What Should Ma Yun Talk About Managing CEO?

This is a dialogue between professor Chen Xiaoping of University of Washington and Ma Yun in Yabuli in 2013. Participants are also economists Zhang Weiying.

The original title is "the cultural value system is the lifeblood of the company". It was published in the 9 issue of the new vision of management in China in 2013.

Participants: Ma Yun, Chen Xiaoping (University of Washington), Zhang Weiying

Chen Xiaoping:

Hello! Long time no see. I am glad to see you today in Yabuli.

I would like you to first describe management philosophy, management ideas and management style, and talk about some of the more profound experiences in your life that affect your management style, management philosophy and management philosophy.

This is a very big topic. You can talk about it all over the world.

I feel that although the thought of Chinese management has developed in the past 30 years, there is no fundamental breakthrough.

This is a summary of my observations on myself and all the people on my side.

I find that the development of a country is similar to that of an enterprise in many cases.

For example, the whole political system in the United States is built on the basis of Christianity based religious beliefs, thus forming the system of American enterprise management which has many similarities with religious beliefs.

For example, if you look at the operation system of American enterprises, it is very similar to the church system.

Looking at Japan, the meticulous and meticulous management of their culture is also the same.

But in China, due to the rapid development of our economy in the past 30 years, and the lack of faith in this country, our management is often demolished from here today, and from there, it has not formed its own stuff.

Cultural and religious beliefs are the root of culture and the ideas and thoughts behind management. This is a problem that I spend a lot of time thinking over the past few years.

If Alibaba wants to develop, it must have a set of management ideas. But if we do not have a strong and endless culture as a source, it is impossible to generate such management ideas.

You learn today and learn from Japan tomorrow.

What is the way of business and the world? You may find that my God is talking about Taoism for a while, watching Buddhism and seeing Confucianism for a while.

After reading it, I found that in the ancient Chinese culture, from Taiji philosophy, I felt a lot of meaningful things.

Chen Xiaoping: can you tell me what ideas in Taiji Culture make you feel particularly meaningful?

Ma Yun: in fact, there are Yin, Yang, Sheng, decline and changes in Taiji. These things run through the philosophy of enterprise operation management.

For example, change, change and harmony are actually two different concepts but interrelated. Similarly, education two words, teaching and education are two different concepts, teaching is knowledge, culture is culture, teaching is the responsibility of schools, and education is the responsibility of the family.

The school mainly teaches knowledge, and the family mainly relies on education, which is what is ultimately what we want to achieve.

I have been thinking for a long time in the past four years, and gradually formed my own set of values, that is, our values or the whole value system.

I put forward the concept of faith, which means gratitude: Thanksgiving today, Thanksgiving yesterday, while reverence for your fear of tomorrow, and your awe of the unknown.

With this belief, putting it in culture forms the value core of management system, and all management is designed according to the core of value.

Two unique experiences: becoming a teacher and learning a foreign language

Ma Yun: I think my management thought may be closely related to my experience as a teacher. This experience has turned me into what I am now.

Although I may not be the best teacher, I must be a good teacher.

I couldn't become the best teacher in China, so I came out to do business afterwards, but in the enterprise, I applied the concept of being a teacher.

All teachers in the world want students to surpass themselves, so the biggest difference between me and other entrepreneurs is probably here.

Many entrepreneurs fear that the following people will overtake him, especially professional managers, who are afraid that their position is not guaranteed.

I was just the opposite. When I found out that the people below were stronger than me, I wanted to train him earlier than I could.

This is the teacher's characteristics.

Teachers always hope that their students can achieve success. For example, when the student becomes a professor, the student becomes the county magistrate, and when the student becomes a big boss, the teacher will be very proud of himself as if he were himself.

No teacher ever wanted his students to be bad. For example, how did my student get in? The shot or sentence for 3 months was too disgraceful.

So I never compete with young people recruited.

When someone says that who has moved your position and what the mayor is, I say I am a teacher. This is what I feel should be done.

Another difference in my experience is my experience in learning English.

I learned English from an early age, and not only learning languages, but also learning culture, because I began to chat with foreigners in West Lake at the age of 13, while I took them to visit West Lake and practise speaking with them.

Chen Xiaoping: you are amazing.

I was also in Hangzhou, but I didn't have the nerve to chat with foreigners in English.

Ma Yun: I spent 9 years at the gate of Shangri-La. I got up at 5 o'clock every morning and went to the Shangri-La restaurant. In that 9 years, I hardly ever stopped for a day.

In the process of chatting with foreigners, I found that what the school taught and what mom and dad talked about was different from that of foreigners. I began to think for myself and find out exactly what was going on.

