Technology
The Wisdom of Successful Entrepreneurs: An Interpretation of Ren Zhengfei's Recommended Book List
Introduction. The path to wisdom for successful entrepreneurs is often a profound learning journey. They are able to go above and beyond the average person, with excellent leadership and unique decision-making skills, precisely because they deeply understand the value of learning. Ren Zhengfei, as the founder of Huawei, has benefited from not only practice, but also a deep understanding of multi-domain knowledge. In this article, we will delve into Ren Zhengfei's recommended book list, analyze the main ideas in them, and the guiding significance of these views for entrepreneurs in the face of complex challenges.
List of books and main ideas.
1."The Pentagon Brain" (Anne Jacobson).
Anne Jacobson's "Pentagon Brain" expounds DARPA's research in cutting-edge fields such as the Internet, artificial satellites, and computers, and at the same time provides innovative discussions on political and military theories such as the prisoner's dilemma and game theory. This book is not only an encyclopedia of technology, but also an interpretation of the times to promote social development by deep thinkers. In Huawei's development, the understanding of these cutting-edge technologies and theories provides a clearer perspective for corporate leaders to make decisions.
2."Blitzkrieg Heroes" (Heinz Wilhelm Guderian).
General Guderian's memoir "Blitzkrieg Heroes" shows Germany's military strategy in World War II, especially an in-depth reflection on how new technologies could change the mode of warfare and the strategy of attacking the Soviet Union. Ren Zhengfei praised the book, emphasizing the inspiration of General Guderian's technical intuition, truth-based character, excellent command art, and profound strategic thinking for business leaders.
3.Rommel Wartime Papers (Lid Hart).
Compiled by the British grand strategist Ridhardt, Rommel's Wartime Papers delves into Readhart's command ideas and theories of war. Ren Zhengfei believes that understanding these documents can help business leaders understand how to concentrate forces in the movement, break through on points, achieve overall victory, and grasp the true meaning of being a general.
4."Lost Victory" (von Erich Manstein).
Von Erich Manstein's "Lost Victory" is based on the author's personal experience in World War II and details several major combat operations he personally commanded。Ren Zhengfei believes that understanding Manstein's strategic vision and understanding his idea of decisive battle on the European continent is of great reference value for business leaders when formulating strategic plans.
5.Science: The Endless Frontier (Vanneva Bush).
This book is a foundational work of American science policy, enabling the United States to move away from its dependence on European basic research and become a scientific and technological powerhouse. Ren Zhengfei believes that in this book, Van Neva Bush, a scientific and technological adviser to Roosevelt, proposed that we should attach importance to basic research that is not aimed at application and that it is oriented to the long term, which is the key to promoting the United States to lead the world in basic scientific research.
6.A Brief History of the Future (Yuval Harari).
Yuval Harari's "A Brief History of the Future" examines the impact of technological developments on human society. Ren Zhengfei believes that human beings will always use new technologies to benefit society, rather than destroy it. This book takes readers to rethink the future of humanity and provides inspiration for entrepreneurs in the face of technological change.
7.A Brief History of the Day (Yuval Harari).
Also a work by Yuval Harari, "A Brief History of Today" expounds in depth the laws of the development of human society, the conflict between science and technology on the future social structure and the changes in human ideology. Ren Zhengfei agrees with Harari that through this book, entrepreneurs can better understand the changes in society and better cope with the challenges of the future
8."The Book of the Family of Zeng Guofan" (Zeng Guofan).
At the beginning of Huawei's founding, Zeng Guofan's letters became Ren Zhengfei's business strategy. This book divides Zeng Guofan's family letters into self-cultivation, persuasion, family management, financial management, making friends, politics, employing people, health preservation, and military affairs, providing readers with the wisdom to succeed in all aspects.
9.International Business Law (Shen Sibao, Wang Jun, et al.).
Ren Zhengfei emphasized that the International Commercial Law is a very important summary of human society, and explained in depth the aspects of channels, business, power, etc., which has important reference value for those who hold leadership positions in the field of distribution and channels.
10.The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (Max Weber).
Max Weber's research concluded that "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism" profoundly explained the shaping of people's ethical norms by the Protestant faith, which became the cornerstone of European social and cultural characteristics and lifestyles, and promoted the development of modern capitalist economy. This book has had a profound impact on the field of modern social sciences, providing business leaders with a deep understanding of modern business civilization.
11."Unrestricted Warfare" (Qiao Liang, Wang Xiangsui).
Unrestricted Warfare puts forward the possible forms of warfare in the new era from the strategic level, and provides new thinking for the threats faced by modern countries in many fields. This is an important insight for business leaders to understand how to attack and defend in future wars, win unrestricted warfare, and how to protect their own domains from the fields of finance, cyber, and resources.
12."Ten Blue Bloods" (John Byrne).
The Blue Blood Ten is the story of a great team in American business history, showing how they created the miracle of an era. Ren Zhengfei called on Huawei to learn from the "Ten Blue Bloods", emphasizing management with a focus on data analysis, market orientation, efficiency and management control. This book takes readers to an in-depth understanding of the legendary story of how American youth went from the battlefield to the mall and established a modern enterprise management system.
13.The American Trap (Frederick Pieruzzi).
In The American Trap, Pieruzzi reveals through his own experience the process of Alstom's "forcible" takeover by American companies, and the fact that the United States uses the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act to wage underground economic warfare。How should corporate executives and employees protect themselves, and how should they protect the country's core technology? This book provides an important reference for Chinese enterprises on how to properly prevent risks.
14."Strategies for Winning Battles" (Bryce Hoffman).
In his speech, Ren Zhengfei mentioned that the idea of winning battles should become a management belief. "Strategies to Win Battles" unveils Hoffman's Red Team strategy in military management and helps companies build invincible strategic plans. For today's Chinese companies, this book is a good book that can lead people out of the real predicament.
15."The Biography of Ren Zhengfei" (Sun Like).
The author of this book, Sun Like, has followed and studied Huawei for nearly ten years and has conducted in-depth interviews with Ren Zhengfei many times. Through the review of Huawei's top-secret materials of nearly one million words and interviews with key figures at various stages of Huawei's development history, this book tells the fate and will of Ren Zhengfei objectively and rationally against the background of the great changes of the times, and provides a profound story for understanding Ren Zhengfei and learning his wisdom
16."Huawei's Internal Training Book Series: Huawei's Management Trilogy" (Huang Weiwei, Yin Zhifeng, etc.).
This series contains three official training materials for managers authorized by Huawei, which are inherited from the Huawei Internal Training Materials. The content covers all aspects of Huawei's management, including corporate culture, team building, and leadership. These three books are internal training materials approved by Ren Zhengfei himself, and they are also a summary of Huawei's experience in enterprise management.
Summary. The reason why successful entrepreneurs stand tall in the business arena is often inseparable from deep learning and a deep understanding of multi-domain knowledge. Ren Zhengfei's book list covers technology, strategy, management, ethics and other fields, showing the wisdom of a well-rounded entrepreneur. By studying these classics in depth, business leaders are better equipped to navigate the complex and dynamic business environment and lead their business to a successful future。In the new era, we need to continue to absorb the source of wisdom and constantly surpass ourselves in order to be invincible in the fierce market competition.