From Liu Shengjun to Ren Zeping to talk about the professional quality of the master

Text | Caijing new media chief writer ten years of cutting firewood

Edit | Jiang Shizhou

Generally speaking, people who eat in the same circle, even if they are quite dismissive of each other, rarely criticize openly, "stay in the line of being a person, and see each other in the future", which is caused by the human feelings of Chinese society. However, recently, "internet celebrity economist" Liu Shengjun broke this "unspoken rule" and violently criticized another "internet celebrity economist" Ren Zeping, who was described by the media with incendiary words such as "hand tearing" and "shelling".

Ren Zeping was hired by Xu Jiayin as the chief economist (vice president level) of Evergrande Group and the president of Evergrande Economic Research Institute (resigned in March 2021), with an annual salary of 15 million yuan. Liu Shengjun believes that a bold entrepreneur like Xu Jiayin lacks not guts, but reason. The biggest characteristic of Ren Zeping is "sensationalism", "flickering", and "seeing the wind is rain". Dry firewood meets a raging fire, and the results can be imagined. I understand that this passage means that Boss Xu spent a lot of money to hire a high ginseng to "dig a pit" for himself.

In the past few years, Evergrande's operation has indeed had major problems, and Ren Zeping has always "sung a lot" about the real estate market. However, after more than two decades of rapid development, China's real estate has encountered an adjustment period, which should be mainly the market law and macro policy at work. What kind of impact Ren Zeping's remarks have on Evergrande's business decisions is difficult for outsiders to give a conclusive conclusion, and can only speculate. But one thing is probably certain, Evergrande's high salary to Ren Zeping does not seem to have any positive effect. Perhaps, it can also be understood that Boss Xu imitates the public relations behavior of Yan Wang's "Qianjin City Bone".

Liu Shengjun intimidated Ren Zeping, but it can lead to two interesting topics: once an economist is hired by a certain company, how much independent and objective value does his public remarks have? As a think tank or high counselor of enterprises or local governments, what kind of professional qualities should economists have?

Economists openly present their views on macroeconomics or microeconomics, and the value lies in their expression from a neutral, objective standpoint. Of course, his views will also attract controversy and criticism, but in any case, they must be based on their own sincere opinions based on observations and analysis of the economic situation. And once he is employed by a large company, he expresses his opinion in the industry in which the company is located, how can the public distinguish which are his independent academic views and which are the statements that are for the benefit of the owner?

Taking Ren Zeping as an example, during his tenure at Evergrande, many remarks on real estate are not regarded as the remarks of an economist, but as the senior PR of Evergrande speaking. Times have changed, and today in Liu Shengjun's view, this former Evergrande high counselor is "the evil of Fengjun", saying that the boss likes to listen to the words to fool the owner.

Ren Zeping's role in the Evergrande Group is now called "think tank" and "staff officer", or quite ancient "curtain guest" or "curtain friend", commonly known as "master". The master was not an official, a non-official, had no character or position, and was only a Georgian who was employed by the shogun official. Ancient China was an agricultural society, the industrial and commercial economy was not developed, there was no such a wealthy and enemy of the super-large enterprises, please master more for the governance of the side of the official, but the business to the point of Hu Xueyan, will also ask the curtain friends as a staff officer.

In ancient times, the masters of county, prefecture, prefecture, and province officials or other officials were not officials in the state, but officials hired in a private capacity, and the salaries given to them also came from their own pockets, and the master was only responsible for the owner's personal responsibility, and the relationship between the two was roughly equivalent to the owner's purchase of the intellectual services of the shogunate. The services provided by the master to the old master are, on the one hand, to help complete the KPIs of the two major imperial courts for local officials, name money and grain (collecting taxes and collecting grain) and criminal names (public security and justice), on the other hand, to provide the old master with analysis and consultation on the political situation and public sentiments to avoid political risks. The "talisman" handed to Jia Yucun by the door in "Dream of the Red Chamber" should be summed up by characters such as Shi Ye.

