60s: I have a store

Chapter 578 New Ideas
The autumn sun shone obliquely into the purchasing office, casting a bright shadow on Zhou Yimin's desk.

He stared at the open notebook, which was filled with various home appliance ideas, but they were all crossed out with a heavy red pen.

The tip of the pen hung on the paper for a long time and didn't fall down. The only sound in the office was the "tick-tick" sound of the wall clock.

After thinking about it for so long, I still haven't come up with a single home appliance that can be produced at this time.

"Knock knock knock", the sound of knocking on the door suddenly interrupted Zhou Yimin's thoughts.

"Come in!"

He put down his pen and rubbed his swollen temples.

The door opened and Zhou Dazhong stood at the door, looking exhausted. His overalls were covered in dust at the knees and beads of sweat hung on his forehead.

"Uncle Sixteen!" Zhou Dazhong sat down on the chair opposite, his tone full of distress, "You said, you are both in charge of the fifth section, and you were often not in the factory before, but the work in the section was in order. Why did it become a mess after I took over? Old Sun and Xiao Liu find fault every day, and the others are also okay, they don't go against me, but out of ten people, two are against me. Why is management so difficult?" He scratched his hair and frowned into the shape of a "川" character.

Zhou Yimin couldn't help laughing when he saw Zhou Dazhong's anxious look.

He stood up and poured two cups of tea, pushing one of them in front of Zhou Dazhong: "Dazhong, being a manager doesn't mean you have to do everything yourself. If you think of yourself as a worker, then you are putting the cart before the horse and you are not a qualified manager."

He sat back in his chair, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the table, “You have to learn how to identify and employ people, assign appropriate tasks to each person, and bring out their strengths.

Just like Lao Sun, although he has a stubborn temper, he is experienced. You can let him be responsible for connecting with the commune or the village. Xiao Liu is smart and suitable for running new channels. Also, listen to everyone's opinions and don't be the only one who has the final say. "

Zhou Dazhong's eyes lit up and he stood up in a hurry: "Uncle Sixteen, can I borrow your notebook and pen?"

After getting the paper and pen, he immediately began to record quickly, repeating the key points: "Know people and use them... Make the most of their strengths... Listen to more opinions..."

Zhou Yimin looked at Zhou Dazhong's frowned brows and the fatigue in his eyes, stood up, poured out the cold tea in the enamel pot, and refilled it with freshly boiled hot water. The mist rose between the two of them.

He sat back in his chair, his fingers gently stroking the mottled tea stains on the wall of the cup. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly spoke: "Dazhong, management is not a rein pulled by brute force, but a clever way of weaving a net. Think about it, why does the old planer in our workshop always break down?"

Zhou Dazhong was stunned for a moment, and answered subconsciously: "Because the parts are severely worn and need to be replaced..."

"That's right." Zhou Yimin nodded, "The same principle applies to managing the five stocks. Everyone is a part of the machine. What you need to do is not to tighten the screws yourself, but to find the most suitable position for the parts to play their role.

For example, although Lao Sun has a stubborn temper, he has worked in the purchasing department for nearly 20 years and must have a lot of channels in his hands. If there were no natural disasters for three consecutive days, the position of section chief might not necessarily be your turn. "

After all, if there were no natural disasters, procurement would not be so difficult. Moreover, Zhou Dazhong was able to sit firmly on the throne of the number one in purchasing volume only after he took over many of his own channels. Otherwise, Director Ding would not easily agree to the position of section chief.

Zhou Yimin picked up the teacup and took a sip. The bitterness of the tea spread on his tongue. "Xiao Liu has a quick mind and many ideas. Even though he likes to be clever sometimes, giving him a task to develop new channels will not only bring out his strengths, but also allow him to run around more. This way, he won't have time to go against you!"

Seeing Zhou Dazhong nodding thoughtfully, Zhou Yimin continued: "There is another more important point - learn to listen. Do you still remember the boiler repair last month?
The person who finally solved the problem was not us so-called "technical backbones", but Old Zhou who was working as a fireman in the boiler room.

He looks after the boiler every day and knows best where problems are likely to occur.

The same is true for management. Don’t always think that your decisions are infallible. Listen more to the voices of the grassroots. Sometimes the answers to the most difficult problems lie in the words of employees’ daily complaints. ”

He put down the teacup, leaned forward, and looked at me with a burning gaze: "Of course, tolerance is not indulgence. It's like the temperature in a steelmaking furnace. If it's too loose, the molten steel won't take shape. If it's too tight, it's easy to crack.

