Today is a personal society. Without personal connections, it can be said that it is difficult to move forward. From being promoted in the officialdom, to negotiating business projects, to having children going to school, there will be many twists and turns without personal connections.
This has been the case since ancient times, no matter how big an official or how capable a businessman is, they are not immune to this custom.
Zeng Guofan is a master of managing interpersonal relationships. He is well versed in the art of communication. He has a set of communication rules for his superiors, peers, and teachers, which enables him to have the ability to communicate with others no matter in critical moments. The noble people came to help and turned danger into safety along the way.
Zeng Guofan summarized the "three methods of communication" for building connections:
1. "To achieve great things, you need to operate relationships"
2. "No social gifts , it’s hard to move forward”
3. “Support money within our ability, do our best to manage things”
Zeng Guofan has been promoted to 10 levels in a row in 10 years, relying not only on ability, he himself has repeatedly emphasized that he can communicate , is the decisive factor in whether things can be done.
First of all, "To achieve great things, you need to operate relationships." This is relative to the superiors.
Zeng Guofan never gave up the opportunity to make friends with every noble person from the beginning of his examination.
As soon as he left the examination room, he met Mu Zhang'a and asked him about the test questions. He quickly returned to his residence and sent the questions and his clear answers to Mu Zhang'a's house. Mu Zhang'a was very concerned about this. The nimble and discerning young scholar is very popular.
After that, Mu Zhang'a vigorously supported Zeng Guofan, and his first interview, which was very important for Zeng Guofan's career, was successfully passed with the help of Mu Zhang'a.
At that time, Emperor Daoguang ordered Zeng Guofan to enter the palace, but Zeng Guofan was taken somewhere without anyone else or the emperor. He came to Mu Zhang'a's house confused. Mu Zhang'a asked him if he could see clearly the content of the text hanging on the wall. Zeng Guofan shook his head.
Mu Zhang'a quickly sent someone to bring 400 taels of silver into the palace, bribed the internal prison, transcribed all the words in the room, and asked Zeng Guofan to memorize them overnight and prepare a response.
The next day, the emperor ordered Zeng Guofan to enter the palace again. The content of the inquiry was indeed related to the writing on the wall. Zeng Guofan responded fluently, and the emperor was very happy. After the incident passed, Emperor Daoguang issued a special edict to Mu Zhang'a, praising him and saying: "You said that Zeng Guofan paid attention to troubles, and that's true."
Since then, Zeng Guofan has been favored by the saints and his official career has been smooth.
The second point is, "Without social gifts, it is difficult to move forward." This is relative to a relationship of equal rank and cooperation.
No matter where Zeng Guofan served as an official, he tried his best to manage interpersonal relationships wherever he went. During his official career, he served as governor of Liangjiang, governor of Zhili, and important positions in more than a dozen central departments. Every workplace made him his home field and formed an upward force.
In Zeng Guofan's annual regular court meeting, in addition to visiting his official colleagues, he also did not leave behind every relative and friend. Most of his time was spent visiting relatives and friends and paying courtesy exchanges. After paying homage to his father every year, he would also go to the houses of senior senators to pay homage, give gifts, and be respectful. These senior qualifications not only gave him a lot of official guidance, but also saved his life at critical moments.
During the reign of Emperor Xianfeng, Zeng Guofan once bluntly submitted a letter to Long Yan, which offended Long Yan. At this time, Zeng Guofan's old mentor Wu Wenrong came forward to intercede and used many old connections to save Zeng Guofan.
So don’t think that people are useless when they are old and no longer in office. Many times, veteran qualifications are deeper than those who are in the spotlight.
Third, "Money can help people according to their ability, and services can be managed as much as possible." This is compared to making friends with people in society.
There are three teachings and nine streams, five elements and eight works. There are outstanding people in each line, and there are people who are like dragons and phoenixes. It seems that people who are inconspicuous and have far less weight than us will come into use at some point. Lord Mengchang once had a group of people who were looked down upon as "roosters and dogs", but it was these two retainers who could only "roosters and dogs" who saved Lord Mengchang's life in a critical moment.
Zeng Guofan specifically instructs his family members in his family letter to "support those who come to ask for mercy and help them with their ability, and try their best to manage the affairs." When it comes to money, you must do what you can, and you must not be stingy or overly generous. You must not affect your own normal life by helping others.
When it comes to helping others, you should do your best and help wherever you can. There is a saying that goes well, "Make more people who are united, and make fewer people who are not united." Only by making a wide range of social friends will the path be broader.
About Zeng Guofan's communication methods are all included in this "The Complete Works of Zeng Guofan". Learn more profound and practical ways of managing and managing relationships. The money spent on a taxi ride can help you learn how to behave in the world. You deserve it.