Good day. From today, we will embark on a new course titled Conduct and Competence. I have observed that many courses lack practical application. For instance, while many human resources training programs deliver commendable content, a gap remains in their real-world applicability. I have renamed courses such as The Way to Career Advancement and Habits of Highly Effective People to Conduct and Competence. In my framework, there are four key terms: Conduct, Competence, Managing People, and Managing Affairs. If one masters Conduct and Competence, one can gradually learn to Manage People and Manage Affairs. Mastery of these four terms is a formidable achievement, although practical implementation may present challenges.

This is not an era of illusions, but one that demands down-to-earth efforts to continuously improve oneself. Of late, I have often heard people say that, like many others, they often dream of secluding themselves for a period, emerging to make a brilliant debut. However, they find that all their efforts result in emerging as a mere mouse. A brilliant debut is not a grounded expectation; it is rooted in the concept of the underdog. On closer inspection, one discovers a strong sense of aversion to difficulty. Whatever they do, they invariably err, even in matters where errors should be avoidable. They harbour a dream of one day making a sparkling entrance, becoming the president of a large corporation, only to end up cleaning the president's house. The reason is their inability to be grounded in their work, indulging in dreams and resentments. That is not the way to conduct oneself.

In Conduct, one must adhere to the principle that everything is learned through diligent effort. Otherwise, one deceives oneself, expecting to be revered as a mouse. That is simply not possible. If one were a Mickey Mouse with a large belly, thin legs, and oversized ears, one could at least provide amusement. However, emerging as a mere mouse only invites ridicule. Therefore, one must be grounded. Whether in Conduct or Competence, one must proceed with a down-to-earth approach. The same applies to Managing People and Managing Affairs; these require diligent learning. There are no shortcuts; the only way is to study hard.

By studying diligently, one will undoubtedly have the opportunity for a brilliant debut in the future. Otherwise, one will spend all day reading fantastical novels where the protagonist, riding a scooter, suddenly makes a sparkling entrance, instantly transforming into a corporate president or a wealthy heir. Invariably, his father dies, leaving him the entire inheritance. Everyone must study diligently, avoiding such novels. After reading them, you will not make a brilliant debut; under the spotlight, you will still be a mouse.

Most of the time, I teach people how to Conduct themselves, how to demonstrate Competence, and how to Manage People and Manage Affairs. From a young age, I hoped to become an intelligent person. This was my goal in Conduct. Later, I hoped that those I trained would become intelligent people. That became my goal in service. A person who is both intelligent and shrewd is on a completely different level from someone who is foolish. Intelligence is manifested in Conduct and Competence. My former boss once told me, Those who can speak well are intelligent, but intelligent people do not necessarily speak well. This statement is deeply ingrained in my mind.

Those who can speak well are intelligent, while those who cannot speak well specialize in touching upon sensitive subjects. Those who cannot speak well not only talk nonsense but also consider themselves remarkable, believing that their words will lead to a brilliant debut, when in fact they lead to tragedy. When I was in my twenties, I felt that being able to speak well was particularly advantageous. Later, I began to learn to speak, and eventually became a preacher. Recently, there was a news story about a university recruiting talent. One person, who had been an associate professor for four years, was not reappointed and subsequently committed suicide. It was unnecessary; one can still live even without reappointment. However, many people left comments blaming various factors. I was struck by the fact that no one mentioned that this person lacked Conduct.

Lacking Conduct is a significant disadvantage. If one possesses Conduct and the ability to speak well, one would not be in the position of non-reappointment. I dislike complaining and blaming the system or the environment. These are ultimately human problems. I prefer to challenge myself to survive in such environments. If I cannot, it indicates my own inadequacies. One must learn to survive in various environments and systems; all environments are beneficial. If one possesses Conduct, one would not resort to suicide. Tragedies stem from internal deficiencies. If you agree with me, from now on, diligently improve yourself, eradicating the underdog mentality and the expectation of a brilliant debut.

Hoping for others to think highly of you is futile. In my life, I have never expected others to respect me; I only hope they view me as dung. Why should they regard me as a person? I am merely a pile of dung, nothing remarkable. However, God has bestowed upon me manifold honour. Wherever I go, many people treat me with great respect. It is not that they respect me because I desire it; I invented both the dung theory and the mudfish theory myself.