When Lao Sun and Xiao Liu make mistakes, you need to seize the opportunity, but the way you handle it must be particular - you need to convince them without discouraging other employees. "

Otherwise, if other employees feel that Zhou Dazhong is deliberately targeting Lao Sun and Xiao Liu, things will become troublesome.

Zhou Dazhong wrote rapidly, his pen rustling on the paper, and he nodded constantly.

The sunlight from outside the window shone in obliquely, stretching the shadows of the two people very long, and falling on the open notebook. The densely packed handwriting seemed to be outlining a new blueprint for the future.

After Zhou Yimin finished sharing his management experience, the two started chatting.

Zhou Dazhong looked at the yellowing leaves outside the window and sighed: "Unconsciously, autumn has arrived, and winter is not far away."

This sentence was like a flash of lightning, instantly splitting the fog in Zhou Yimin's mind.

His eyes suddenly widened, and a thought popped up like a rocket - solar water heater!
Yes! In the winter in the north, people often don’t take a bath for the entire winter because they are reluctant to use the limited amount of coal to heat the water for bathing.

If we can develop a device that can heat water with solar energy instead of coal, it will not only solve people’s livelihood problems, but may also become a new hit product!
Thinking of this, Zhou Yimin couldn't sit still and wanted to share this good news with Li Chongguang.

"Dazhong, you go back first, I have something urgent to do!" Zhou Yimin almost jumped up from his chair, grabbed his coat and rushed out.

Zhou Dazhong was stunned by this sudden action. Looking at Zhou Yimin's hurriedly leaving back, he could only scratch his head and gently closed the office door.

Zhou Yimin jogged all the way through the tree-lined avenue in the factory area.

The autumn wind blew up the fallen leaves, which hit his trouser legs, but he was completely unaware.

At the entrance of the research laboratory, technicians greeted him one after another: "Engineer Zhou!"

"Hello, Section Chief Zhou!" He just nodded slightly without stopping at all.

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Why was Zhou Yimin, who was usually friendly and easy-going, acting so abnormally today? But no one dared to ask more questions.

The door of Li Chongguang's office was ajar. Zhou Yimin didn't bother to knock and just pushed it open and walked in.

Li Chongguang was looking at a pile of documents with a lot of worries. When he looked up and saw Zhou Yimin, his eyes suddenly lit up: "Chief Zhou, you are in such a hurry. Do you have good news?"

"Chief Li, I do have an idea that is definitely no worse than an air fryer!" Zhou Yimin said breathlessly.

Li Chongguang stood up from his chair and walked quickly to Zhou Yimin: "Chief Zhou, don't keep us in suspense at this time, just tell us!"

"Solar water heater!" Zhou Yimin said word by word. Li Chongguang's face was full of confusion. He scratched his head and said, "Chief Zhou, what is this...what is this solar water heater? I know all the words, but why can't I understand them when they are put together?"

Zhou Yimin took a deep breath and began to explain: "To put it simply, it is like a large solar cooker, but the solar cooker is used for cooking, and this one is specifically for heating water. No coal is needed, as long as there is sunshine, it can heat water for the whole family to take a bath."

Li Chongguang's eyes sparkled with excitement, but he still asked, "Can this thing be exported? Director Hu's most important thing is whether we can earn foreign exchange."

“Chief Li, even if we cannot export for the time being, there is still huge potential in the domestic market!
Winter is coming soon. Just think about it, how many people in the north don’t take a bath all winter because they can’t bear to use coal?

This is something that can really improve our lives!" Zhou Yimin became more and more excited, gesturing with his hands in the air.

Li Chongguang slapped his thigh and laughed: "Good! Good! This is a great idea! I will report it to Director Hu now!"

As he said that, he grabbed his coat and rushed out of the office in a hurry, forgetting to even close the door.

Zhou Yimin looked at Li Chongguang's receding back, feeling a little amused and helpless.

I've just come up with an idea, not even a prototype yet, but you're in a hurry to report it. Isn't it too early?
But on second thought, this is after all a matter for the research lab and the factory. I have already fulfilled my responsibility in proposing it, and how it progresses later is really none of my business.

He shook his head, straightened his messy collar, and walked out of the laboratory slowly.

When Li Chongguang pushed open the door of the factory director's office, the metal door handle hit the wall with a dull sound.

Director Hu was checking the steel consumption report for this month. His reading glasses had slipped to the tip of his nose. He just raised his eyelids when he heard the noise: "Shongguang, didn't we talk about the air fryer production line? Let's talk about it after the Foreign Trade Department sends the new order confirmation letter."

