In the realm of business, challenges and ethical dilemmas often go hand in hand. Success isn’t just measured by profits or growth, but also by the values and principles that guide a company through these challenges. The tales that follow offer profound insights into the importance of integrity, the hidden value in demanding situations, and the growth that comes from embracing both.
The footprints of integrity
A merchant was moving a cart of goods across a soft patch of land. The wheels of the cart sank into the ground and wouldn’t turn, no matter how hard he pulled.
The merchant found a few farmers and promised to pay each of them some money to help drag the cart back onto the road. The farmers each tied a rope onto the front of the cart and stood in a row, each pulling a rope. They pulled for a long time, but the cart wouldn’t budge at all.
The merchant decided to change tactics and told them: “I think I should pay each of you according to how much effort you put in.” All the farmers thought this was a good idea, so the merchant supervised them as they pulled. Two farmers sneakily checked to see if the merchant was watching and made exaggerated expressions, acting like they were putting in great effort. Meanwhile, the farmers who were working hard had their heads down and their legs braced, strenuously pulling the cart forward. At last, the cart was pulled out of the soft soil and back onto the solid road.
The farmers came to ask for payment, and the merchant paid them according to how much effort he observed. All the farmers were satisfied with the money except for the two sneaky ones. They confronted the merchant, questioning their lesser pay despite their “efforts.”
One asked the merchant: “Did I not shout loud enough?”
“Wasn’t my expression strained enough?” said the other.
“We clearly did our best,” both said.
“I did not pay any attention to your faces, nor did I listen to your shouts. I only watched your footprints,” said the merchant. The farmers looked to where the merchant pointed, and they saw that the footprints of the two cunning farmers were very shallow, as if they had walked normally, while the footprints of the other farmers who were working hard were deeply imprinted on the ground.
Insight: For a business to thrive, it must be founded on the right values. Deceptive motives or inactions always leave a trace. Neglecting your true potential for short-term gain is a path to self-destruction.
The value of demanding customers
Years ago, a small eyewear components company in Guangdong, China, had just over 400 employees. Business was booming, and they were swamped with orders, often working long hours to meet demand. One day, the production manager informed the company’s owner of a potential order from a notoriously picky Japanese business client and asked whether they should accept it.
The production department never refused any business customers, so the boss was surprised to be asked this question. The head of the production department explained: “This Japanese customer is very picky, with very strict requirements for the product, a tight delivery schedule, and is pushing for a very low price. In addition, our factory has had a lot of orders lately and customers are lining up for our products. So should we still accept his order?”
The boss thought for a moment and then told the head of the production department to accept the order, asking his employees to do their best to fulfill the request. A few days later, they successfully delivered the order, receiving high praise from the pleased Japanese client.
In the following years, the pickier the customers were, the more the boss valued them. Once, he asked the production manager to take an order from a hypercritical business customer in Italy. The head of production couldn’t help but ask his boss: “Why do you always ask us to take orders from picky customers that other people usually avoid?
The boss asked him: “Do you think our company has been doing well in the past few years?”
The head of the production department replied: “Of course! Many foreign businesses have collaborated with us, and the number of employees has increased from 400 to over 3,000. But what does this have to do with picky customers?”
“It has everything to do with it,” said the boss. “Picky customers may be hard to deal with, but on the other hand, their high standards make it necessary for us to meet their expectations. Meeting high standards is how this company makes progress. If even the most critical business customers are satisfied with our products, won’t other customers be even more satisfied?”
The head of the production department nodded. Thus, the company successfully fulfilled the customer’s order.
Insight: Every successful individual grows through continuous challenges. Evading challenges equates to choosing failure. Only by facing these challenges head-on, and enduring the turbulence, can one truly sail to the shores of success!
Translated by Audrey Wang, edited by Yuqi Shi
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