Rebirth of the World’s Richest Man

Jiang Xiaobai listened carefully and waited until Wang Zhidong finished speaking before lighting a cigarette, then stood up and walked to the bookcase behind him.

Needless to say, Jiang Xiaobai's bookcase is still very big, and there are a lot of books in it. However, Jiang Xiaobai has not read many of the books, but this thing is just for the facade.

Jiang Xiaobai likes to buy books, but sometimes he doesn’t have time to read them after buying them. But Jiang Xiaobai still buys them, not for other reasons, nor to wait to install a pen.

To put it simply, buying books is better than buying other luxuries. Jiang Xiaobai is not short of money. For example, if you buy a sports car and leave it in the garage without driving it, it will depreciate over time, or the car will suffer natural wear and tear. , will depreciate.

For the same thing, it's better to buy a book and bring it back. At least the book won't break wherever you put it. If you have time, you can just read it twice. Even if you don't have time, you can pass it on to the next generation.

However, there were also books that Jiang Xiaobai often read, and some books that he knew how to read. Jiang Xiaobai quickly found a book from the bookcase and handed it to Wang Zhidong.

It’s Good to Great published by Citi’s Jim Collins.

"This is the best-selling book in Citiland this year. If you have nothing to do in the afternoon, please read this book first. We will discuss this issue during dinner in the evening." Jiang Xiaobai said with a smile.

Xinlang was founded by Wang Zhidong. Guiding the company's development strategy is not what Jiang Xiaobai, an investor, should do. If it reaches this level, the company should change to a CEO and a leader to lead the company forward. .

Instead of letting the founders stay in their positions and occupy the manhole.

Of course, Jiang Xiaobai also understood that Wang Zhidong was confused because, on the one hand, the industry made it difficult to see the way forward and the direction.

On the other hand, the capital rush is tight, leaving little time for Wang Zhidong. Wang Zhidong himself is also very anxious.

However, Jiang Xiaobai feels that any reason should not be a factor in confusion for the founder of a company, because the leader is to lead the company to find the lighthouse in the fog. If the leader is confused, can the company continue to develop?

It would be better to cut the mess quickly and replace it with another person, so Wang Zhidong asked Jiang Xiaobai what strategy the company should choose, and Jiang Xiaobai would definitely not give his opinion directly.

Wang Zhidong was a little confused, but since Jiang Xiaobai said so, he still held the book and went to read it.

However, just after reading the beginning, Wang Zhidong became obsessed with it. How should I put it, the issue of the life span of Internet companies that Wang Zhidong mentioned just now is the theme discussed in the book.

Otherwise, this book would not have become the best-selling business book of the year. Everything about this is related to the era in which he lived.

If it hadn't been for the Nasdaq stock market crash last year, this book would definitely not have been such a best-seller. If the upstarts on Nasdaq were still going crazy and their net worths were changing day by day, who would have the time to listen to your preaching here?

But the stock market crashed, and the Internet's upstarts felt the cruelty of reality in this cold winter. During the development of enterprises, they felt the setbacks and hardships they had to face in the process of growth. Naturally, they were able to calm down and read a book to find solutions. .

When the spring breeze is triumphant, I will only think about seeing all the flowers in Chang'an in one day. Only when I experience setbacks, I will sleep on the firewood and taste the courage, settle down, and sleep in the long pines and gullies in order to stand erect in Fumingtang.

This is human nature. If times don't create heroes, this book is very relevant to the upstarts in the Internet industry who are currently suffering and suffering.

The book analyzes every company in Fortune Magazine's Idea 500 rankings since 1965, a total of more than 1,400 companies, and draws some surprising conclusions.

Collins wrote in the book that the transformation of a company from good to great has nothing to do with whether the industry in which it is engaged is in the trend.

In fact, even a business in a traditional industry may become outstanding even if it starts out in obscurity.

Technology and the changes driven by technology cannot actually inspire the leap from good to great. Mergers and acquisitions do not play any role in promoting the company's leap. Revolutionary leap does not necessarily require a revolutionary process. Excellence is not A product of circumstances, it is, to a large extent, the result of careful decision-making.

These concepts are completely subversive for entrepreneurs who once made rapid progress and are now trapped in the Internet bubble.

Not to mention other Internet companies, Wang Zhidong knew what his Xinlang relied on to get started. In addition to the unexpected achievements he made, it was also inseparable from the wanton acquisitions.

In 1998, under the recommendation of Huadeng International, Sitong Lifang, the predecessor of Xinlang, merged with Huayuan.com at a valuation of US$30 million.

Huayuan.com was already a large Chinese website at that time, and it was very successful and had a large number of users. It was only after Xinlang merged with Huayuan.com that it became the largest portal website in China.

This can be regarded as Wang Zhidong's strong business handwriting, and it is worthy of his pride. However, the book now says that mergers and acquisitions did not play any role in promoting the company's leap forward.

No use?

Wang Zhidong is thinking about this issue seriously. It is useless to say that this acquisition has indeed played a huge role in the development of Xinlang. It is unparalleled in terms of users and reputation.

But let's say it is useful. In the current Internet winter, the previous merger that made Xinlang the largest portal website in the country is of no use. The stock price should still fall now. From this point of view, the conclusion in the book seems to be correct.

Wang Zhidong pondered for a while and continued to look down.

In the book, Collins describes the leaders who create excellence: “They don’t tend to stand out in the front office, become media darlings, talk about their ideas, or become celebrities.

Most of them are like aliens, silent and internal. Not pushy, even a little bit shy. "

Wang Zhidong couldn't stand it anymore. There was no other reason. The main reason was that the outstanding leaders described in this book and the founders of the Internet industry were not compatible at all.

Among the upstarts in the Internet industry, including him, there is no one who is not very flamboyant. Standing under the flashing lights, he is the darling of the media and newspapers, and is the center of everyone.

Needless to say, he was once prosperous, but now he is in deep quagmire. He was interviewed by "Southern Visit Weekend" before, and he was still talking to reporters in front of the media, talking about his achievements, his foresight, etc. .