Starting today, we will discuss Conduct. Subsequently, we will cover Competence, Managing People, and Managing Affairs. Conduct is difficult to discuss. I will attempt to divide Conduct into several parts. Today, I will provide an introduction, a preliminary overview.

I. The Art of Speaking

Next, the first part will cover the art of speaking, examining whether one is a capable speaker. Some people, as soon as they open their mouths, I find fault with them, rebuking them, and they retort with dreams of a brilliant debut. However, they cannot make a sparkling entrance because they cannot speak well.

To speak well, one must speak with substance. Language is a tool for constructing a knowledge system. A market aunty yelling about the price of eggs does not qualify as speaking well, because they lacck knowledge. The old ladies at the China-Russia border know a few Russian phrases. They use gestures to tell buyers of the price. That is not speaking real Russian.

To speak well requires substance and content; these are acquired through learning. Guo Degang and Zhao Benshan are both very eloquent speakers; their presence is illuminated by the spotlight. They know how to use language. Speaking in a way that is pleasing to the ear, penetrating, and knowledgeable is vital. Those who cannot speak well exhibit negative thinking habits. Their minds are filled with thoughts of others looking down on them, questioning why they should be looked down on, and other such nonsense. Such thinking hinders their personal growth. Only by focusing on knowledge, content, and learning can one become competent.

One can read extensively, but deep study is not necessary unless it is one's profession. For example, I am a half-baked practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, but if I am speaking with someone who knows nothing about it, they might find me quite impressive. Traditional Chinese Medicine can be distilled into four words: Bian Zheng Lun Zhi, that is Syndrome Differentiation and Treatment, which involves observation, auscultation and olfaction, inquiry, and palpation. I did not invent these; I learned them. The liver governs the sinews and manifests in the eyes; the kidneys govern the bones and manifest in the ears; the lungs are internally-externally related to the large intestine; anger injures the liver; emotions are related to the five internal organs. Also, Chinese painting uses shades of dry, wet, thick, and light ink to depict things. All of these are things that are learned.

Everything is learned, even Conduct. I was born with no inherent skills; like you, I was born a mere lump of flesh. You aren't born knowing how to talk, neither was I. Perhaps you spoke earlier than I did; I only began to speak at the age of five. I was merely a lump of flesh for five years; everything was learned afterward. Therefore, we brethren and sisters must learn to speak. In the future, I will gradually teach everyone how to speak. Some time ago, I was teaching people how to speak every day. After teaching them, they immediately applied what I taught them, leaving me speechless and empty handed.

II. Cultivating Relationships

Cultivating positive relationships is crucial. If your relationships with your children, family, boss, and colleagues are strained, it is because you cannot speak well or cultivate relationships. I will now teach you how to cultivate relationships, but remember to discern good from evil. You must learn to engage in small talk; this is not the same as gossiping. When you enter an elevator with a group of people, you can say, Today's weather is wonderful, are you on holiday? or Are you planning a holiday? This is small talk, not gossiping. Gossiping involves a colleague tattling on you to the boss, or someone saying, Old Li's family has a daughter-in-law who is cheating on him, while gleefully laughing. We are not training people to gossip; we are training people to engage in conversation.

In interactions, cultivate healthy relationships, avoiding constant arguments with yourself or others that cause distress. Someone who knows how to speak well will open with, It’s my pleasure to meet you, and I hope you will take care of me or I'm so glad to meet you This is the normal start in Japanese conversation. We typically start by eating or drinking when we meet. Someone makes a joke about not asking if they have just pooped, and someone may answer that they have just did, and pass you an orange, and make you feel sick. Cultivating comfortable relationships involves speaking and joking appropriately. One must learn to chat. Those who cannot chat often lie or gossip. With a single comment, everyone can tell that you are salesperson who is trying to sell products.

