院长之声 | 贲圣林：择善而从，行必能至 Join the Wise, Strive to Thrive

JOIN THE WISE，STRIVE TO THRIVE

择善而从，行必能至

2021年9月12日，浙江大学国际联合商学院院长贲圣林在新生欢迎会上围绕本次欢迎会的主题“择善而从，行必能至”（Join the Wise，Strive to Thrive），以“信任”为关键词为新生们做了精彩分享。

贲院长用2000多年前《论语》中子贡问政的故事，点出“民无信不立”，让学生们看到了时至今日依然闪耀的先贤智慧，以海尔、蚂蚁等企业为例进一步阐述了信任的重要性，信任是一个国家兴盛的根基，是一个企业发展的无形资产和基础设施，也是一个人的安身立命之本。贲院长还用自己总结的“5C”理论向大家生动地解释了信任的五大组成部分——character、concentration、capacity、communication以及consistency，并提出可以通过技术（technology）、制度（policy）、组织与人（people&organization）的“TPP”信任三角，构建一个可持续发展的信任大厦。

开学的余热还未散去，让我们一起用心聆听，院长的勉励与期盼。以下为致辞中英文全文分享。

向上滑动阅览

各位嘉宾、各位老师、各位同学，大家好！

欢迎各位新同学加入ZIBS大家庭。每年我们的迎新欢迎会都有一个主题，今年的主题是“择善而从，行必能至”（Join the Wise，Strive to Thrive）。这个主题不仅仅是一句口号，更是我对同学们的期望，希望大家在加入ZIBS后能“择善而从”，用好浙大和ZIBS这个知识大宝库，结交良师益友，也能够利用自己的优势和才能去探索、去实践，反过来为ZIBS的建设贡献一份自己的力量。

当然，作为一个商学院，ZIBS的使命显然不仅仅只是告诉大家“应该做什么”，而是需要更进一步告诉大家“怎么做”。那么如何才能“join the wise，strive to thrive”呢？我最近苦思冥想，最终得到两点结论：首先，选择加入ZIBS，我认为同学们就已经做到了现阶段的“join the wise”（笑）。再者，要想“strive to thrive”，我认为最需要的是“信任”（Trust），只有打好信任的基石，才能拥有可持续的繁荣，这将是我今日分享的核心关键词，也是我认为的人生关键词。接下来，我会从信任的重要性、什么是信任、如何建立信任三方面与大家做进一步的探讨。

01

信任为基，走向共荣

信任为何重要？为何我会说他是基石？都说半部《论语》治天下，我想跟大家先从一场来自孔子和他的学生子贡的问与答中来感受，这就是很多人熟知的“子贡问政”故事。一天，子贡问他的老师，该怎样治理国家，处理政事。孔子答复：“需要满足备足粮食，充实军备，老百姓对政府充满信任这三点。”子贡又问：“如果迫不得已要去掉一项，在这三项之中去掉哪一项呢？”孔子答复：“去掉军备，饭还是要吃的。”子贡又问：“如果迫不得已还要去掉一项，在这两项之中又去掉哪一项呢？”孔子回答说：“去掉粮食。因为，自古以来无人能免一死，没有粮食不过是饿死罢了，但一个国家、一个政府不能得到老百姓的信任就要垮掉。”

2000多年前中国先贤的智慧闪耀至今，照亮着人类前进的道路。而说到“信任”，上世纪80年代的中国，也有一个动人的信任故事。1985年，有一家小企业的仓库里存放着76台质量有问题的冰箱，众人正在讨论如何处置这批冰箱。当时这家企业的CEO没有选择听从员工的建议把有质量问题的冰箱卖向市场，也没有选择将问题冰箱作为员工福利发放，而是出人意料的开了一个全体员工的现场会，把 76 台冰箱当众全部砸掉，且由生产这些冰箱的员工亲自来砸。在那个物资还紧缺的年代，冰箱仍可以算的上是奢侈品，而且这家企业本身已面临工资都快开不出的困境。但是，也正是这一“有悖常理”的举动给公司、客户及整个行业发出了一个强有力的信号：他们只生产和销售高品质的产品，人们可以信赖他们的品牌。这家小公司就是海尔，CEO就是张瑞敏。时至今日，以诚信为基石的海尔已经成为中国乃至世界最成功的企业和品牌之一。

从物资匮乏的上世纪80年代到现在万物互联的数字时代，时移世易，但信任依旧是当下企业经营的核心理念，甚至可以说变得更为重要。互联网的探路者们不仅深刻地意识到这一点，并且身体力行将信任注入企业文化，早早开启了实践之路。“因为信任，所以简单”，在座的很多人可能听说过这句口号。这是哪家公司我相信大家已有答案，它就是目前全球最著名的科技公司之一——蚂蚁集团。蚂蚁集团的董事长兼CEO井贤栋先生今天也来到我们的现场（笑）。正是这份围绕“信任”的初心和价值观，驱动着蚂蚁一路向前，在金融普惠的道路上创造了一个又一个令人惊叹的成绩。

