The state of Yan attacked Qi, and Qi suffered a great defeat. King Min of Qi fled to the city of Ju, where he was slain by Nao Chi. Tian Dan held fast to the city of Jimo, defeated the Yan army, and recovered the lost territories of Qi. Later, King Xiang of Qi was established as heir and returned to Qi. The people of Qi said to Tian Dan: "The state has already been ruined, the ancestral temples lie unguarded, and the altars of state cannot be established—why do you cling to a mere small city and fail to plan for greater matters?" Tian Dan replied: "What you say is right, but I have heard that the wise do not defy the times to abandon advantage, the brave do not fear death to bury their renown, and the loyal do not put themselves before their sovereign. Now that you have come forth, I dare not begrudge my own person; I am willing to die in defense, so as to preserve the altars of state." Later, when King Xiang ascended the throne, Tian Dan served as prime minister. One night, an old man crossing the Zi River suffered from the cold, and Tian Dan took off his own fur coat and gave it to him to wear. When King Xiang heard of this, he said: "Tian Dan dispenses kindness to the people—could he be seeking to seize my state? If I do not make preparations early, I fear there may be trouble in days to come." He looked about him—there was no one nearby, save only a pearl-stringer beneath the steps. The king summoned him and asked: "Did you hear my words?" The man replied: "I heard them." The king asked: "What do you think of it?" He answered: "Your Majesty would do better to turn this goodness to your own account. If Your Majesty praises Tian Dan's virtuous deed and issues an edict, saying: 'I am troubled that the people hunger, and Tian Dan takes them in and feeds them; I am troubled that the people suffer cold, and Tian Dan removes his fur coat to clothe them. I am troubled that the people toil, and Tian Dan shares that concern—this accords with my own heart.' If Tian Dan has virtue and Your Majesty commends him, then to praise Tian Dan's goodness is to make it Your Majesty's own goodness." The king said: "Well spoken." He therefore bestowed upon Tian Dan cattle and wine, and lauded his conduct. Several days later, the pearl-stringer again sought audience with the king and said: "When Your Majesty holds court, you should summon Tian Dan, bow to him with reverence in the hall, and personally offer him comfort. Then issue a decree, seeking among the people those who are hungry and cold, taking them in and providing for them." Thereupon he sent men into the streets to listen, and they heard the common folk speaking among themselves, lifting their heads and sighing: "How dearly Tian Dan loves the people! Ah, this is surely the grace of the king's instruction!"
💡 商战启示录
This tale embodies the classic wisdom of "leveraging momentum to rise" and "attributing merit" in modern commercial warfare. Tian Dan won the people's hearts through personal acts of kindness, which initially made King Xiang, his sovereign, feel threatened. Yet, guided by the sagacious bead-stringer, the king deftly transformed Tian Dan's benevolence into his own leadership image—by publicly commending him, personally extending courtesies, and subsequently rolling out inclusive policies, he incorporated his subordinate's contributions into his own strategic framework. This mirrors how a modern CEO, facing a star executive or core team gaining market acclaim, should neither envy nor suppress them, but rather proactively "endorse" and amplify their value while binding their personal brand to the company's vision. For instance, when Steve Jobs returned to Apple, he did not erase the technological legacy accumulated under former CEO Gil Amelio, but instead converted innovations like the iMac into the narrative of "Apple's renaissance," reinforcing his own aura as a leader. Similarly, Alibaba's Jack Ma often attributes the achievements of the "Eighteen Founders" to "the era and the team," yet through this very attribution, he solidifies his position as a spiritual leader. The key strategy lies in this: a leader must excel at "glorifying others' goodness to establish one's own renown," refracting the brilliance of capable individuals into the halo of the organization, rather than directly seizing credit—the more one publicly elevates subordinates, the more loyalty and external recognition one garners. Meanwhile, the bead-stringer's counsel of "courtesy before force" also reminds managers: when addressing potential power threats, extending due respect first and then systematically strategizing proves far more effective than outright suppression, averting internal friction and converting it into overall competitiveness.