Introduction

Good day to all. Today, we revisit The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Overall, the concepts in this book are quite commendable. We are now at Chapter 9, Synergize, which can be a bit convoluted. I prefer to simplify complex matters. If my explanation seems intricate, please note that I have a Q&A session available. Chapter 9 is rather verbose; to put it plainly, it is about striving for the best possible outcome.

Whether you like it or not, many of you are likely managers. You might be a school principal or vice-principal, or perhaps a business owner. Even if you are not a business owner, but merely a sales representative or a Taobao customer service agent, or running a small shop serving customers, you inevitably deal with people. Our church does not like to delineate between secular and spiritual matters, where some might think praising God is spiritual, while working in a tea house is secular. Do you make such distinctions? If so, that is incorrect. People must work and manage affairs. When managing affairs, one must manage people. If you claim to have no one to manage, then manage yourself. Regardless of what you manage, striving for the best outcome is synergizing.

Such complex terminology might be difficult for the average person to understand. My mother, when she was alive, enjoyed listening to me explain things. Although uneducated, she understood everything I said because I simplify matters. Today, we will demystify synergizing. This topic is about pursuing the best or a better outcome, even if it's just a slight improvement from before. Do you understand now? What I mean is that whether you like it or not, you are a manager. Can you accept that? If you are a homemaker preparing a meal for your son, you still need to decide what to cook and how to cook it—that is management. To achieve the best outcome in management, I will provide an analysis, drawing from my own experience rather than the book, because I believe my approach is superior. People often find me intriguing. I constantly ponder and research my own ideas, initiating numerous projects that I continuously study. Let me share a good habit of mine: I am very focused on effectiveness in my ministry, always seeking good results.

Currently, I am categorizing and modeling human problems. Artificial intelligence and AI are very popular now, and I also appreciate these high-tech terms because computers are easier to manage than people. The difference between having a computer minister to someone and having a person do it is significant. I am now modeling people, categorizing them into types for AI-based ministry. This simply aims to improve people. I enjoy researching and constantly strive to enhance and seek better outcomes. Even today, we are quietly and subtly improving daily, shaping everyone into better individuals. There is no best, only better—which sounds great! When AI ministry robots emerge, they may surpass many people, allowing for computer-based ministry. My point is that I am pondering this, constantly seeking to improve good habits.

Management: Managing People and Tasks

Another characteristic of mine is grasping the essence of things. For example, the concept of synergizing or the previous good habits—what does the win-win paradigm entail? It's about managing people. The win-win paradigm is about managing people’s mindset. When their mindset is right, no problem is insurmountable. Seek first to understand, then to be understood, may sound complicated, but it means understanding each other to achieve the best collaborative outcome. If people are constantly fighting and causing harm, what good can come of it? None. Brothers and sisters, listen carefully: I divide management into managing people and managing tasks, both of which are essential. Managing people and tasks aims for a win-win or multi-win outcome, maximizing the result.

For instance, those in my team who work closely with me are fortunate. They can work happily under my guidance, which is better than working with a frown. Can one work well with a frown? Under my management, things run smoothly because of knowledge, wisdom, and a logical system. Although my explanations are simple and crude, they are refined and polished. Today, we divide management into managing people and managing tasks. If you cannot manage tasks, you cannot manage people. How can you manage people if you cannot manage tasks?

Consider the Zunyi Conference. Why was it held? Because Wang Ming, who held the highest leadership authority in the Communist Party of China, was incompetent, leading to the sacrifice of 50,000 to 60,000 Red Army soldiers and the Long March. In Zunyi, the people replaced him with Chairman Mao, who was skilled in leading troops and battles. This led to the crossing of the Dadu River, Jinsha River, and Chishui River, and the 25,000-mile Long March. He effectively managed both people and tasks. Therefore, one must be able to manage tasks. For example, in a kitchen, you must know how to cook; otherwise, what are you managing?

The first three habits—be proactive, begin with the end in mind, and put first things first—are all about managing oneself. You must know how to manage yourself. If you cannot, you will not be able to handle tasks, and those under you will suffer. You must be able to manage both tasks and people for the best team performance. I have previously shared my management philosophy, which is scientifically advanced. Some might say I am just talking, but I have a clear understanding of it. You do not have to believe me, but I manage things and people effectively.

