this man is not calm

Chapter 523 Knowing People and Appointing Them Well
Before the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, the festive atmosphere in Yunmeng County was still very strong. According to traditional customs, from the Little New Year to the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, it is customary to visit which relatives' homes each year.

In the past, travel was slow and people's activity range was limited. Most people's farthest place in their lives was the county town where their hometown was located. It was rare for them to go more than 20 miles away. Naturally, most marriages were also held in places not far away. As a result, people had relatives through two or three intermediaries.

In a society built on acquaintances and semi-acquaintances, holidays are very important social occasions.

Nowadays, the situation has changed a lot, but traditional habits are still deeply rooted and cannot be changed in a short time.

These past few days, Jin Shang has spent most of his time at his fiancée's house, meeting many familiar and unfamiliar guests. His father-in-law, Li Jinghua, and mother-in-law, Cao Heng, have many acquaintances in the workplace and business world, so they have a lot of social engagements. In particular, with their eldest daughter's wedding day fast approaching, many people are taking the opportunity to come and give gifts, resulting in a constant stream of guests at their home.

Even though Jin Shang, the "mascot," had nothing to do, his ever-smiling face was starting to look a bit stiff.

On the afternoon of the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, Li Xuan, who had a little free time, invited Li Kang and a few of her siblings to drive to Hankou with Jin Shang for sightseeing. They also went to the riverbank to enjoy the breeze and took a sightseeing boat.

The scenery along the Yangtze River at this time of year is somewhat desolate, but it has a unique charm that is quite pleasant.

In the evening, a relaxing time was arranged at the hot spring pool. Li Xuan, the eldest sister, took her younger siblings, who were still full of energy, to sing karaoke. Jin Shang played around for a while, then went to the observation deck to look at the resorts and villa areas that were being developed and put into use in the distance. He sipped some warm corn juice to soothe his throat.

While they were getting some fresh air, the brother-in-law, Li Kang, went to the restroom, ordered a bottle of soda, and came back to sit opposite his brother-in-law.

"What's wrong? Tired from playing?"

"No, I'm just a bit tired these past few days, and I just want to be alone when I have free time."

"An inevitable path for men with careers."

Kim Sang smiled, expressing his understanding.

The worlds of men and women are fundamentally different. Ultimately, adult men are born to fight, possess, and plunder, and this is precisely what attracts women the most.

Many "herbivore men" or honest men don't understand why young girls are always easily attracted to "yellow-haired" men. Coolness and fashion are just appearances. In essence, it is the aggressiveness of "yellow-haired" men that is very attractive to teenage girls with surging hormones.

While it's undeniable that individual differences can lead to biased conclusions, most girls still prefer boys who can demonstrate strong qualities. Boys who are rule-abiding, conservative, and afraid to cross boundaries are naturally looked down upon, whether in their careers or in love.

Why does Jin Shang value Qi Zhaoyun and Yin Muye more?
The former is a career-oriented man with a criminal record and a strong drive for advancement, while the latter, although a skilled and knowledgeable worker, is not a docile young man. Whether he focuses on research and development or cultivates comprehensive abilities to take on a management position, he is very ambitious.

Li Kang, who is about the same age as Jin Shang, is in the prime of his youth. He is good-looking, generous, successful in his career, and with his cousin and brother-in-law guiding him, he will not go astray and has a bright future.

Within Jinxi Culture, Li Kang is considered the leader of a powerful "in-law" faction. He is young, capable, and highly trusted, and has extensive experience in coordinating Jinxi Mall, the logistics system, and supply chain distribution.

Kim Sang plans to promote him in six months so that he can perform his work better.

Such a young and promising man is a rare talent in his hometown. Matchmakers have been flocking to his door, and in just over ten days, he has met countless girls of all kinds.

Li Kang is not a particularly flamboyant person, but he has a lot of masculine charm in his dealings with others. Most importantly, he is responsible, which makes him very likable.

"After all these days, hasn't there been a single one that suits your taste?"

"The elders in the family are just too anxious. Now that Sister Xuan is married, they're pressuring us even more."

Li Kang sighed helplessly.
"There is pressure at work, but not too much. I have time to date, but it's also tiring to chat casually with several girls at the same time. The main problem is my family. They think I'm too picky and too fussy. They want me to find someone suitable, get married and have children, and settle down. Once my life's most important matter is settled, they'll be relieved."

