Regarding the employment of people, as early as when Zeng Guofan was an official attendant, he had thought deeply about it, and gave a recital to the Newly enthroned Xianfeng Emperor, saying:
All that should be done today is in the ear of the person.
----------------- On the second day of march in the 30th year of Daoguang, chen yanshu should be edicted
Employing people is the most important priority.
He pointed out that at present, whether it is a Beijing official or a foreign official, it is very rare that it can really be used for a big purpose, and in the future, when the country encounters something, it is likely that there will be a lack of talent.
His judgment was accurate, and then the Taiping Rebellion, the Qing government's original bureaucracy really had very few officials who could handle affairs. Therefore, it was only by relying on the gang newly cultivated by Zeng Guofan.
He and his brothers and many of his subordinates emphasized one criterion for employment, which was:
Ethical but unofficial, more organized and less outspoken.
——Xianfeng resumed Guo Yicheng on the third day of the first month of July in the tenth year of Xianfeng
People who have to use "more methods" have ideas, insights, and meticulous thinking, and at the same time they have to "talk less big", don't say empty words, and the kind of people who are not ashamed of their words don't want to talk too much.
He once wrote to a friend:
Chu Junli did not like to use good speech.
- Restored Yao Dipu on the third day of the first month of February in the first year of the Tongzhi Dynasty
The Chu army is the Xiang army, they have always disliked the generals who love to talk, love to speak, can say, not good, do not. Zeng Guofan believes that this kind of person who loves to talk will be more slippery, and when he encounters danger, "his expression is enough to shake the hearts of the army; his words are smooth enough to confuse right and wrong."
On the contrary, in times of crisis, those who are quiet and simple are good general candidates and should be promoted and reused. For example, Xiao Fusi, a famous general of the Xiang Army, is "clumsy in mouth" and is not good at words, and Zeng Guofan appreciates it more.
For the soldiers at the bottom, he put more emphasis on this layer. In a letter to his subordinate General Li Yuandu, he said:
Military camps should use more simple and less knowledgeable people, then the atmosphere is easy to correct.
--Xianfeng 10 June 19, 2019 Fu Li Ciqing
Ordinary soldiers should not use their hearts and eyes, because that would bring about a bad atmosphere in the barracks. Therefore, the Xiang Army recruited troops, mainly from the mountains, to peasants, but not to the people in the city. At the beginning of the founding of the Xiang Army, he set a standard for the selection of generals:
Those who bring courage must first be able to govern the people, second, they must not be afraid of death, third, they must not be in a hurry for fame and fortune, and fourth, they must endure hardships.
——Xianfeng 3 september 17th and Peng Xiaofang Zeng Xianghai
Of course, this also requires leaders to work hard to guide and help talents grow. One of Zeng Guofan's most famous statements in this regard is:
There are four things that can be done, namely, wide collection, prudent use, diligent teaching, and strict rope.
——Tongzhi Diary of April 13, 1911
This is written in his diary when he was 52 years old, and in this diary, it is written at the same time that "the four ends of the rule are not outside, that is, the scriptures are divided, the union is combined, the contemplation is careful, and the covenant is kept." This is zeng guofan's most important methodology. Zeng Guofan said that these four articles for governing affairs, plus these four articles for winning people, have a total of eight, and as long as they are all done well, there will be no problem in being an official, "nothing to lose," and there is nothing that can be determined.
To get people is to get talents and cultivate talents. This is the basis of employment.
Zeng Guofan also has a passage:
Although there is a good medicine, it is not appropriate to be sick and not to catch the next product; although there are talents, it is not suitable for use, and it is not suitable for use, and it is not caught in the flow of mediocrity.
When the time comes, when it happens, then all the trees also have a miraculous effect.
Therefore, the world does not suffer from lack of talent, and those who suffer from talent cannot make it suitable.
——Notes of the Ten Years of Tongzhi
Simply put, what is talent? Matching with work is talent.
What is employing people? Measuring tools are employing people.
The measuring instrument is to first judge what kind of material this person is, which is a measuring material. Then he is a brick, let him do the work of the brick; he is a pocket, let him do the work of the pocket. This is the instrument. As mentioned earlier, Zeng Guofan employs people, likes to be responsible for the work, and only focuses on that same work, so that it is easy to do that work well. If he doesn't know a person very well and can't measure what kind of material he is, he will usually give this person a false job first and observe it slowly.
Once, he recommended a person to Li Hanzhang in the past. At the same time, he wrote a letter instructing: "First give the salary, Xu examine the size of his talent, and the position." "First let him get his salary for free, slowly observe him, see what he is suitable for, and then give him that position."
Even his closest friends, he would not casually promote Baoju because of his good relationship. For example, his evaluation of his friend Guo Songtao is that "the root is thick and short", has knowledge, but is not a talent for doing things, especially the ability to coordinate relations is poor. Therefore, he was more cautious about protecting Guo Songtao. Later, because he wanted to ensure that he received the military expenses allocated to Guangdong in time and in full, he guaranteed Guo Songtao to be the inspector of Guangdong. As a result, Guo Songtao and the Guangdong officialdom and gentry were very stiff, and they could not continue to work for a long time.
He had one of his closest aides, Li Yuandu, who was closely guarded by Li Yuandu when he was defeated and committed suicide by diving into the water; later, he was trapped in Jiangxi, and only Li Yuandu was surrounded by a full range of soldiers and horses. However, when Zeng Guofan was at Qimen, he sent Li Yuandu to fight Huizhou, and Li Yuandu was defeated and fled. Zeng Guofan showed no mercy, sternly pursued responsibility, and impeached Li Yuandu to the imperial court, and swept it to the end.
Another important idea of Zeng Guofan's employment is:
Those who do big things take multiple choices as the first righteousness. The choice of satisfaction is not available, and the gu festival takes the second, waiting for the slow education to be also available.
—— On April 12 of the first year of the Tongzhi Dynasty, the family letter was sent to his brother Guoquan
Although he is also dissatisfied with Li Hongzhang, he still regards Li Hongzhang as a good substitute for himself due to the combination of talents, relationships, backgrounds and other factors. The substitute is roughly similar to the meaning of the substitute player on the football field, once Zeng Guofan has something to do, he wants to rest, or he must go down when he is injured, Li Hongzhang can replace the field and continue to play this position of Zeng Guofan.
Zeng Guofan believes that the more people who do great things, the more they must pay attention to this problem, and they cannot make themselves irreplaceable, and without themselves, the whole cause will not be able to play. In that case, you can only die of exhaustion, and your career is short-lived.
The fact is that he did not choose the wrong person, and once again showed his knowledge on this key issue, and Li Hongzhang later succeeded in replacing Zeng Guofan as a figure supporting the entire Qing Dynasty.
On the other hand, Zeng Guofan was extremely mournful and glorious after his death, the family glory was extended, and even the entire Xiang military department could continue to maintain a strong force, all thanks to Li Hongzhang to a certain extent. Zeng Guofan's complete works were compiled and published by Li Hongzhang and Li Hanzhang brothers themselves, and then became popular in the world.
This also confirms zeng guofan's most important idea of employing people, that is, confucius's words:
He who desires to stand up for himself, and he who wants to reach and attain.
- "Analects of Yongye"
You help others to stand up, others can help you stand up; you help others to develop, others can help you develop. This is the basis of his wisdom in employing people.
Excerpt from | Leadership Digest July 2021
Source of the manuscript | "Humble Sincerity"
This article is written by | Valley Garden
Responsible Editor | Zhang Feng
WeChat Editor | And also