Just last night, I visited a colleague whose home was a mess. I cleaned it up in two hours because I know how to organize. Managing people and tasks leads to the best project or team outcomes. What is synergizing? It is achieving the best or a better outcome. Do you understand? A crucial factor in achieving the best outcome is the sixth habit from the book. The fourth habit contains a hidden gem: the win-win paradigm is a goal. This is on the third page from the end. The author summarizes it as using Habit 4 (win-win) as the goal, Habit 5 (seek first to understand) as the technique, and Habit 6 (synergize) as the mode of interaction to overcome obstacles. My explanation is that the win-win paradigm is the goal, seeking first to understand is the technique, and synergizing is a way of interacting with people. That is how the author puts it.

Managing people: Managing mindsets

I continue with the logic of managing people and tasks, which is understandable as tasks are done by people. You must know how to manage tasks. I say we will not talk about managing tasks today, for example, I lead the soldiers to fight, only to make a lot of wounded and surrender, what can you do? Whoever follows you will be unlucky. One incompetent general will kill thousands of soldiers! That won't work. That's why the first three good habits are the foundation. You have to be able to manage affairs. Today we talk about synergy is the management of a team, and the management of a team is very important. After management, if you bite me and I bite you in the team, if the dogs bite each other or the rabbits bite each other, it is an animal world. If the elder brother, the second brother, the third brother, and the flathead brother in the African savannah all come, they will all be baring their teeth. Then what are you doing? This is troublesome.

So think more, and after you finish thinking, you will be the general manager or president in the future. It is alright to be a store manager or something. I say that the problem of managing people is very interesting. What is the main thing in managing people? Managing thinking! You have to remove the dirty things inside him and put in healthy thinking, and he will definitely grow. So, my philosophy is to make everyone grow. So everyone has to know that managing people is managing thinking, why is this ideological work so important? Because they are all mistakes in thinking.

Let me give you an example. One of us is responsible for the operation of the enterprise. Operation is a hard work, hard and basic. As a result, their CEO said a word. They hired a lot of post-zero employees. The boss said that he was willing to choose which department to go to, and no one came to his department. why? Because this work is dirty, tiring and hard, but here comes the problem, you ca n’t run it, so what can the enterprise do? Those kids chose jobs that were easy to do, why? Those kids' minds are not mature, they follow their own preferences, but it is not beneficial to themselves. As a result, this sister inherited something from me, and she wondered what to do. Then she passed on this idea.

For example, will you have prospects in the future? If you want to have prospects, come to my department, and you will definitely have prospects in the future! Then you say it's hard, but now you can suffer, and in the future you can be the best. Do you want to grow up and be a waste? You can give a few examples, you see that this person has become a waste, and you see that the other person has also become a waste, right? As soon as people's minds are clear, they are willing to come. Do you understand? Managing people is managing thinking, why do you like to listen to me? Because I remove the garbage in people's minds, how can you not live well? Put the right things in, you become wise, you become upright in your way of thinking, how can you not succeed? Why are some people poor? Because there is a lot of garbage in their heads, and they are poor in their heads. We must know that the effect of a person's life is all sent from the heart, and how you think in your heart, that is how your life is.

For example, when I was young, I liked to do things that no one else did. Why? The boss handed me the job. Even if I couldn't do it, I would tell the boss that I needed some time. No one else could do it, and no one else would take it, but I took it. Then you say the boss is not patiently waiting for me to finish it? If you can do it and I can do it, then there is no point. Why did my salary increase so fast? Because I often do the work that others can't do, and some solve the problem in two months, and some solve the problem in six months. Then my colleagues laughed at me and said, The boss has taken a fancy to you again! He thought I had made a losing choice again, but people with the right ideas would think I had taken advantage of it.

First, I won't tell my boss that no one can do it, and I won't either. I will explore and learn more things. Second, I don't have any pressure. No one can solve that thing. For example, we are going to take a tour on the moon. Can you solve it? This is a complicated project. As a result, my salary increased the fastest. When I solved it, the boss was so excited. If I didn't solve it, no one else could solve it, and it was nothing great. Therefore, this matter is all in people's minds. You will find that I often work hard and tiring with a smile on my face. Why do I work with a bitter face? People say that this young man is good, and as a result, he is constantly promoted and given a raise.