When you are interacting, cultivating relationships, you need to understand what relationships are. Some people are foolish because they do not understand what relationships are, and therefore do not know what kind of words to say in a certain relationship. For example, a mother who acts like a servant to her daughter who acts like the master who orders the mother to do this and that. The next day that daughter will get sick because she can't stand to be treated like that. This is a disordered relationship. A mother must act like a mother, a child must act like a child, a boss must act like a boss, a subordinate must act like a subordinate, and a colleague must act like a colleague. The relationship must be correct. I find that when relationships are chaotic, and speech is chaotic, it is a complete mess.

Relationships include both superior and subordinate, left and right. In life, maintaining good relations with those above you is paramount. However, many believe that maintaining good relations with those below is crucial, which is absurd. If you don't know what kind of relationships you are in, and do not know what position you are in, and try to tell God what to do, and try to help him. Then you will be destroyed. When I work under someone, I understand what kind of subordinate I should be. The relationship with your boss is the most important.

Everyone must gradually clarify this matter. The first step in cultivating relationships is to consider what kind of relationship it is. If you know that this is your boss, do not walk into the boss's office and immediately tell the boss what to do --those people are fools. The boss said you a few times and you get upset, and think that he shouldn't say things to you. If you are the boss, you are allowed to do so. However, it is normal for the boss to say things to you. We don't know how to connect because we don't understand what relationship we have. How do you build relationships with left and right level colleagues? What do you say to your subordinate? All of these questions are very important.

III. Self Promotion

It is over if you do not know how to promote yourself; however some people may think that I have promoted myself excessively. They think that I am able to give advice in a well mannered way, but they cannot withstand my self praise. They think I praise myself, and said that it makes me narcissistic, because they don't have contact with me. These type of I think people think that people should not promote themselves.

I'd like to advise the brothers and sisters who dream to debut: Don't dream of becoming a five-star president. In my humble opinion, this is impossible even if you end up in a coffin. The meaning is that in the foreseeable future, you need to obtain this position and then compare it to people's recruitment needs. If you find that the recruitment needs not matching your skill set, you should start a study plan. These jobs require more skills to entertain on broadcast. Guo Degang manages Deyun Club well, but he probably won't be able to manage you well as well.

What I mean is that this job requires certain skills and is about creating entertainment content. You cannot despise this skill, because if Guo can manage Deyun. Those are the skills for you to do the jobs that you want to do.

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## IV. Skilled in Communication

There is a vast difference between being able to speak and being skilled in communication. In your professional field, to promote your own plans to your clients, bosses, and those around you, and to get them to accept you, requires effective communication. I have done this a lot throughout my life. To get something done, you really have to smooth out all the obstacles in your way, or you will run into trouble. Those who can get things done are truly remarkable. Think about it, if you don't communicate things well, people will make things difficult for you at every turn. So, if you want to get things done, you need to communicate well with those above, below, and on either side.

## V. One Must Know How to Seize Opportunities

If one does not know how to seize opportunities, grabbing one may lead to falling into a pit or getting pricked by a thorn, which would be troublesome. For example, in the workplace, if you treat what others see as an opportunity as a hot potato, you will suffer a great loss. You must have a unique perspective and know when something is a pit and when it is an opportunity. If one confuses opportunities with pits, falling into a pit once sets you back to square one, and falling into a pit twice sets you back to before creation. Don't laugh when you hear this; many people are in a state of pre-creation, and we need to pull them out of the void and chaos.

Someone asked if buying property is really an opportunity? Today, I tell you again, invest only in yourself, which means making yourself more valuable than money. You are more valuable than a house, more valuable than a car, because you are money. If you are more valuable than money, why do you still love money? Just invest in your own growth. I have a hope that when I come before God in the future, the one talent of silver He gives me will surely turn into ten. God will say that I am His faithful and good servant, and He will invite me to enjoy the glory my master gives me, and He will appoint me to manage ten cities.

> His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ (Matthew 25:21)

I hope to manage ten cities, and you are my talent of silver. If you are worth ten times the value, then I can deliver. Your growth is my expectation, and these are heartfelt words. I can shed more sweat, more tears, and even blood for you, but you must grow, because you are my achievement.