The elderly have a sense of mission to "complete the task". They feel that if their sons are not married and their daughters are not married, it is because they have not done a good job and are not capable of arranging things for their children. Some even have children who are still single when they are old, and they will be looked down upon in the countryside.

However, pushing too hard can actually make young people resentful.

Li Kang is a very understanding person. He can't be too rude in rejecting the so-called good girls introduced by his relatives, and some of them are indeed quite nice. However, dating, or even marriage and having children, is a very serious matter, and it's impossible to make a decision so easily.

"Listen to what your relatives and friends say and consider it carefully, but the decision is ultimately yours. Don't let others' opinions or your emotions sway you, or you will be disappointed or even regret it in the future."

"Then...brother-in-law, why did things go so smoothly for you and my sister? From college to marriage, it's so enviable..."

"I guess I did a lot of good deeds in my past life, so I'm here to enjoy this life! Haha..."

"fine!"

Li Kang complained a couple of times with some dissatisfaction, then changed the subject and asked,
"My brother-in-law is leaving the day after tomorrow, shouldn't he stay a few more days?"

"No, no, I believe the management here can do a good job. As for the rest, I'll check on the development of the artificial river and the commercial district over there. The tourist resort villa area of ​​Houguan Lake and Wumei Mountain also needs to be promoted. There are also several projects of varying sizes around there. I'll go and pay my respects for the New Year, give some gifts, and say hello. It's rare for me to come here once a year."

"Alright! The Central China Logistics Park and the Automobile Industrial Park in the south, I'm already struggling with either one, especially the latter. I can play around with cars, but building cars... I'm powerless to do it!"

"Don't worry, the CTO has already made arrangements. Leave the professional work to the professionals. As for the management, they don't need to know everything. As long as they understand the basic principles and aren't fooled by their subordinates, that's fine."

In business, you can't do without expertise, but focusing too much on your expertise can easily lead to cognitive biases.

The principle of prioritizing science and technology is advocated in research institutes. Commercial companies have their own logic for survival. We cannot apply ready-made theories, nor can we get too caught up in the minutiae.

"Alright! The situation at the company seems to be changing. Business volume is increasing, and also... Vice President Jiang seems to be gaining more and more influence."

“Director Wei got married and will be on his wedding leave, maternity leave, and breastfeeding leave. For a period of time, he won’t be able to fully devote himself to his work. Jiang Long will likely take over.”

"What about Director Wei? It's a bit of a pity that she left Jinxi Mall because she was distracted by family matters." This was a business she had worked hard to build over three or four years, and now, as the time was ripe, she had to leave her key management position.

"The company is still very humane. We can't take employees' important life events lightly, especially for senior executives. They need to adapt in a short time, but... we'll see. Jiang Long is quite capable. If there are any difficulties, I will take good care of him."

"That's all?"

"As for long-term arrangements... it's hard to say. Director Wei won't stay at Jinxi Mall forever. I'm thinking of having her come to the head office to participate in the restructuring of the Strategic Development Department and also work in human resources."

As Jinxi Culture's business has grown, the original staffing levels in various departments of the head office have become insufficient.

With so many parent company and directly affiliated subsidiaries and sub-subsidiaries, plus holding, participating in, listed companies and related enterprises, the total number of employees is in the tens of thousands. If you add dispatched workers, temporary workers and outsourced workers, the number is even greater.

It's simply impossible for the boss, Kim Sang, to control such a large business entity on his own; he needs a huge team to help manage such a large company and execute the decisions and orders of the actual controller.

In addition, there is an even more important factor that Jin Shang did not tell Li Kang: after completing the first phase of accumulation, Jinxi Mall has reached certain conditions in terms of market, capital, human resources, and brand awareness, and is ready to move into the next phase.

While ensuring no significant losses, we will transition from an asset-light model to an asset-heavy model, quickly adapt to online and offline integration, and expand into various fields.

Wei Shuangping's abilities are beyond doubt, but Jinxi Mall's next step is likely to be to build a super-large logistics industrial park, data center, commodity production base and upstream and downstream industrial chain. Not to mention the huge workload, it will inevitably involve dealing with all parties and making all kinds of decisions without Jin Shang's personal involvement.

This inevitably requires managers in charge of the overall situation to have abundant energy, sufficient enthusiasm, and sufficient ability to withstand pressure in order to complete the various tasks assigned by Jin Shang.