Today's market is changing rapidly, with a variety of looming opportunities and risks. As enterprises become bigger, they really need to hire some high-level experts as senior staff officers in current politics, macroeconomics, industrial policy, and public relations. What kind of professionalism does such an expert need? Perhaps the ancient requirements for the master can be used as a reference.

Wang Huizu, a famous master of the Qing Dynasty and a native of Xiaoshan, Zhejiang Province, wrote a monograph called "Master's Career Manual" called "George Medicine". He begins the book by stating that the most important work ethic of the master is "dedication". Wang's name:

"A scholar is not allowed to rule by his own body, but a person who rules is bound to do so." However, when the years of cultivation are entered, the official is divided into officials, and it is also in the official Luye. If you are unfaithful to eat and seek, heaven will be blessed. Therefore, George is dedicated. The mind will do its best to do what it knows, the expedient is important, take care of one thing and the other, save what it has done, and eliminate it before it happens, such as the inspection of the future, the ease of trouble, the settlement of litigation, the survival of survival, the observation of common customs, and the following of several evils. The first word of the heart is the outline of this book, the practical help of my way. ”

The meaning of this passage is that the scholar did not have the opportunity to become an official, and had to make a living by helping the officials govern. The annual remuneration is obtained from the officials he serves, and it can also be seen as an indirect collar official, and if he is disloyal in planning for the owner, how can God bless him? ........ Therefore, auxiliary officials should be dedicated to governance, exert their wisdom and ability in everything, weigh the weight, and consider it in many aspects. When a crisis occurs, find a way to save it, and find a way to eliminate hidden dangers when they exist. The word dedication is the outline of this book and the most practical guideline for our industry.

After "dedication", Wang Shi then discussed the importance of "exhaustive speech":

"He who is devoted to the cloud, is not the will of the master and is left and right." Whoever is an official may not be able to do his duty in the flesh and blood of his closest relatives, but all servants and officials are arrogant, and no matter what is at stake, if the generations cannot speak, that is, those who are effectively loyal, or can speak, and people who speak lightly will not be able to persuade them to listen. Even in the face of the wrath of the other, condemnation ensues, but the distinction between the guests and the teachers, the commission of the matter is clear in the heart, the repetition and the confrontation, can cut through the statement, can be clearly discerned, and has its own power to guide the source of the return. ”

This passage mainly emphasizes that the master must dare to say loyal words to the owner, and remind and prevent him from making mistakes. The so-called dedication is not to read the master's mind and meet each other left and right. All those who are officials may not understand the truth of their closest relatives, and the servants and officials around them are often arrogant and bullying, regardless of the interests and stakes, these people are difficult to speak. Even if there are loyal people around you who dare to put forward different opinions, because people are light-hearted, the old man cannot listen to it, and even encounter the old man who loses his temper and condemns and punishes the suggestion. Only the master and the owner are the relationship between the master and the curtain, who can cut the arguments, argue with them, and have the ability to correct their mistakes.

For how the master should improve his business ability, Wang Shi also discussed in this book, such as "reading the law" and "reading", but placed after "dedication" and "full speech". In Wang's view, the professional ethics of the master is far more important than the level of business. What if the owner is just embarrassed and does not listen to the advice of the master? "George's Medicine" has a special paragraph on "if you don't fit in, go". ——When you meet such a boss and can't listen to different opinions, then leave early.

I think that the professional qualities that entrepreneurs employ as counselors today are not much different from the ancient masters, and the most important thing is still "dedication" and "full speech" - for the benefit of the owner, they must dare to tell the truth and are not afraid of offending the boss. If you blindly cater to the boss, the boss drows off and you send a pillow, and the boss has a hot head and you pour oil on the fire instead of pouring cold water, then what is the difference between such a think tank or high ginseng and coaxing the boss to be happy and accompany the boss to enjoy the film (pilgrim)?

Wang Huizu named his book "George Medicine Words", that is, there are meanings of "good medicine bitter mouth" and "loyal words against the ear". This kind of truth applies not only to the masters of the ancient officialdom to the masters, but also to the bosses of today's enterprises.