## VI. Being Able to Learn

Summarizing all of the above, it comes down to being able to learn. Everything in life is learned. No one is born knowing how to read; every word is learned, so you must be able to learn. Being a person is learned, not innate. A person who is born without learning is like a lump of flesh. A lump of flesh weighs seven *jin* at birth, grows to seven kilograms, and then to seventy kilograms. Without learning, you know nothing and are clueless. Everything is learned. What you are born with is not important; that is just a lump of flesh. Everything else comes from learning. Living out the image of God will surely make you smarter, because after learning, you know how to discern good and evil. This is not God's perspective. Seeing everything as good and getting things done is the key. Nothing is invented by you; everything is learned.

## Part Two: Getting Things Done

We have four parts: Being a Person, Getting Things Done, Managing People, and Managing Affairs. The six learning sections above are from Being a Person, which may consist of twelve to eighteen lessons. Below, we will discuss the second part, Getting Things Done.

## I. Having a Working Attitude

Getting things done is very important, and one must have a working attitude. I enjoy every job I do. People give me a platform, and although my English and technical skills may not be great, my only advantage is a strong learning ability. However, without a good working attitude, it won't work. So, the first part of Getting Things Done is having a good working attitude.

I have a great revelation about working attitude: I knew from a very young age that work is grace. If you don't know this today, it's a big problem. Many people don't know that work is grace and complain about it. But since I started working, I have never complained, because I have a good attitude towards getting things done and working. If people don't give me this platform, I have no place to improve. If they don't give me difficulties and problems, there are no problems to solve, and thus no work experience. When people give me problems, I am very happy to solve them. So, my working attitude is excellent. My boss would point at me and say to others, This employee really solves problems.

I have solved many problems in my life. First, people give me work, and without this platform, I cannot solve problems, accumulate experience, or grow. Second, people give me learning opportunities and even pay me, which is grace. Unlike some of us who receive grace and do not appreciate it, and have an arrogant attitude, as if I really need them to work for me. When I read the Bible, I learned that service is grace and work is grace.

## II. Having a Reliable Image

A reliable image is formed in the process of working. In the eyes of the boss, I must be a reliable person. I can shed sweat, I can shed tears, and sometimes if I can't solve the problem, I learn and suffer because I don't know how to start solving it. But I cultivate my reliable image, communicate with the boss, and request the necessary resources to cultivate my reliable image. That is, every time I receive a task, it is a test, and I must pass this test.

I would never close myself off at home for a few days, meditate, and then think I can come out shining. This kind of unreliable behavior will only lead to a shining downfall. Especially for those who are just starting out, people's expectations of you are not high. People know that a recent college graduate in their twenties may not be able to do everything, and everyone understands that. But you cannot have an unreliable image, which is closely related to your ability to be a person. If you always know how to be a person and communicate well, that is very good, so those who are just starting out should seize the opportunity.

If you are thirty years old and have achieved nothing, you are a person who has achieved nothing. Some people are fifty years old and have achieved nothing, and they have developed a habit of achieving nothing. They abandon everything halfway, and while working, they start daydreaming and doing other things. I arranged for someone to do programming, but as he programmed, he felt he couldn't continue, so he left the program hanging there for several days without any progress. Later, I found out that he wanted to get a certification in artificial intelligence. I was surprised by this mindset. Artificial intelligence is smarter than you and better at programming than you, so why do you need to get an artificial intelligence certification? This is an unreliable image.

If a person has an unreliable image in life, it is completely ruined. If you are still in your thirties today, you still have a chance, even in your forties. Any later, and there will be no chance. No one will want an unreliable person. You must cultivate your reliable image and deliver every task you are given well. If you can't deliver it, practice it at home even with tears in your eyes.

I am not exaggerating at all. When I first became a pastor, I cried while writing sermons, and I was always very stressed. If I didn't know how to preach, I would practice in front of a mirror, watch videos to learn how others preached, and think about the content and the way of speaking. Later, I imitated Shan Tianfang. Do you think my speech sounds a bit like Shan Tianfang now? Don't think it's innate; it's all learned.

