Su Dai said to King Zhao of Yan, "Suppose there were a man here who was as filial as Zeng Shen and Xiao Ji, as trustworthy as Wei Shenggao, and as incorruptible as Bao Jiao and Shi Qiu—possessing all three virtues while serving Your Majesty—what would you think?" King Zhao replied, "That would be more than sufficient." Su Dai responded, "If you consider it sufficient, then I too consider it sufficient. Since that is so, why does Your Majesty not send the trustworthy to receive the lands of Yan, the incorruptible to manage the treasury, and the filial to serve your parents? If this cannot be done, then these three virtues are all means of self-serving, not of serving others. Moreover, one as filial as Zeng Shen would, by principle, refuse to spend even a single night away from his parents, so I have never heard of Zeng Shen being able to serve his parents in the sense of devoting himself wholly to a sovereign. If Your Majesty wishes to employ him, it would be better to let him cultivate a reputation through filial devotion. One as trustworthy as Wei Shenggao merely refrains from deceiving others; if Your Majesty wishes to employ him, it would be better to let the trustworthy guard the covenants, while the untrustworthy execute stratagems of deception. One as incorruptible as Bao Jiao would not become a minister of any Son of Heaven, nor befriend any feudal lord, so I have never heard of Bao Jiao being able to accomplish anything for others. If Your Majesty wishes to employ him, it would be better to let the incorruptible guard the granaries, while the greedy engage in bribery. These three men are what the world calls worthy, yet all are self-serving, not serving others. Now if Your Majesty desires to establish merit in the world, it would be better to carefully examine these three types of men and observe how they serve Your Majesty. When such men exist, one's own position is honored; when they vanish, one's own position is debased. Therefore, an enlightened ruler employs his ministers, not allowing them to monopolize benevolence and righteousness, nor allowing them to monopolize deception and falsehood—he must use them in combination. I have heard: an enlightened ruler employs his ministers, causing them to exhaust their abilities without daring to claim exclusive benefit; causing them to strictly fulfill their duties without daring to seize sole authority. Thus loyal ministers do not avoid death, to complete their sovereign's reputation; martyrs do not shun hardship, to achieve their sovereign's merit. Now Your Majesty harbors intentions to campaign eastward against Qi, yet this foolish minister knows Your Majesty cannot succeed. Why? Based on my observation, those whom Your Majesty calls worthy are all self-serving, not serving others. If Your Majesty could abandon sensual pleasures, release the palace ladies, to bring joy to the scholars; distribute the wealth of the treasuries, accumulate grain, to nourish the scholars; employ humble words and generous gifts, to retain the scholars—then the achievements of the Three Kings could be realized. Once the achievements of the Three Kings are realized, then Your Majesty's own merit shall be accomplished."
💡 商战启示录
Su Dai's argument cuts to the heart of talent management: many who appear both virtuous and capable often deploy their loyalty and skills in service of personal branding rather than organizational goals. In modern corporate warfare, enterprises frequently mistake "high-performing stars" for "highly loyal members." Consider the tech giant that recruited a "parachuted executive" at great expense—impressive résumé, stellar industry reputation—yet upon arrival, this individual prioritized cultivating personal influence, eventually poaching core teams to establish a rival venture. King Zhao of Yan faced precisely this risk: the "moral capital" of filial piety, trustworthiness, and integrity could be wielded as bargaining chips awaiting a higher bidder. Su Dai's solution lies in "employing through triangulation": rather than idolizing any single virtue, establish mechanisms of "capability-position alignment and authority-accountability parity," ensuring that an employee's talents generate organizational value in specific roles, not personal premiums. Huawei's "rotating CEO" system, for instance, leverages individual expertise while institutional checks prevent the privatization of power; Alibaba separates "integrity" from "performance" in its evaluations, forestalling moral posturing from becoming a managerial blind spot. The deeper lesson is this: a leader's art of delegation should mirror Su Dai's dictum—"let ministers exhaust their abilities, yet dare not monopolize the gains"—binding personal interest to organizational purpose through equity incentives, project-based authorization, and transparent audits. The true worthy talent is not a paragon of morality, but one who creates incremental value within the framework of rules.