Discuss the relationship between the master and the apprentice in Journey to the West from the perspective of human resources management

If you were the boss, among the four masters and disciples of Tang Seng, who would you choose to be the general manager?

This question was a test question for senior management talents in a large enterprise in the "Recruiting Talents" column of CCTV 3 a few years ago. I remember that after all the candidates had finished answering the question, the examiner asked the guests (all CEOs of well-known domestic companies) to answer this question. The answers were surprisingly unanimous: "Choose Monk Sha to be the general manager."

Of course, different people will have different answers to this question, so who is the right person to choose as general manager?

1. Analyze candidates

"The Art of War" said: "If you know yourself and the enemy, you can fight a hundred battles without danger. If you know yourself but not the enemy, you will win every time. If you don't know yourself and the enemy, you will lose every battle."

Since we talk about knowing ourselves and our enemies, let us analyze the situation of the four masters and disciples of Tang Seng, and then analyze the status of our own company.

First of all, let’s talk about Tang Seng. Almost everyone thinks that Tang Seng is the embodiment of pedantry and stupidity. But if you look at it dialectically, you won’t think so. Think about it: How can a person who can lead four great gods be a mediocre person? Who is Tang Monk? He is the third disciple of Tathagata Buddha, Elder Jin Chan, and a good person who has cultivated for ten generations. Because he and Tathagata had different opinions, Tathagata asked him to exercise in the lower realm. Tang Seng went through ninety-nine and eighty-one difficulties and finally achieved success. Therefore, you can see that this is an opportunity for training and improvement given by the supreme leader to his direct disciples. Tang Monk blamed Wukong many times, and was scolded and hated countless times by the world. They all thought, wouldn’t it be better if they found a wise leader like Tang Taizong Li Shimin to create a good story? Big mistake! What is the origin of "Journey to the West"? It was Tathagata Buddha who wanted to promote Tang Monk, so he asked him to go to the grassroots level for training. Tathagata naturally knew that Master Xuanzang was too incompetent to hold a big position, so he had to find a few capable people to protect him. That's why there were three other apprentices. Seeing this, you must feel sorry for Wukong and the other three disciples. In fact, there is no need to. On the contrary, you should be happy for them. Otherwise, Wukong would still be suppressed at the foot of Five Elements Mountain; Bajie would still be a gangster in Gaolaozhuang; Sha Monk would still be a monster at the bottom of the Liusha River. With the wealth of the three of them, there is no one in the court, the world is dark, and they will never be able to turn around in their lifetime.

When I see this, I want to say: If you are the boss, you should not be "too dark", because your subordinates have long regarded you as Tang Monk in their hearts, and they have long wanted to "go back to Huaguo Mountain, "Self-establish yourself as a king", so you must not be stingy with your rewards when they create achievements. Otherwise, if you look at the Benxi market, you will find: Especially in advertising companies, most of the current bosses are go-getters who used to work in other advertising companies, and the veteran advertising companies are basically shaky and fall apart at any time. Why? The three apprentices are all gone. Not only have they taken away your customers and a "piece of the pie" from your job, but also, without someone to protect you, how can you protect your country?

If you are working, I also want to say: don’t complain too much. It was not the three apprentices who made Tang Seng, but Tang Seng made his three apprentices. Without a boss and your current company, no matter how talented you are, you will only be able to slay dragons. A boss once said something like this, which is very cold but very reasonable. I would like to dedicate it to all professional managers. It goes like this: "If you feel that your boss is taking advantage of you, you should be happy. At least you There is also the value of being used." Exactly, the vast majority of people don't even have the value of being used, and that is the saddest thing. I hope you tell this story to him--your boss or your employees. Only in this way can the boss feel at ease, the employees feel stable, and the career will develop.

To sum up, you will find that Tang Monk has two advantages: 1. Strong background (with Tathagata as a backer); 2. Persistent belief in success (called "obsession" in Buddhist language)

Let’s talk about Sun Wukong. In Buddhist language, Wukong's personality is translated as "madness", which means madness and anger. Wukong is a true legendary figure in Journey to the West. He borrows a golden cudgel to cause trouble in the underworld. He can defeat hundreds of thousands of heavenly soldiers with one man without defeat. It can be said that he has extraordinary abilities. According to "Sister Feng", "No one can surpass him in the past three hundred years, and no one can be better than him in the past three hundred years."

It doesn’t matter what kind of talent you have, what’s important is that the one that suits you is the best. The premise of choosing a character is that you can control it, otherwise it will be miserable if you choose Sun Wukong without a binding curse.

Tang Seng, master and apprentice, each have their own merits. If you directly choose who to be your general manager now, you are doing things based on interest and is irresponsible. When choosing whom to ask, what is the status of your company?

If you are running a large project and the approval procedures are a big problem, then choosing a person with a distinguished background like Tang Seng as the general manager is the best choice.

If your company has been established and has a sound organization, but its business is not doing well and its ability to make money is poor, then Sun Wukong is the most suitable general manager. Only he can lead your company to break through.

If your company has been operating for a period of time and its businesses are stable, but its employees are stagnant and have no vitality, then Zhu Bajie, who has smooth interpersonal relationships, will bring vitality to your company.

If you are a Fortune 500 company, then Monk Sha as general manager is your best choice. Because all aspects of the company have already formed a system, and the ship is too big to adapt to too many movements, so it is wise to be stable and implement the spirit of the headquarters to the end.

3. Conclusion

In fact, it doesn’t matter who you choose, the important thing is to choose the one that suits you. It’s not important to choose the one that suits you. What’s important is that the one who agrees with your company culture and is of the same mind as you is. The general manager recruited by the company should not be a surgeon, who will perform major operations when he arrives, but a cement worker who should combine existing things to make it better and more practical than before.

If you agree with the above theory, then be brave and go to your general manager.