Chapter I

Chapter I

The master said, ‘To study and at the proper time put what you’ve learnt [about Power] into practice. Isn’t that enjoyable? To have [rich and influential] friends visiting you from afar. Isn’t that delightful? Being passed over for promotion yet keeping one’s cool – isn’t that the mark of the Ideal Executive (jun zi)?" [1]

Master You, said, “An executive who respects Those at the Top [2] and his Managers would hardly show disrespect to any of his superiors. Such a person will never cause trouble. The Idea Executive is devoted to Career (ben) [3]. When Career is firmly established in the mind, then the Way of Success (Dao) [4] will grow. Cultivating Those at the Top and one’s Managers is the root of Power (ren)." [5]

The Master said, “A fast talker who minces around is seldom headed for Power”.

Master Zeng said, “Every day I check myself out three times. When giving advice, I have told people only what they want to hear? In [social] intercourse, have I taken prophylactic measures? In my [university] further studies, have I been careful to give my lecturers only material that flatters their own prejudices?”

The Master said, “To run a middle-sized Organization, you must appear to handle everything with seriousness and reliability. You must gain a reputation for economizing and yet appear filled with good will [even while chain-sawing your staff]. Put your staff onto overtime only when really necessary [for it’s expensive]." [6]

The Master said, “Young executives should appear to be devoted to Those at the Top and the Managers. They should keep their mouths shut, but always appear sincere. They should pretend to be friendly to all, but assiduously cultivate those in power. If they have any energy to spare after office politics, they should use it [to work out with a personal trainer] and drink with the Right People (wen)." [7]

Zixia said, “Executives who value office politics more than hard work; who devote all their energy to serving Those at the Top; who swear they would give up their annual bonus for the good of the Firm; who do not lightly abandon their sexual partners [and so expose themselves to blackmail and lawsuits] – some would call them ‘jerks’, but I give them my full support.”

The Master said, “If, as an Ideal Executive, you do not appear to be ponderous, nobody will take you seriously and your position will be shaky. Put your loyalty to the organization above everything else. Don’t be too familiar with your inferiors. If you make mistakes, cover them up fast and don’t repeat them.”

Master Zeng said, “Remembering those who have fallen in the service of their country, or given their lives for the Organization is a sure way of keeping the masses under control”.

Ziqin asked Zigong, “When the Master goes abroad, he learns everything he can about the [secret] political set-up in the country he’s visiting. Does he ask for such inside information directly or get it from his research assistants?”

Zigong replied, “The Master gets it by appearing to be friendly, kind, well mannered, easy-going and deferential. You’ve got to admit that his methods are very different from those of certain other people I could mention.”

The Master said, “When the Top Boss is alive, watch our executive’s ambitions. When the Top Boss goes, watch what our executive does. If this person can get the Top Boss’s job within three years, that’s really someone to keep your eye on.”

Master You said, “One of the functions of Protocol (li) is that it established good staff relations. The excellence of the ways of the Great Ideal Executives of the Past consisted in this. Protocol was their guide to success in both minor and major matters. But they did not carry things too far. Good staff relations are not an end in themselves. If they are not subordinated to Protocol you’re headed for real trouble”.

Master You said, “If you promise only what will benefit your Organization, you’ll be able to keep your promises. If you act only in accordance with Protocol, you’ll never lose face or your job. [And never forget that] the best support always comes from your own clique.”

The Master said, “Ideal Executives are always on some sort of diet. [When travelling on business] they are not too fussy about where they stay. They devote themselves to their work and watch their words carefully. They associate with the Powerful and so realize their potential. People like this are headed for the Top.”

Zigong said, “What do you think of people who are low ranking yet refuse to curry favour and of top executives who say they’re just one of the boys?" [8]

The Master replied, “Born Losers! Give me the low-ranking executive who pretends to be happy with his lot [while secretly aiming for Power] and the top executive who really works at Protocol.

Zigong said, “The Book of Songs [9] says:

‘As a thing is cut and filed,

As a thing is carved and polished…’

Isn’t that what you’re driving at?”

The Master said, [sarcastically], “That’s brilliant, Zi! I see you know a lot of old poetry. Now that’s really going to impress the Board!" [10]

The Master said, “Ideal Executives never worry about whether their opponents have got the dirt on them. They worry about whether they haven’t got the dirt on their opponents.”

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[1] Jun zi (‘A gentleman’) can be best translated as ‘the Ideal Executive’, the man destined to be CEO. Today, the term ‘gentleman’ is used only on lavatory doors.

[2] Literally, ‘One’s [True] Parents’.

[3] Literally, ‘the Root’. Career is the root of Ultimate Success.

[4] Dao, or ‘The Way’ is a key term in Chinese thought. Here it is best translated as ‘Ultimate Success’ or ‘The Path to Ultimate Success’, depending on context.

[5] The most important term in our Poststructuralist Confucian (PC) thought. The Legalists, though equally conscious of the importance of Power, were not clever enough to disguise it by using a character traditionally – and erroneously – translated as ‘benevolence’ or even ‘Love’! (sic!). Note that the both archaic oracle-bone and Shang bronze characters clearly depict a man thrusting two spears into an opponent, ‘shafting them’, in short. Shafting others has always been the surest way to Power.

[6] Implying that staff should be induced to work long hours without extra pay.

[7] ‘Wen’, literally ‘pattern’, is another key PC term. It refers to ‘culture’, hence in our era to sport, especially with the cult of the Body Beautiful, drink and drugs. Note that drinking, frequently referred to in the archaic Book of Songs, was frequently celebrated in Chinese literature, especially in poetry. Many of the greatest Chinese poets, e.g. Ruan Ji and Li Bai, were toppers, even if they did not drink with the Right People. Drugs came later, during the last decadent years of the Qing dynasty, courtesy of the Western powers, led by England.

[8] Sexist language was, of course, normal in Zhou dynasty China.

[9] The Shi Jing, a collection of 305 ancient lyrics, which later became one of the Confucian Classics.

[10] Given the sarcasm, I translate the sense here, rather than following the words literally.

COPYRIGHT (C) 2010 J D FRODSHAM