So no matter who speaks to me today, I will think with my own head.

This experience made me more open to outside thinking and easy to understand Western ideas.

I hate Chinese saying no foreigner, why foreigners can't do that.

But we ourselves? Where are we going? Where is it? No matter where we are, it is through such repeated thinking that I gradually formed a set of management systems based on Tai Chi, Taoism and Buddhism. I did not mention this directly, but they absorbed the nutrition of these thoughts; they were the source of nutrition.

Besides, the experience of education has made me right.

Recruitment, training, training and motivation are all very interesting; this is the joy of my work.

I once worked as a teacher in charge of a class, and being a teacher in charge of a class is nothing more than three important things: to recruit a good student, if a student is not good, or to fix him or her, or let him or her leave, there are two ways.

But in learning English, I learned the western system, Tao and magic.

I think the west is very good in methodology, so I have absorbed a lot of management systems and jurisprudence from the West.

But I don't think we can take the Western way because the whole cultural foundation of the west is quite different from that of China.

So I take the foundation of Chinese culture, integrate western jurisprudence, and then let young people, those employees and grassroots cadres to create skills, rather than I do surgery.

Many of our bosses like to build their own skills. They will depend on you for your own skills. You have to build your own business.

I ma Yun did not have the ability to build the culture itself. How could it be?

The reason why Ali is here today is because we have seen the moral character of being a man.

Ma Yun: but I am a teacher! Teachers should know how to use the resources of other people in the world.

When I was wandering in the vast Chinese culture, I felt that Confucianism was still very good.

Confucians, my understanding is that Taoists call you leader (Leadership), leadership (Leadership) education system, Taoist purity is the best leadership.

What is Leadership?? my understanding is sacrifice today for future's spirit and ability. Those who are willing to sacrifice today to win tomorrow are leaders / leaders.

Chen Xiaoping: your understanding of leadership is unique.

Why do I say so?

Ma Yun: as you can see, I don't like professional managers, because professional managers usually only focus on short-term performance.

All professional managers in Alibaba can feel it.

I told them the first day they took office.

Now many people agree and understand what I mean.

What is leader (leader)? A good leader (leader) must have the quality of professional manager, but he also needs to have a kind of responsibility. He must take responsibility, not only today's responsibility, but also tomorrow and future responsibility.

Such a person is leader.

I think professional managers and politicians are not very different, KPI, commitment, everything is agreed, but he is not a solution to the future problem.

Many of our habits today are how we should solve yesterday's problems, but what is more important is what will happen tomorrow. What we must do today to make tomorrow less problem.

From Taoist point of view, it is natural to follow the law and follow the understanding of the future instead of just solving past and present problems.

Therefore, I often say that I do not listen to economists. This is my own morality. Maybe I deliberately say it extremely, simply, let those who usually do not love to think also pay attention to it and then reflect on it.

I do not listen to the reasons for the government. Remember, before the financial crisis, I met with many entrepreneurs, and everyone was listening to economists predict what the future economic would be like. What would happen to the government? What would happen to the government? I said, "the prophets of Spring River Plumbing duck, you are entrepreneurs. You are the people standing on the front line of the economy. If you do not know that the water is hot, you do not know that the company has a problem with the upper and lower chains, and your customers have problems. What else do you want to hear from economists?" most of the economists studied yesterday's model and yesterday's problems.

What is the government? The government should not grasp the economic policy, but rather decide what kind of Dao law should be used to guide the economy and solve the problem for the big enterprise of society.

For example, once this problem arises, what will happen if I make such a policy?

Then wait until the problem arises tomorrow, and you'll have to dig a hole in front of the problem and wait for it.

Now the situation is, when the government says that when the comrades go here, you should be prepared to withdraw, because this time you can't get round, all the troops are coming.

Therefore, enterprises should have this awareness and prepare for the future.

From the point of view of Tao, you must have a way to guide, and then go step by step.

I think we have today because we have seen the morality of being a man.

Chen Xiaoping: what kind of morality do you see clearly?

Ma Yun: those of us have no reason to succeed.

Chen Xiaoping: why?

Ma Yun: because we do not have the elements of success.

We have no resources, no rich fathers and uncles.

I often tell my colleagues that we belong to those people who suddenly picked up gold bullion in the street.

After picking up the gold bullion, you have two choices. One is to go to the road to find gold pieces every day. The second way is to hide the gold pieces quietly.

The first method is generally ineffective, because it is like waiting for a rabbit to wait.

The second way is to give people a sense of insecurity and feel that someone will steal your gold.

In this case, you might as well give the gold pieces to others, because you are always in your life.