Another feature is that when my boss left, my boss put me in his position. The people below were convinced and felt that I should be in his position, and no one resigned! If your boss promotes you, as a result, the people below will be in an uproar and have a lot of opinions. Can he be my boss and my superior if he is such a bear? Can't do the job? As soon as you say it, the people below will be unhappy, you let him go east and he will go west, you let him catch the dog and he will chase the chicken, and you can't do the job either. In the end, the boss will drive you down, do you understand? Therefore, the effect of a person's life is sent from the heart.

What we do is ideological work for people. After the ideological work for people is done, we will dig out people's potential, and their value will increase. For example, I am a manager with dozens of people under me. It is a headache for me. Why? I asked him to work, but he didn't work. He played hide-and-seek with me. He said he did, but he didn't actually do it. There are dozens of people, and you can't manage every one of them so clearly. It's better to do the work yourself, but you can't do it yourself. I brought back all the books on managing people in the library, and I read a lot of such books.

I have to answer a question: Why should people work hard? Some people say: You have to work hard. If you don't work hard, how can I explain to the boss? You said that I am caught in the middle between the top and the bottom, and I have become a punching bag. How difficult is it to do the work. I don't do this, I understand how to do ideological work. I said: How much is your salary now? He said: Three thousand. I said: Is five thousand good? He said: Oh! That five thousand yuan is of course good. If someone takes a salary of five thousand yuan, I will say: Young man, I think you are worth seven thousand yuan. He said: Oh! Am I really worth seven thousand yuan? I said: You are not worth it now, look at the work of this seven thousand yuan, you need this skill, do you have it? He said: No. I said: Then you have to cultivate this skill. He said: Then how do I cultivate this skill? I said: I will help you. He said: Boss, you help me, can my salary really increase so much money? I said: It doesn't matter, I will help you revise when you write your resume.

This is why I became an expert in resume writing, because I helped so many people write resumes. So, whether I am around or not, my employees will definitely work hard. What do you think of my management system? Managing people is about managing their thoughts. Why do we call it Mingding Destiny? People have a very interesting phenomenon. Without destiny, living in confusion is a very painful thing. Once they have a goal, they become powerful. Therefore, during the previous period, everyone prayed for 72 hours, and everyone was as fiery as fire while praying. Why? The entire church is facing extremely challenges. Once faced with challenges, everyone prays very diligently. Why? Because they have tapped into the Mingding within them.

Today, everyone must understand one thing: no matter what kind of person they are, they don't want to live a rotten life; they all want to live well. Do you all agree? Agree! We do this work because we want to push everyone towards prosperity. Really? This is absolutely true, because the effects of a person's life come from the heart. If there is excrement in the heart, excrement will be lived out; if there is gold in the heart, gold will be lived out. Therefore, everyone must have a normal judgment of themselves and remove the excrement within us. For example, as people from Northeastern China say: He is nothing, just a belly full of loose excrement. How awful this saying is. Some people say: He is just a poop machine, eats and then poops every day, poops and then eats. Besides getting older, nothing else increases. Isn't that upsetting?

Ideological Work Depends on Ministry

Today, I can tell you that no matter how old you are, walk forward diligently according to what I say. This is called knowing how to manage people and how to do ideological work. The work of doing this ideological work is called ministry. This ministry work is often disturbed by something. This thing is invisible and intangible, but it really exists. We call this thing the devil. The devil often releases information in your mind. Although you cannot see it, you often feel that there is something releasing information in your mind. You clearly don't think that way, but it just keeps thinking that way, and thinking about it corrupts you. Therefore, to truly solve the problems within people, you really have to start from the spiritual world. However, because the author wrote this book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a secular book, it is not a ministry book used in the church.