So far, Wei Shuangping has done a great job, and the future looks promising.

However, whether this is the job that Wei Shuangping's family hopes for, or even whether it is the job that she herself wants to do, remains to be seen.

One very obvious sign is that ever since Wei Shuangping expressed her desire to go on blind dates and start a family, and now that marriage and childbirth are just around the corner, she has never once expressed her desire to continue as the general manager of Xishang Mall, or even to continue working hard to take the company to new heights after her maternity leave ends.

It wasn't that Kim Sang doubted her work enthusiasm, nor did he think she wanted to leave and seek a better opportunity; rather, she genuinely had a job she wanted to do more.

With Wei Shuangping's education and qualifications, if she were to switch jobs, there would be plenty of competitors offering high salaries to poach her.

"Personal will is very important in one's career path. In the past, there was no choice, so there's no need to say more. Now there's a certain margin for error, but one still needs to have the will to achieve self-worth goals. Focusing on transactional work can certainly be done well, but it's a bit of a waste of her extraordinary intelligence."

Given Jinshang's current strength and influence, to be frank, it's not easy to find a business genius who can stand on his own. It's much easier to find someone who simply follows the established rules. With Jinshang as the big boss to back him up and fill in the gaps, whether someone is a little more capable or a little less capable isn't a big problem, as long as their basic qualities are up to standard.

Even with the "golden touch" protecting him, Jin Shang increasingly felt bound by his tedious work, no longer able to spend as much time as before with his family and friends, go out with his girlfriend, or devote his energy to his favorite music.

I'm not as happy as I used to be. I'm always running around for big and small things, and I have less and less personal space.

Whenever his mind wandered, Jin Shang felt that it was indeed an urgent matter to strengthen the management capabilities of the head office, enhance the functions of the secretariat (general affairs department) and the strategic development department, and give them a greater role in providing advisory services, conducting industry research, market analysis, and making strategic decisions, thereby freeing Jin Shang, the boss, from endless meetings and a host of trivial matters.

If we had to draw an analogy, Jin Shang in the past was like Zhu Yuanzhang, who struggled to start his business. He was capable and energetic, and not only did he build a vast empire, but he also managed to keep things running smoothly even after abolishing the position of prime minister and weakening the influence of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers.

However, this is not the norm. People cannot guarantee that they will be focused on work at all times, and there are times when they want to slack off and do something else.

This would require reopening the Prime Minister's office, or establishing a cabinet and strengthening its authority to assist the emperor in controlling the three departments and six ministries and taking control of the country.

If the Strategic Development Department is elevated, then the Secretariat is equivalent to the Directorate of Ceremonial, which acts as an agent for approving imperial edicts, while the expanded Comprehensive Department is an internal control agency similar to the Censorate or the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Jinxi Culture is just a commercial company, so it's certainly not as complicated as governing a country. A roughly imitated system is enough.

"So, brother-in-law, what you want is someone like the Grand Secretary or 'Deputy Boss' in the TV series 'Ming Dynasty,' a proxy who can rise to high positions, a working emperor?"

"At least you didn't say 'King of One Words,' so you at least showed some 'politeness'..."

Kim Sang laughed easily.
“Unlike you, a rash and impulsive young man who is good at social maneuvering, Director Wei’s greatest value lies in her intellect and her exceptional learning ability. It’s a bit of a waste of her talents to be an executor at Jinxi Mall.”

On an e-commerce platform where the overall strategy and operational procedures have been designed in advance, Wei Shuangping does have room to maneuver, but it is extremely limited.

Only by taking a higher-level perspective and grasping the overall development of Jinxi Culture can Wei Shuangping's intellectual advantages be fully utilized.

"Who do you think is smarter, me, your sister, or Director Wei?"

After thinking for a moment, Li Kang replied:

"My brother-in-law is both scholarly and martial, so he's a cut above the rest. My cousin and Director Wei each have their own strengths, so they're about the same."

Kim Sang smiled and shook his head in denial:

“I’m similar to your sister, what ordinary people would call a ‘hard-working smart person,’ but Wei Shuangping is the real genius.”

Just because you have a "golden touch" and a lifetime of experience doesn't mean you're much more capable than the real elites.

A brilliant mind is the most invaluable resource.

(End of this chapter)