The role of Chinese entrepreneurs plays an important role in society, not only for their outstanding achievements in the business field, but also for their experience and wisdom to influence more young entrepreneurs. However, in recent years, China's business community and the values of society as a whole have faced the dilemma of being lost. Therefore, China urgently needs a brilliant entrepreneur like Konosuke Matsushita and Kazuo Inamori of Japan who can point people in the right direction.
Among Chinese entrepreneurs, only a handful of founders have such qualifications. For example, Liu Chuanzhi of Lenovo Group, Zhang Ruimin of Haier Group, Liu Yonghao of New Hope, Ren Zhengfei of Huawei, and Wang Shi of Vanke Group. However, some of these entrepreneurs have lost social trust due to personal negative events or other reasons, while others are more focused on their business development and have no time to think about it.
Among the many entrepreneurs, Wang Shi, the founder of Vanke Group, has become a high-profile figure. For a long time, Wang Shi has been regarded as the "perfect man" among Chinese entrepreneurs. Not only did he achieve great success in business, but he also impressed in his personal character. He has not only achieved outstanding achievements in the field of business, but also provided valuable experience and wisdom to young entrepreneurs through his own practice and thinking. His spirit of meritorious service, speech, and morality has injected new vitality into China's industrial and commercial circles.
Wang Shi is a well-known entrepreneur in China, and his entrepreneurial journey is full of ups and downs and adventures. He was born in 1951 and will turn 72 this year. After graduating from junior high school at the age of 17, he first worked as an automobile soldier in the Turpan Basin of Xinjiang for five years, and then worked as a boiler overhaul workshop worker in the hydropower section of the Zhengzhou Railway Bureau for one year. In 1974, 23-year-old Wang Shi entered Lanzhou Jiaotong University to study water supply and drainage, and after graduating from university, he worked in the engineering section of Guangzhou Railway Bureau for 3 years, and then was admitted to the Guangdong Provincial Foreign Economic Cooperation Commission and became a civil servant responsible for attracting investment.
In 1983, at the age of 32, Wang Shi quit his job at the Guangdong Provincial Foreign Economic Cooperation Commission and came to the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone to study business. He entered the feed group of the ** department of Shenzhen Special Development Company and earned 300,000 yuan in only three months. But not long after, because Hong Kong ** reported that there were carcinogens in chicken feed, people did not dare to eat chicken, which made Wang Shi lose all the money he had earned before, and lost 400,000 yuan.
In order to make up for the loss, Wang Shi decided to take the risk of ordering 20,000 tons of corn from the Dalian Grain and Oil Company, although he did not have the funds to pay for the goods at that time. He asked Dalian Grain and Oil to pay 100 days after the arrival of the goods, but because the corn market was affected, Dalian Grain and Oil Company could only agree. Wang Shi dared to do this because he believed that Hong Kong people would eat chicken again in the future, and chicken feed needed corn, and he thought that as long as he had corn, he would definitely be able to make money. When the corn was scheduled to be shipped to the port of Shenzhen, Hong Kong** reported that the previous information about fat chicken balls was wrong, and Hong Kong people started eating chicken again. This bet allowed Wang Shi not only to make up for his previous losses, but also to earn three million yuan.
Later, Wang Shi recalled this experience, saying that the reason why he dared to take risks was closely related to his previous experience, and his experience of serving as a soldier in the army, working as a factory worker, and studying at a university gave him a strong psychological endurance and unique judgment.
In 1984, Wang Shi used the 3 million yuan he earned to establish the predecessor of Vanke - Shenzhen Modern Science and Education Instrument Exhibition and Sales Center, and officially started his own entrepreneurial process. In the early days, Vanke mainly engaged in electrical appliances and instruments imported from Japan, and also set foot in garment factories, watch factories, beverage factories and printing factories. However, Wang Shi realized that it is difficult for diversified companies to achieve the top three status in any industry. He has a big goal of being a great company in his lifetime. He believes that a great company needs to have products that are accepted by the market, a brand that surpasses the average enterprise, an industry standard that leads the development of the industry, and a corporate culture that is appreciated by the market.
As a result, Wang Shi has been firmly shifting Vanke from diversification to a specialization strategy since 1994, choosing to focus on the residential real estate business. Other industries are gradually divested. He has focused the company on real estate development and sales, and is committed to providing high-quality residential products. The success of this strategy has made Vanke one of the leading companies in China's real estate industry.
Under Wang Shi's leadership, Vanke has continued to innovate and launched a series of iconic projects, such as OCT, China Resources City, Country Garden, etc. He pays attention to the quality of the product and respects it"Three products"Philosophy, ie"Engineering quality, service quality, brand quality"γHe also advocated"People-oriented"The management philosophy, focusing on the development and welfare of employees, provides a solid foundation for the rapid development of the company.
Wang Shi also attaches great importance to corporate social responsibility, he actively participates in philanthropy and established Vanke Charity Association. He hopes to make more contributions to society through his own efforts.
