By Ma Yun

W hy W e B ecome Rich

By Ma Yun

R ecently I become very influential.Especiallyafterwe went public,everybody looks at me in different eyesight.All media stare at us.Everybody wonders why Alibaba develops so fast,and why Ma Yun is so successful.

As for me September 6th 2014 was no different from the day before,and I did not feel anything changed.

In a general meeting of the staff and all workers I said that Alibaba was a fast-developing small company with strong influence.We must be very clear in mind that we are still small and the way ahead of us is too long.If we regard it as a multinational of a very strong corporation,the road ahead of us will be narrowed down.

Near the day to stock market I called together the staff and workers who had worked in the company over 5 years and asked them a question:Alibaba produces so many millionaires. Peole admire us of our success.Why we are successful?Because we are more hardworking than others?I do not think so.Although we are very diligent indeed,there are many who are more diligent than us.Then is it because we are clever than others?I do not think,either.Some four or five years ago it was difficult to recruit workers,but now it is quite easy.We can employ ev eryone who can walk. We are neither more diligent nor smart than the average.But we become rich. Why we become so rich now?It is because we are lucky and we are quite foolish.

About eight years ago a lot of people joined in Alibaba.Some clever men said the company gave fewer chances.Some went to other companies,and some left for their own business.Their salaries of income bettered up.Those who were not clever stayed,nobody wanted us.Five years later,we became men of wealth.

We know who we are,and we are very clear of the reasons of our success.Firstly the success should be thanks to the rapid development of internet and then the high-speed growth of Chinese economy.Certainly our team is an important factor too.Some people praised me for my capabilities. Speaktrulythosewhoshouldbe praised are my staff and workers.I participated in the entrance examination three times,and I never dreamed of being among the top three.When I was honored top 3,I felt unbelievable. But I have to tell the truth that I was never left over the 15th.I told my son: "You don’t have to be in the top 3. Middle is OK,not too poor."This is my true opinion.Only by this can he has enough time to study other skills.

I believe that one needs true words from people during his lifetime.Once I was invited to be judge of the columnWinning in China.Some of the contestantswerelovely,humorous, and even funny,but they should be through.The director wanted to keep them on for more audience.I answered if you wanted to choose“super girls”, you should invite judges from the society of arts.I thought I should speak honestly.The aim for making this column was to find best start-ups,not for fun.

You must concentrate on your dream when you want to run a company well. Do not make over three strategic targets for your company.You cannot remember them,and your worker can not remember either.

Why Alibaba has seven branches not eight?A man can manage 7 teams at most.It will be difficult over this number.Some start-ups may feel regret if they cannot make success within the first two years.Alibaba’s successescomefrominsistence.We stared at electronic business for 9 years.We never tried other areas.At that time of period,in order to live on or get into stock market,we surelycould try other field,like games.I dislike getting up early and sleeping too late.So I spoke to myself,I had held on for 9 years,why not another 90 years.We kept on walking forward unhesitatingly.

Sometimes man must know choosing to give up.Only by giving up one can make progress.In the past years, some of us set up in businesses to catch up with the internet,but they failed.They surely knew that the internet was a rock,but still rushed on it. Human beings are different from animals.We should know how to walk around obstacles.

These years we recruit different kinds of men and women in Alibaba.The founder,also the chairman,of our branch company Alipay did not know what is Alipay,or what a bank system is before he came to us.He was a salesman.I sent him to Hanzhou to start our branch Alipay.Why did I choose such a layman?The answer is simple.I need someone familiar with customers and their needs.A leader does not have to know everything,but he should know how to use his staff. Choosing the right man as leader is the key step for success of a company.Experts can be assistance instead of leader.

The leader’s eyesight and generosity arebothimportant.Alibabahas three indexes to assess leaders and the staff.They are strategy,team and result.The former is connected with destiny.It describes your aim,customers and services.

Leaders must set up values for your team.Many people run small companies into big ones,and they think that they are strong enough to do everything.I hope you remember that running a big company,you have to keep small company’s mind and big company’s vision.

Many bosses focus on result.They work to fulfill a sum of income.If so, your team will be very tired.Keeping the things which you want to do by heart and do it carefully,you can get to your aim naturally.

Glaring at service instead of money is the rational way of managing a team.Strategy,team and result are all important in management.

(FromMa Yun’s Speeches to Staff and Workerspublished by the Red Flag Publishing House,produced by CSBOOKY.Illustration:Zhu Chengping)