"Director, this time it's really not an air fryer!" Li Chongguang stepped forward quickly, the knees of his overalls still stained with oil from debugging equipment in the research lab.

His chest was heaving violently, and beads of sweat kept rolling down his forehead, dripping onto the front of his wrinkled shirt. He took out a crumpled note with the words "Solar Water Heater" written on it.

The words were blurred by sweat, "It's a brand new project, using solar energy to convert heat into water, no coal or electricity is needed!

Just think about it, the coal supply is so tight now. Every household is saving coal, and they don’t even dare to burn more hot water in winter.

If we can make this thing, it will not only ease energy pressure, but also improve people’s lives!”

The tip of Director Hu's pen hovered above the numbers on the report, and the condensed ink dripped onto the paper: "Again? Last week you said you wanted a certain machine, but what happened? The prototype is stuck in the corner of the workshop, gathering dust, and it has occupied three milling machines for two whole weeks!"

He took off his glasses and wiped the lenses with the corner of his clothes, his tone full of impatience, "Now the materials are allocated according to the plan, and even the parts of the air fryer have to be used sparingly. How can I have the time to toss around these impractical things?"

Li Chongguang's back was covered with cold sweat, which stuck to his shirt and felt chilly.

He scanned the pile of documents on his desk and caught a glimpse of the red-headed document on the top labeled "Urgent Notice from the Ministry of Foreign Trade." He suddenly had an idea: "This idea was proposed by Zhou Yimin!"

The pen fell on the table with a "pop".

Director Hu raised his head suddenly, and his eyes narrowed into two slits behind his lenses.

If someone else had brought up the idea, Director Hu would not have had such a big reaction, but the person who brought it up was Zhou Yimin.

You know, Zhou Yimin invented many things, and each one is very useful, so Director Hu had to pay attention to it.

"You mean Zhou Yimin?" Director Hu took the note and stroked the edge of it. "What did he say specifically?"

Li Chongguang was in high spirits when he saw this, and quickly took out a neatly folded draft from his pocket: "He drew a detailed structural diagram of the solar collector and the water tank, saying that as long as the problem of the thermal conductive coating can be solved, the efficiency can reach..."

"That's enough." Director Hu interrupted him, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table, making a regular "tapping" sound.

The unique roar of the steel mill came from outside the window, mixed with the whistle of a distant train, and it was particularly clear in the quiet office.

After a long while, he finally spoke: "Since this is Zhou Yimin's idea, the research lab can make a simple model to try it out first."

"Really?!" Li Chongguang almost jumped up, but froze when he met Director Hu's warning eyes.

"Since this is Zhou Yimin's idea," Director Hu finally spoke, with a desperate determination in his voice, "the research lab can make a simple model to try first."

He took out a red stamp with "Special for Material Allocation" from the drawer and pressed it heavily on the blank application form. "I'll only give you two weeks. The materials will be transferred from the air fryer reserve warehouse, and the lathe and the master will give you two hours of free time every day."

This is the biggest concession Director Hu can make. If he gives more, it will affect production, which he cannot tolerate.

The tasks assigned by superiors must be completed no matter what.

The ink on the red seal had not yet dried. He raised his head, his eyes burning, "But if we fail, the entire research team, including you, Li Chongguang, will go to the workshop and work in three shifts! Make up for the lost progress."

However, Director Hu did not mention Zhou Yimin. Director Hu was reluctant to let Zhou Yimin go to the workshop to screw screws. Now the factory needs Zhou Yimin's help to purchase a lot of meat.

If the workers knew that it was me who transferred Zhou Yimin into the workshop to screw screws, which led to the shortage of meat supply in the factory, they would probably unite and ask me to give an explanation to avoid such a thing from happening again.

Li Chongguang took the application form with both hands, which still had the smell of red seal and ink, and his throat tightened: "Director, don't worry! We will definitely..."

"Go ahead." Director Hu waved his hand and put on his reading glasses again. "If you need any coordination, please report it. Materials and funds are expensive now, and every screw must be used wisely."

He lowered his head and continued to correct documents. In the halo of the desk lamp, the tip of his pen rustled across the paper again, as if the previous confrontation was just an illusion.

When Li Chongguang left the office, the setting sun was dyeing the factory chimneys blood red.

He touched the application form in his pocket and suddenly felt the burden on his shoulders become much heavier.

(End of this chapter)