Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 961 You Need to Be Free

Chen Hui said, "Taishan Road? That's not remote. Beiling Street is the center, isn't it?"

The dean shook his head and said, "You're talking about geography, I'm talking about commerce. Do you think it's so easy to set up a business on Beiling Street? Look at what kind of businesses are on that street. Commerce is on this side of the Yellow River, and this side of Mount Tai is perfect. Go back and take a good look at the map and think it over."

Xiao Wei said, "We're no match for the dean in terms of experience or vision, so you don't need to worry about it. Dean, when will the contract be signed? Will you prepare it here, or should I go back and get it?"

The dean said, "Get ready, and come back to me for my signature when you're done. I'll arrange for the library to make room for you."

Xiao Wei pulled Chen Hui aside to say goodbye and they went downstairs. Xiao Wei said to Chen Hui, "This is really thanks to Uncle Chen's influence. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have stood a chance even if I killed him. Giving up an entire floor of the library, that's a huge favor. I almost didn't want to leave just now."

Chen Hui said, "It's alright, his library has several floors, it'll have enough space. How many books does he have? 150,000 a year isn't a small amount. Let's drive around and see if there's anything special about Taishan Road."

Xiao Wei started the car and asked, "Are you really going to do it?"

Chen Hui said, "Of course we'll do it! Why not? Fengtian is our base of operations. We need to make sure it's packed with people. It's such a big city. I feel like even one plot of land isn't enough for each district. Besides, this area is full of schools, research institutions, and military units. Think about it, how much time do they have to go shopping in the city, right?"

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "That's true. If we're going to build it, I think we should listen to the dean. He knows this place so well, he can't possibly make a mistake. It's pointless for us to look at it ourselves."

Chen Hui said, "It doesn't take much effort to go around in circles."

The two drove out of the electric railway, from Taishan Road to Beiling, then down Beiling Avenue to Ningshan Road, then back down Huanghe Avenue, making a big circle back to Taishan Road.

Chen Hui took out a map from the glove box, studied it for a long time, and said, "Taishan can indeed be considered the center. The schools in this area are about the same distance from here, and the residents are concentrated. There are too many government units on Beiling Street."

Xiao Wei said, "Besides, it's not far from the main gate of Beiling. To get to Beiling, you either have to go this way or come up from Beiling Street, but there's unlikely to be any large commercial area there. So I said the dean couldn't be wrong. Are you convinced now?"

Chen Hui pursed his lips and said, "I feel like if these officials were to go out and do business, people like us would all be giving away our money for nothing."

Xiao Wei started the car and drove back, saying, "That's for sure. We're no match for them in terms of experience, insight, and shrewdness."

The two went straight back to Wanliu. Xiaowei went to Liang Gaoyou to work on the contract, while Chen Hui went back to his office to study the map.

After Xiaowei finished the contract, he went to find Sister Liu, Li Na, and Sister Jin. The four of them had a small meeting. Xiaowei talked about opening stores in Tawan and Dianzhuan. He said that the three women would need to coordinate personnel, materials, and merchandise.

"These two are just the beginning. We'll probably open many more in succession, mostly on campus. You should discuss it and make preparations."

Li Na said, "Weren't the convenience stores and supermarkets managed by the trade city? Sister Liu just needs to handle the order fulfillment. Why are you dragging Sister Jin and me into this again?"

Xiao Wei said, "The specific details will definitely be handled by Manager Zhang, but you two also need to have a plan, right? Even if you're just providing guidance, you need to produce something tangible. You can't just wash your hands of things like personnel arrangements and materials, can you?"

Director Liu said, "General Manager Zhang has indeed done things backwards. This is something you used to do. You would always ask Xiao Li Na and Xiao Jin for help. Now, one of them is in charge of the hotel and the other is in charge of the restaurant. Although they are vice presidents who also handle human resources and the general affairs department, they think about things from top to bottom, but actually do things from bottom to top."

This matter should indeed be handed over to Lao Zhang. Lao Zhang will then make a plan and coordinate accordingly. If it is necessary to coordinate with Xiao Li Na and Xiao Jin, Lao Zhang will submit a report first.

Even Lao Zhang can't do anything personally. Each department will definitely assign a person in charge, and the task will be delegated to that person. The process involves reviewing reports and issuing approvals, with further discussion only required if personal involvement is absolutely necessary.

Xiao Wei said, "Well, for example, this matter of opening supermarkets in various universities, I should let Manager Zhang handle that, right?"

Director Liu said, "Not exactly. It's right to have this idea, go and see for yourself, and if you have connections, talk to them and get the location confirmed. But once the location is confirmed, you have to make arrangements for it. If it's the department that Manager Zhang is in charge of, then assign it to him. You just wait and see the plan."

In fact, as a manager, you need to be less busy than your subordinates. A team leader is less busy than an employee, a department head is less busy than a team leader, and a general manager is less busy than a department head—that's the right way. You're the boss; you should be the least busy person in the entire company.

Xiao Wei was confused and asked, "Why?"

Director Liu said, "Delegate specific tasks to specific people. Otherwise, what's the point of paying people to do things? You need to free yourself up so you have time to consider the bigger picture, development issues, and enough time to handle unexpected events and resolve matters that require your intervention. You're too busy right now, frankly, busier than any of us. This isn't right."

Xiao Wei said, "There's nothing I can do. There's just more and more work, and things keep piling up. Plus, we're short-staffed. You should have noticed, we're severely understaffed at the middle management level. I have some things I want to delegate, but who can I delegate them to?"

Director Liu smiled, thought for a moment, and said to Li Na, "I think your most important task right now is to quickly develop the processes for each department and company, and clearly define the responsibilities, powers, and financial authority of each position. This way, we can directly follow the processes and it will be clear who should handle the specific tasks."

Xiao Wei asked, "What about us?"

Director Liu said, "You and General Manager Chen should just do your own work. Like today, you're considering opening a store on a university campus, so go take a look around, use your connections to negotiate the location, and finalize the deal. That's definitely your job, but after that, you need to delegate the tasks and not get involved in the details. You're the boss, so just focus on the plan and the results."

Li Na said, "If any unexpected situation arises that requires you or Xiao Hui to step in, we will report it to you and you can go then. If you're not busy, just stay in the office and read comic books. Don't cause trouble for us."

Director Liu and Sister Jin both laughed. Director Liu said, "That's true. You can't take the initiative to do things that aren't your responsibility. Otherwise, everyone around you will have to follow your lead, and things will get chaotic."

(End of this chapter)