Solve Real Problems First: The Business Logic of Giving

Entrepreneurship starts with creating value and solving customers’ real problems. That is what makes you valuable. Those who give first win first; the more they give, the richer they become. Life’s meaning lies in giving, not taking. Giving is both a mindset and an ability. We must keep learning to increase our capacity and give more effectively. A person who continually gives becomes increasingly influential. Taking may instantly increase what we have, but it does not make us strong. Remember: only contribution makes us stronger. The Qi section of Strategies of the Warring States tells this story: Lord Mengchang had a retainer named Feng Xuan who had shown little talent. One day Mengchang asked who would collect debts in Xue. Feng volunteered. Before departing, Feng asked what he should buy with the collections. Mengchang told him to buy whatever the household lacked. Feng soon returned empty-handed, explaining: ‘I gave the collected debts back to the people and bought goodwill for you.’ Mengchang was displeased but could say little. Later, the king of Qi demoted Mengchang to his estate in Xue. The people lined the roads to welcome him. Only then did he understand the value of that goodwill. He subsequently valued Feng’s advice, won popular support and renewed favor from the king, and became still wealthier. No one who only takes becomes rich; no one who understands giving becomes poor. In modern commercial society, many people calculate every advantage, afraid of losing even a little. Giving and selfless contribution make them uncomfortable. Yet they are shrewd rather than wise: they avoid losses without gaining much. Excellence in leadership means being good at giving rather than taking. When BBK’s Duan Yongping founded OPPO and vivo, he insisted on diluting his own shares to allow employee ownership. If employees lacked money, he lent it personally. They would repay from dividends if successful; if they lost, repayment was waived. In the first half of 2016, OPPO and vivo ranked among China’s top three smartphone sellers, leaving even Lei Jun’s Xiaomi acknowledging their success. Niu Gensheng, who proposed ‘when wealth is dispersed, people gather; when people gather, wealth is dispersed,’ gave subordinates shares, the best homes and cars, and ultimately donated all his own shares. This helped establish Mengniu’s brand. What he practiced was giving. As the wise say, give first what you hope to receive. To gain, first let go; without giving, there is no gaining. The more you give, the more you gain. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Sun Ce made a remarkable choice to establish himself in Jiangdong. He wanted to borrow troops from Yuan Shu but had nothing. Yuan feared he would use the chance to become independent and refused. Sun offered the imperial jade seal his father had obtained at the cost of his life. Delighted by this symbol of imperial authority, which could support a claim to the throne, Yuan immediately lent him 3,000 soldiers and 500 warhorses and sent him on his way. Sun returned to Jiangdong with the force, rebuilt his father’s foundation, and ultimately dominated the region. Sun’s choice illustrates the wisdom of letting go to gain. He surrendered an imperial symbol in exchange for the means to rule a region: troops and horses. Although giving and gaining are opposites, they are two interconnected sides of one thing. Letting go produces gains; those unwilling to let go cannot gain, and gains come through relinquishment. Having the courage to choose between gains and losses is ancient wisdom. #ShangyeZhenjing