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The Characteristics of a Good Manager

Answer: Morality, Benevolence, Righteousness, Propriety

  • Dao: Truth is the law of the world and human development. It embodies Mao Zedong's principle of "seeking truth from facts" and Ray Dalio's "Embrace Reality And Deal With It." How can one grasp the truth? By observing more, learning more, asking questions, and solving problems. The truth that is held by a few and can benefit others is called insight, while the ability to predict future outcomes based on truth is called vision. When the truth you discover helps others, they will help you in return, which is the principle of "gaining support through righteousness."

  • Virtue: This means "give people what they want," serving the people, and efficiently creating products and services that the public enjoys. In companies and organizations, virtue is about aligning the goals of subordinates, managers, and the company to create synergy.

  • Benevolence: Empathy, the ability to see things from others' perspectives and understand what they are thinking. It also involves genuinely wishing for others to succeed.

  • Righteousness: Fairness and justice; achieving success requires rewarding good deeds and punishing wrongdoings.

  • Propriety: Adhering to rules, which means predictable professionalism, where actions meet the community's expectations and are subject to peer review. For example, as a software engineer, my goal is not only for users to enjoy my product but also for my peers to recognize my achievements, which is the true success in my profession. In East Asian rice civilization, diligence, waking early and sleeping late, and being earnest align with Eastern propriety. In the Western world, mercantilism emphasizes mutual benefit in business dealings, creating a pleasant atmosphere, which aligns with Western propriety. Eastern people should not expect Westerners to admire their diligence, nor should Westerners expect Easterners to praise their flattering words.

With these characteristics, one can achieve harmony among people. Coupled with seizing the right timing, great accomplishments can be achieved. If one is born at the wrong time, they may simply remain unknown in the world. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Original Text

The First Chapter of the Original Text

The five elements of Dao, Virtue, Benevolence, Righteousness, and Propriety are one body.

Dao is what people follow, allowing all things to be unaware of their origins. Virtue is what people obtain, enabling all things to achieve their desires. Benevolence is what people are close to, possessing compassion and empathy to sustain their existence. Righteousness is what people ought to pursue, rewarding good and punishing evil to establish achievements. Propriety is what people practice, rising early and retiring late to maintain the order of human relationships.

To be the foundation of humanity, one cannot lack any of these.

The wise and virtuous understand the principles of prosperity and decline, comprehend the numbers of success and failure, discern the trends of governance and chaos, and grasp the principles of advancement and retreat. When the time is right, they can reach the heights of ministerial positions; when opportunities arise, they can achieve extraordinary accomplishments. ==If they are not fortunate, they may simply remain unknown==. Therefore, their principles are lofty, and their names are esteemed by future generations.

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