After talking for a long time, everyone should grasp the management of people and the management of things. For example, we manage people in a company, which is called managing people; we manage a class of students in a school, which is called managing people. If you get the students' ideological work done, you cannot suppress them by force. One press can only produce Chen Sheng and Wu Guang. As you learn history, you will understand that this high-pressure policy can only produce Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, and then you are Qin Er Shi. Therefore, it is the same in the classroom. Why do some teachers make the students in the classroom behave well as soon as they go to manage them? When some teachers go to manage them, the teacher turns around and writes on the whiteboard, and then paper balls are thrown at the bottom. Isn't that upsetting? Why? Because the students below look down on this teacher. Therefore, everyone has to think about these things. I have figured out these things very clearly. For example, how to manage curriculum management. Now I am talking according to what is written in his book. For example, when we lead a corporate team, you have to be able to unite everyone together.

The founding Marshals in our history said something that is true. They said: Without Chairman Mao, how could we people be together? No one is convinced by anyone. Everyone is convinced by Chairman Mao. Chairman Mao is great. He has theories, tactics, knows how to manage people, and knows how to manage things. Then, he wrote many articles and discussed them. What Chairman Mao wrote was all based on China's actual situation. It is not a false thing, but very down-to-earth. I think that in the business field, to do ideological work well, you cannot be a selfish person. You must be a broad-minded person. You must have strategies, knowledge, and be able to speak in your heart. I tell you that people who can speak well are powerful, and people who work with their mouths are powerful. Then you have to learn how to communicate with people. People who cannot speak well say things that are very unpleasant. When you call the boss, the boss hangs up on you after saying a few words. Why? Everything you've said considers yourself only. This requires efforts from the logical system to completely tear down the selfish logical system inside us. Rebuild our logical system and pursue good results.

If we don't know how to pursue good results, and push things in a bad direction, what are you going to do? Like a honey badger, you want to fight with people. Besides fighting, this kind of person is on the way to fighting. What are you doing fighting for? Fighting has no effect. Therefore, the book talks about communicating with people. When you talk to people, you must be wary of each other at first, then communication will become mutual respect, then communication will become mutual trust, and then communication will become a win-win situation, and everyone will benefit. If I can speak well, I have both a theoretical system and speaking skills, and I am also very good at communicating with people, then things will develop in a good direction in my hands, and this person will definitely develop in a good direction. Why? I am for his growth, to build him up, and I slowly unlock the wrong things in his mind, and he will come out by himself. In this process, you must have a development perspective. He identifies good and evil to you, and you identify good and evil to him, isn't that troublesome? If he identifies good and evil to you, don't identify good and evil to him. Show the greatest sincerity, and then, in order to pursue the best results, he must be in your team.

After listening to me, you may not be able to learn it in one or two tries. Why are many brothers and sisters among us willing to minister? Because I have made the idea clear. I said that ministering can help you grow. This is true. If you don't minister, you don't solve problems, and you can't grow. If you don't solve problems, where will you grow? Therefore, ministering is not for the sake of the person being ministered to, but for the growth of the person ministering. If you grow and know how to handle things, the people below will naturally receive grace. If you don't know how to minister, you can come to me or find your leader. What we do is very good. In this process, there will definitely be conflicts. Everyone must understand that don't be afraid of conflicts. Have you all heard my experience of training dogs?

Do you all know why there are conflicts? People have animalistic instincts, just like the puppy in our family. Once you stimulate the animalistic instincts in people, they will bite people, and if things go wrong, they will chop off Zhang Fei's head, and if things go wrong, they will chop off Guan Yu's head. Who stimulated it? Zhang Fei stimulated the animalistic instincts of his subordinates, and Guan Yu stimulated the animalistic instincts of his subordinates.

From a management perspective, their management is not very good. Everyone should be careful. When conflict comes, it is when his animalistic instincts are flaring up. This flare-up is something of the flesh, because you will not solve his ideological problems. In fact, who wants to be an animal, flashing their teeth at every turn? But if you don't know how to manage, you will often stimulate it. Sometimes you don't deliberately stimulate it, but you still stimulate his animalistic instincts. What should you do at this time? At this time, you must live out the love of Jesus Christ, and his animalistic instincts will go down, and then the part of him that has the image of God will be displayed. This is what I said about our ministry. When we minister to this person, the divine image on him will become more and more. Similarly, if this person is not often ministered to well, his animalistic instincts will come out again without paying attention when he goes back. This is normal.