## III. Having the Ability to Manage Tasks

A task is not a project. A project is large and needs to be broken down into many tasks. What you are doing is being given a task, which is called getting things done. A person who can break down a project into very specific tasks is one who manages affairs and has the ability to manage tasks. Don't make mistakes on tasks that you know how to do, but many people make mistakes even on tasks they know how to do. Surely you will make mistake in tasks you don't know how to do. I really don't understand this. So today, we should not make mistakes on tasks we know how to do and ensure that they are correct. Some people are just perfunctory, which is a problematic working attitude. That's the reason I beleive that preachers and teachers' industry is very ruinous.

If you don't know how to do the task you are given, you need to learn and explore, and humbly ask for guidance. If the boss gives you a task that you don't know how to do, don't pretend and answer No Problem when the boss asks how it's going a day later. As time goes by, it's still No Problem, but in the end, it turns out to be a huge Problem, so big that it's about to explode. We must learn to humbly ask for guidance. People understand if you don't know how to do it. Usually, 80% of the task is something you know how to do, and 20% requires you to explore and learn, which is a good task.

If you already know 100% of it, then doing this task is just playing a supporting role, merely operating and toiling, because there is no learning involved. In fact, even if you think you already know 100% of it, you still need to improve the efficiency of managing this task. For example, if you know how to clean a toilet, it initially takes an hour to clean it well. If you can't clean it in half an hour, then learn. Growing from taking an hour to complete it initially to later getting it done in two minutes happens through learning. We will continue to discuss the ability to manage tasks in detail later.

## IV. Possessing Professional Skills

One must have the ability to make a living, which is possessing professional skills. If you are a programmer and can make a living with this expertise, that is called being professional. The same goes for those who knock down walls, plaster walls, or repair air conditioners. Possessing professional skills means I can do the same job faster than you, who are just dawdling. Making a living requires efficiency; without efficiency, you are not a professional. So, you must strive for professional skills, do things professionally, which means doing things correctly, quickly, and well. There is a saying that in the world of martial arts, speed is the only way to break through, meaning that those who are fast can win.

Making a living means you have to earn money with this skill. Everyone does the same job and earns eight hundred a day, but if someone can finish it in one day while you take three days, no one will hire you. I divide what people possess into four parts: knowledge, skills, experience, and achievements. Knowledge is what you know, skills are what you can do, experience is using your knowledge and skills to solve difficult problems, and solving a very big problem with outstanding experience is your achievement.

You must continuously build your resume on the path to possessing professional skills. You must constantly expand and step onto one level, then move towards the next level. The next level requires different knowledge, skills, experience, and achievements. By continuously moving towards new levels, you will surely shine. Don't close yourself off at home and don't dream of suddenly appearing like in a novel. What comes out of that can only be a gray rat.

## V. Solving Difficult Problems

The key to life is what problems and difficulties you have solved, which is called achievement and also character. If you have a fear of difficulties when you encounter them, that is the wrong character, and there is no future in that. The difficulty you encounter today is a difficulty at your current level. People several levels above you don't even see it as a difficulty. You think it's a difficulty, but someone has already solved it before, we just don't know how. So, in the process of solving difficulties, you must learn quickly.

## VI. Learning Quickly

Learning quickly is the most important skill, because the problems you need to solve are all things you don't know how to solve. Now it is not difficult to learn quickly because there is artificial intelligence. I will focus on discussing quick learning later, and you will embark on the path to career advancement.

## VII. Having Plans and Reflections

Recently, I have been promoting that small pastors should know how to plan and reflect. I have found that the ability to plan and reflect is the most difficult to build. However, planning and reflection are the keys to human growth. If you want to complete something, you must plan what to do, and state things clearly and do things clearly. Don't do things and then find that they are not the results the boss wants, which would turn you into a gray rat. If you don't communicate well before doing things and don't understand what to do, but start doing it anyway, the result will not be what the boss wants.

Planning is about stating clearly what to do and how to do it. Don't just start doing it, and then dismantle it after it's done, and then throw away the garbage, which would be a mess. In the process of doing it, every step must be reflected on to ensure that it is correct, and you must confirm it. There are plenty of people who don't plan or reflect, so they can't possibly be good at being a person or getting things done. Do you all think what I am teaching is very practical? These are the seven parts of Getting Things Done. Next week, we will start discussing them one by one. Today, we have only given a brief overview. May God bless everyone!