However, Wang's leadership style has also caused controversy. Some people think that he is too aggressive and individualistic, and not team-oriented enough. He implemented it within the company"Marathon culture"It is also controversial, with some arguing that this culture is too competitive and stressful, which is not conducive to the development and health of employees.
In 2017, Wang Shi announced his resignation as chairman of Vanke, and subsequently established his own investment company, Hyrum Investment. He said he wants to devote more of his time and energy to causes and philanthropy that he loves.
Initial Strategy:Vanke has built a strong backbone team in the early days of its business, becoming the largest real estate company in China. Wang Shi believes that the greatness of an enterprise depends on the system, team and brand, rather than a single leader. This philosophy drove him to resign as general manager in 1998 and retain the chairmanship.
The Leader's Decision:Wang Shi resigned as general manager and carried out outdoor activities, such as mountaineering and skydiving, to avoid path dependence and create space for the team to develop. This shows the characteristics of Wang Shi as a "clock-making" entrepreneur.
The value of outdoor activities:Wang Shi has achieved great achievements in outdoor activities, such as climbing 7,500 meters of mountain peaks in a row and becoming a mountaineering athlete. This demonstrates his persistence and leadership.
Continuation of corporate culture:Wang's values, including no bribery, limiting profits to 25 percent, and restraint in scale and speed, have had a profound impact on Vanke.
Quality is paramount:Wang Shi proposed that quality should be the focus of business management, not just the pursuit of the first result. He emphasized quality through the "100 billion plan", which made Vanke perform well in the industry system crisis.
From the perspective of the present, Wang Shi's decision is still correct. While there are many entrepreneurs who have become super-rich through state-owned enterprise restructuring and management buyouts, there are also many entrepreneurs like Zheng Junhuai, Gu Xiaojun and Li Jingwei who are behind bars. Wang's decision to give up a huge stake allows him to take a firm stance in the face of attacks from any force.
From giving up public office to starting a business, from giving up diversified operations to focusing on specialization, from resigning from the position of general manager to voluntarily giving up the position of the first in the industry, Wang Shi has been giving up what many ordinary people dream of. The most important abandonment of Wang Shi was on June 21, 2017, when he announced his resignation as chairman of Vanke and left the Vanke Group he founded. In fact, Wang Shi didn't really need to do this, because after two and a half years of the Baowan battle, it finally ended in Wang Shi's victory, and he made incomprehensible efforts for this battle, and did his best to promote the cooperation with Shenzhen Railway. When asked if Wang Shi had ever lost his will in the process, Wang Shi replied: "No, they completely inspired my fighting spirit!".β
Wang Shi's resolute boycott of Yao Zhenhua is based on the fact that he believes that Yao Zhenhua's lack of credit will have a negative impact on Vanke's long-term development. In an interview with **, Wang Shi said bluntly: "When a company is running very well, and there are founders, and the team is very good, generally speaking, the opinions of this team should be respected." If they welcome me on board, it's a bona fide takeover. If they don't accept it, it's a hostile takeover, and generally speaking, the results of a hostile takeover are often not good. Therefore, out of responsibility to the company, Wang Shi always insisted on his choice even in the face of external pressure and doubts.
After successfully winning the battle to defend Vanke, Wang Shi could have continued to serve as Vanke's chairman to prove himself to the world, but he unexpectedly resigned from this position. He announced the decision through his personal circle of friends and said at the shareholders' meeting: "It can be said that I have been waiting for this day, but when is this day?".I was very happy when it was really sure. I once said that when Vanke no longer needs Wang Shi, that is when I succeed, but this does not mean that I have no feelings for Vanke. β
In the past six years, Wang Shi has not achieved remarkable achievements, but has frequently participated in activities that do not match his identity, such as his wife's short ** and commercial advertisements. This made his image gradually depleted, from a well-respected entrepreneur to a talking point on the **.
After Wang Shi resigned as chairman of Vanke, he served as co-chairman of Grand Technology and BGI. However, in these two positions, Wang Shi did not achieve satisfactory results. He didn't lead the two companies to a substantial breakthrough, and he didn't continue it in the end. In contrast, Wang Shi frequently participated in his wife's public activities, starred in commercial advertisements, and even sold private board meetings, business courses, etc., which made people question his business ability.
It has been more than six years since Wang Shi resigned as chairman of Vanke, and it should have been a moment for him to show greater value. However, over the years, Wang Shi has hardly achieved breakthrough achievements, and has frequently participated in some activities that do not match his identity, making people's expectations of him gradually fade.
Although we should respect everyone's choice, we also have to admit that Wang Shi can no longer bear the higher expectations of people. We hope that young rising stars in the business community, such as Jack Ma, Ma Huateng and Wang Chuanfu, will be able to take on the role of "Kazuo Inamori" and bring greater hope and progress to China's business community.
In short, Wang Shi's performance after resigning as chairman of Vanke has disappointed people. While we should respect his choice, he can no longer afford the higher expectations that people expect from him. It is hoped that young rising stars in the business community can stand up and bring greater hope and progress to the Chinese business community.