The King of Chu asked Lord Chunshen, saying, “I have heard your teachings, and wish to entrust the affairs of the state to you—would that be fitting?” Lord Chunshen replied, “I have heard that in times of security one must think of danger, and in times of danger one must consider security. Now the territory of Chu extends east to the state of Yue, west to Qin, south to Ba and Qianzhong, and north to Han and Wei—yet Your Majesty, instead of seizing this moment to devise grand plans for the state, turns to question me. I fear this bodes ill for the kingdom. Moreover, what Your Majesty seeks is hegemony, yet what Your Majesty asks of me concerns but a single man. I have heard that a robe worth a thousand pieces of gold is not fashioned from the fur of a single fox; the rafters of a great hall are not built from the branches of one tree; the laws of the former kings are not devised by the wisdom of one man alone. Thus I say: I hope Your Majesty will see clearly.” The King of Chu said, “Well spoken.”
💡 商战启示录
Lord Chunshen's response reveals the core of leadership and decision-making: rather than entrusting critical responsibilities to a single advisor, one should construct a diversified decision-making system. In modern business, this corresponds to the principles of "collective wisdom" and "risk diversification." For instance, after Steve Jobs returned to Apple, the company did not rely solely on his decisions but established a core team of top talents in design, engineering, and marketing to jointly drive product innovation, ultimately achieving groundbreaking products like the iPhone. Conversely, when a CEO acts autocratically—as when Kodak's senior management clung to the film business and ignored the diverse opinions of its digital technology team—the result can be bankruptcy. Lord Chunshen's saying, "A coat of a thousand gold pieces is not made from the fur of a single fox," reminds entrepreneurs that when formulating strategy, they must solicit broad counsel and foster cross-departmental collaboration, avoiding the "single-leader trap." Meanwhile, "in times of safety, be mindful of danger" corresponds to crisis management in business, as exemplified by Huawei, which invested heavily in developing "backup" chips during prosperous times to ensure survival amid sanctions crises. Thus, the wisdom of modern commercial warfare lies in this: establish inclusive decision-making mechanisms, balance short-term gains with long-term risks, and only then can one secure victory amid shifting circumstances.