rockefeller’s 38 letters to his son-letter 35: putting subordinates first
dear john:
imagine a scene like this: a conductor of a symphony orchestra prepares to let the audience who buy tickets enjoy a high-quality performance, but he turns to face the audience, leaving the musicians alone to fight and play hard, and the result will be how about it?
yes it is! this is destined to be the worst concert ever. because the conductor didn't pay attention to the musician, the latter would use passive laziness to "thank" him and mess up everything.
every employer is like a conductor of an orchestra. he dreams of inspiring and mobilizing the strength of all employees to make as many contributions as possible, helping him play the gorgeous music that makes money, and let him earn more. ,more money. however, for many employers, this is destined to be an unattainable dream, because they are like that stupid commander who forgot to treat employees well, so that they easily close the door to which employees are willing to pay.
like them, i expect all employees to be like loyal servants and make more contributions to me wholeheartedly. however, i am much smarter than them. instead of ignoring the existence of employees, i will take them seriously. to be precise, i always put the employees who worked for me first in my mind.
from the bottom of my heart, i have no reason not to treat those employees who used my hands to swell my purse. i have no reason not to be grateful for their efforts and sacrifices for me. what's more, our world should be full of warmth.
i love my employees. i never reprimand or insult them loudly, nor do i be domineering and indomitable in front of them like some rich people. what i give employees is warmth, equality and tolerance. all these combined into one word is called respect. respect for others is the need to satisfy our sense of morality, but i find that it is also an effective tool to motivate employees to work hard. the fact that every employee of standard petroleum does their best to work for the company makes me believe that: give people the respect they deserve. can fully realize the potential.
the most basic aspect of human nature is the desire to be generous. i myself am thrifty and self-sufficient, but i never forgot to help others generously. i remember that during the great depression, i borrowed several times to help those desperate friends and let their factories and their families survive the crisis. in my memory, i have never had a record of debt collection and forcing debts, because i know the value of tolerance.
as for the employees, i am equally generous and compassionate. i not only pay them higher salaries than any oil company, but also allow them to enjoy a pension system that guarantees their life. i also give them annual appointments with their bosses to ask for opportunity to raise your own salary. i do not deny the utilitarian effect of generosity, but i also know that my generosity will improve the living standards of employees, and this is precisely one of my duties. i hope that everyone who does things for me will be rich because of me.
employers are the patron saint of employees, and employees’ problems are my problems. i have the right to choose. i can choose to ignore their needs or choose to meet their needs, but i like to choose the latter. i always try to understand what employees need, and then i think of ways to meet their needs. i kept asking them two questions: "what do you need?" and "how can i help?" i always care about them. for me, one of the greatest joys of this position is that i can give employees a hand.
salaries and bonuses are quite attractive, but for some people, money does not trigger their motivation to serve, but paying attention can achieve this goal. in my opinion, everyone is eager to be considered valuable, valued, and respected by others. there is an invisible sign hanging on everyone's neck, which reads: value me!
i can't imagine the pain of being ignored at work or in the family. my goal is to make everyone feel like a spring breeze at work. therefore, i am like a detective who wants to find clues to solve the case, constantly searching for the talents that each employee is proud of. when i understand the talents they consider to be the most valued, i will give them a heavy responsibility. an employer who is good at motivating employees to make the greatest contribution should never forget to mention that it is necessary for employees to see that following or loyal to you is promising and promising, and paying attention and entrusting important tasks can actually make employees motivated to work. the key to hard work.
being a kind, warm and considerate employer can make employees energetic and morale high. but it also seems to be very useful to express gratitude to employees from time to time. no employee will remember the bonus he received five years ago, but many people will always remember the words of the employer’s praises, and i will not hesitate to express my gratitude. nothing has more influence than timely and direct thanks.
i like to leave a note paper on the desk of my subordinates with my words of thanks written on it. the words of gratitude i wrote by hand for a minute or two may no longer be remembered. but my gratitude will have an inspiring impact. after so many years, they can still remember the warm encouragement left by my loving leader and regard it as a precious motto. this is a simple statement of gratitude, another proof of its power.
i will definitely take my subordinates seriously and their work or personal issues. i understand that what everyone can contribute is limited, so when i try to solve problems for my subordinates, relatively, they can make more contributions.
john, now you are a leader. your achievements come from your abilities and the abilities of your employees. i believe you should know how to do it.
love your father
september 19, 1925
rockefeller famous quote:
1. always put the employees who worked for me first.
2. blindly asking and not willing to pay, will eventually face a day of exhaustion.
3. give people the respect they deserve, and they can fully realize their potential.