There is a carnal nature in people, so ideological work is to solve people's animalistic instincts and also to solve people's divine nature. Of course, divine nature is good, you have tapped into his potential. But when he has different opinions, opinions, and views from you, don't worry, you have to accept him, and then you can manage well. If you get angry as soon as a different point of view comes up, and you start to get angry as soon as you come up, you will stimulate his animalistic instincts, everyone understand? Therefore, in this book, when the author receives a different point of view from someone, never argue with him, tit for tat is uncompromising. People who do ideological work must understand that people have different thinking systems. I told you before, why does he see it this way, why does he think this way, why does he do it this way, there is his logical system in it. If you understand his logical system, you will naturally know how he calculates here.

Let me give you an example, two people partner to do business, one contributes money and one contributes technology, but this person says: I want to take 70% of the shares. The other party said: No! You take 60%! These two people are arguing, do you all know why? No! I want to take 40%, you take 30%! Look at these two people arguing, what can they argue? Some people say that they just want to make money. Right! Everyone must learn to be a small shareholder, and the worst small shareholder is 49%. I have a friend who partnered with a friend to do business, he took 49%, he thought he was very cost-effective, his friend took 51%, of course, holding 51% of the shares has the right to make decisions, 49% does not have the right to decide. As a result, his friend was very rogue, borrowed 5 million from the bank, he withdrew the 5 million, and then ran away, and later the bank came to him, and he had to pay back 2.49 million, then I ask you, is this 49% share good? Or 30% share good? Or 20% share good? Don't just think about making money, why do you break up as soon as you partner? It's because everyone's thinking system is different, and there is no leader who can do this well, so everyone says never do partnership business, if you don't have the ability, don't touch this thing, if you don't have the ability, you can't manage this thing, you two are just two honey badgers, and then arguing will not achieve the best effect of doing business.

If everyone does not have a win-win mindset, everyone is selfish, isn't that troublesome, in the end, two honey badgers. Therefore, you must be wise in this matter, if you don't have this wisdom, don't touch this matter. Therefore, we must learn to manage people, if we can manage this work, you must be a great person. If you are a great person, how could you live a rotten life in this world? You know how to do ideological work, you know how to manage things, and you know how to manage people, then people will服you, and things will flourish in your hands, is there any problem? No problem, everyone服you. Just like everyone服Chairman Mao, his great decisions, such as resisting the United States and aiding Korea, were all decisions made by our great leader Chairman Mao. That's amazing, that's one out of two or three thousand years, his Qinyuan Spring Snow is慷慨激昂, to count heroes, look at today, his own evaluation of himself is not bad, he also knows that he has that ability.

Summary

I encourage everyone to start taking responsibility for yourself, first start from managing yourself, if you really have subordinates, you can start managing others. When there are differences, don't treat differences as problems, don't make everyone the same, just like in our team, some are stronger, some are weaker, there are all kinds of people, but this does not affect our team from achieving the best results. I want to see everything as good, this is a biblical perspective, not seeing everything negatively. So everyone knows that you are not good at this, I am good at this, but I am not good at that, and you are good at that.

Everyone must learn a lesson from nature, such as raising flowers or raising grass, planting a large area is easy to survive, and planting one is not easy to survive. Raising pigs, raising sheep, and raising chickens is also easier to raise in large groups, and not easy to raise one, does everyone understand? Because after there are more, its interdependence is there, for example, a group of sheep will not freeze in winter, and one sheep will freeze to death. A group of sheep will surround you and I surround you, everyone is very warm, it is called抱团。 Therefore, everyone must not think that some people are weak, the weak are there just to help you grow, leading to a reason for your own growth. So nature has given us a role model, not everyone is strong.

We seek common ground while reserving differences. When there are different places, we must know that we are not the highest level. Everyone starts to think about it, maybe there are different views, and those different views may still be the reason for stimulating our creativity. Therefore, what we pursue is not face, what we pursue is not the knowledge of good and evil, what we pursue is to ultimately achieve the best results. If something is not clear, what should you do? Just slowly make it clear, isn't that the end. Then you say how do I make it clear to him, that is, slowly thinking, learning, constantly understanding, exploring, and it will become clearer and clearer. Today I talked about synergy, I talked about my own version, but I didn't talk about synergy, I talked about pursuing the best results, pursuing better results! I have to thank you for lending me your ears and listening to me talk so much, thank you again! Goodbye everyone!