreconcilable conflict between opposing groups, nor is it about a fight to the death; rather, it’s about reaching a consensus, developing together, and striving for a better life. Transcending conflicts, flexibly employing struggles, this is what we call super struggle.
It is in pursuit of this super struggle that “management” has become a hot topic nowadays, with decision-making and personnel management becoming the bosses’ primary concerns. Various management bibles and theories flood the streets, suggesting that capable ministers and management talents are all born in this era. However, this book is not a personnel guide or a manual on handling relationships with bosses; it merely aims to discuss some facts in a light-hearted, satirical manner, offer some suggestions, perhaps elicit a smile, and achieve the book’s purpose.
A Good Boss Beats a Good Job Fan Zhongxing said, “Since people treat me as an ordinary man, I shall repay them as an ordinary man; since Zhi Bo treats me as a man of honor, I shall repay him as a man of honor.”
- Yu Rang, “Records of the Grand Historian: Biographies of Assassins” Sun Tzu’s Art of War states: “Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.” Bosses are also human, some with much wealth, some with little, some ambitious, some focused on preserving their business, some with good tempers, some with bad. In different environments, they exhibit the myriad facets of human nature, thus giving rise to various types of bosses.
Many current employees focus on their career positioning and the cultivation of their education and abilities, so they are very cautious when choosing an industry. After years of sharpening their sword, they seek a good job, only to find a boss who doesn’t know how to use talent, wasting two years, achieving nothing, and losing all their vigor. The same Shang Yang, when in the state of Wei, was not valued, even though the prime minister Gongshu Zuo repeatedly recommended him to Duke Hui of Wei, who paid him no heed, not even bothering to kill him. But when Shang Yang reached the state of Qin, he was immediately valued by Duke Xiao of Qin, implemented reforms, and made Qin strong. However, after Duke Xiao’s death, when Shang Yang assisted Duke Huiwen of Qin to the throne, this new duke, just after ascending, had Shang Yang “torn apart by five horses,” commonly known as being quartered. This Shang Yang was the same person, but under different leaders, he received different treatments. Therefore, many people now understand: While education levels vary and industries offer different treatments, what’s more important is finding a good boss.
History of Bosses (1) The history of bosses in China’s commerce and industry began to develop during the Shang Dynasty. Due to the development of productivity at that time, apart from agriculture and animal husbandry, workshops for activities like brewing, metallurgy, shipbuilding, construction, textiles, and pottery gradually emerged, forming various industries. After the Zhou dynasty overthrew the Shang dynasty, some remnants of the Shang lost their former power and status, and thus their economic support. Having not engaged in labor for a long time, they lacked both land and skills to make a living. Consequently, some began bartering goods, relying on inter-regional trade to sustain themselves. Meanwhile, the nobles of the Zhou dynasty also needed people to gather goods for a lavish lifestyle, so they did not restrict this activity. As a result, more people joined this profession. Over time, those who made a living by transporting goods were called “merchants,” and their occupation was termed “commerce,” which is one explanation for the origin of the term “merchant.”
With the development of commerce, the speed and volume of goods circulation increased, further promoting the growth of handicraft industries. The number of workshops increased, and their scale expanded. Wealthier merchants and workshop owners, feeling overwhelmed by the hustle, thought: “Since we’re making good money, why not hire some help?” Thus, two groups emerged: the bosses and the employees.
Naturally, bosses and employees originated simultaneously. On a certain day, specialized workers who lived off wage labor were born, and from that moment, bosses were born too. The exact time of origin is hard to pinpoint, but as industry and commerce developed, these groups gradually formed, and bosses and employees became distinct identities. However, if we trace back to the relationship between leaders and followers, figures like Fuxi, Shennong, and the Yellow Emperor could be considered “bosses,” with their ministers as the earliest “employees.”
