Yesterday I wrote an article about Notion titled "Notion Launches Chinese Version", which attracted a lot of readers. It seems that the user base of Notion in China is quite good. Many people have a pessimistic attitude towards whether Notion can continue to be used conveniently in China as usual, but I prefer to think positively. Even if the day comes when it can't be used anymore, we can always find an alternative.
After all, understanding the outside world is a necessary skill. We shouldn't live in a self-indulgent illusion. For example, younger people may not even know about companies like Google, but they are doing well and are still listed as one of the top three global tech companies. Many people don't know about its existence or haven't used their products, which is like having blinders on and pretending that something doesn't exist.
So, it is essential to understand the real world outside, just like knowing arithmetic or languages.
I'm not specifically writing about technology news now, so let's get back to the topic and continue discussing workplace-related issues.
In our environment, there is little room for mistakes. Failure is not allowed, and we emphasize the winner takes all mentality. History is written by the victors, so most of what we read in history is about teaching people how to succeed rather than tolerating failure. This is the philosophical gene of the East, ingrained in everyone's mind.
Don't be attached to things. There are things we cannot succeed in, and we must learn to accept failure. Most successes are built upon a foundation of failures. In the tech industry, venture capital was popular in recent years, and financing was often mentioned.
Across the ocean, there is a saying in the tech industry that many venture capitalists prefer entrepreneurs who have failed a few times because they have already made mistakes and can avoid many risks. Investing in them has a higher probability of success.
However, we don't have the same gene here, so we can't simply copy that approach. Even venture capitalists prefer to find targets with more certainty.
For example, Luo Yonghao, who has failed in several startups, is not an ideal investment team for those venture capital firms. But if he were on the other side of the ocean, he would be in high demand. Unfortunately, it's a matter of environment, and there are many examples like this.
In fact, Ivan Zhao, the founder of Notion, is originally from China and later immigrated to North America. In the early stages of his entrepreneurship, he also experienced failures. Finally, the two founders secluded themselves in Japan, which led to the early version of Notion. If they had been in a different environment, Notion might have become a completely different story.
In the workplace, I have experienced a boss who wanted the team to be in sync with him. His values were simple: everything must be done, especially the tasks assigned by the leaders.
It sounds very inspiring, just like what many success books emphasize.
But reality is not like that. Large companies have their own problems, and the internal environment is unlikely to allow you to do everything according to your expectations. If you are a boss, you face even more external uncertainties, making it even less likely to accomplish everything. After all, many times, the direction of decision-making itself may be wrong. Trying to accomplish things on the wrong path is like fishing in a tree.
Accomplishing things is the highest pursuit of many professionals and is something bosses like. The gene is there, but often it is elusive. Many times, the reality does not allow you to accomplish everything. Large companies have various departments, and the emphasis is on balance. If you accomplish everything, it means that others fail more often, which is not a good sign.
We need to learn to reconcile with ourselves and others, not be attached to a corner. That is the root of pain and can easily become stubbornness. The reason I built the People's Bank system is because the system emphasizes openness and does not consider problems or tasks with a fixed mindset. Only by relaxing ourselves and keeping our system open can we make fewer mistakes and keep up with external developments.