可以看到，无论是过去还是现在，无论是对国家、对企业还是对个人，信任都是成功和繁荣的基础。

02

何以为信，5C是也

在明确了信任的重要性后，我不禁又思考，何为信呢？结合从古至今、从中到西的众多故事、理念和自己的亲身经历，我总结了“5C”理论，希望借此向大家更清晰地解释信任的五大组成部分——character、concentration、capacity、communication以及consistency，我也将其称之为“信任大厦”（The House of Trust），这可是我的专利（笑）。

第一，Character，中文意为品格。对于个人而言，诚实正直的品格作为根基，决定了一个人可以向前走多远、向上飞多高；对于公司来说亦是如此，企业的品格作为企业的DNA，藏在企业的文化中、愿景里。

第二，Concentration，专注。集中注意力是做事的第一要务，投入的时间、精力、资源都将因为专注程度而受到影响。

第三，Capacity，能力。在品格与专注的基础上，能力就显得尤为重要。力不从心自古有之，品格为先，能力可培养。

第四，Communication，沟通。沟通是理解的桥梁，信任往往建立在一来一往、一言一语、开诚布公的沟通之中。

第五，Consistency，一致。雷锋同志说:“做好事不难,难的是一辈子做好事。”信赖与可靠往往建立在知行合一、从一而终的工作表现里。

我认为以上五个“C”作为构成信任的重要因素，缺一不可，且以品格为信任之基（即信任是strive to thrive的基础，而品格更为信任的基础）。希望同学们可以跟我一样将此5C牢记于心，以信任为基石，朝着成熟与成功不断迈进。

03

以何建信，唯TPP尔

最后，也是最关键的一环是，如何建立信任？材料备齐，只待动工。我认为，建立信任有一个“TPP”信任三角——需要的是技术（Technology）、制度（Policy）、组织与人（People & organization）。通过这个信任三角，方可构建一个可持续发展的信任大厦。

具体而言，技术是信任三角的第一条边，是我们之前提到5C中能力的体现，是达到成功最直接的方式。新的技术永远是推动社会进步的第一生产力。制度是信任三角的第二条边，良好的制度与规则能够将所有零散的点串联起来，使复杂而庞大的社会与机构顺利运转。最后一条边即是组织与人，人是社会的细胞，是一切的基础，在全球互联互通的数字时代，人的重要性尤为突出。

就企业来说，TPP三条边凝聚而来的“信任”，是其最核心的基础设施与无形资产，而在资本市场上便更多体现为PB值（市净率）的差异，这是相对直接而真实的资本市场对一个企业信任感与品牌价值的无言告白与认可。

总而言之，信任是一个国家兴盛的根基，是社会建设的基础设施，是企业健康发展的无形资产，也是一个人的安身立命之本。信任是走向共同富裕的基础，何以为信？5C是也；以何建信，唯TPP尔。

千里之行始于足下。三年前的ZIBS从金钱来看可以说是一无所有，但是从信任来看我们又是何其富有，我们带着学校领导、老师、学生以及国内外合作伙伴、政府机构的信任，开始了义无反顾、筚路蓝缕的“创业之路”。短短三年，ZIBS已经成为极富特色的、全球化的商学院，合作伙伴遍布世界。从亚洲到澳洲、从美洲到非洲、从欧洲到中东，合作伙伴们选择ZIBS，不仅看中ZIBS的现在，更认可将信任之重刻在DNA里的ZIBS的未来。

亲爱同学们、朋友们和ZIBS的家人们，感谢你们对ZIBS团队的信任，对ZIBS项目、努力和前景的信任。ZIBS以“改变世界，引领未来”（Connecting the World, Shaping the Future）为使命，以信任为基石，携手每一位伙伴，披荆斩棘踏浪而行，继续朝着新时代全球化、数字化、生态化的新型商学院稳步迈进。

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New Semester, New Theme

First of all, it is my privilege and pleasure to warmly welcome everyone to the ZIBS family, the ZIBS community, or what we call the ZIBS ecosystem.

Each year, we choose a new theme for the welcome event, as a slogan to rally people around, a statement of what we would like you and us to focus on in the coming year and beyond.

This year, we have chosen something by the wisest Chinese man, Confucius. “择善而从，行必能至！” from “The Analects of Confucius”（“论语”），which can be interpreted as “Join the Wise, Strive to Thrive” in English. Not perfect, but probably good enough for us. As I learned in theory as an engineering student majoring in Automation as well as in real life, optimal or the best solution is not always possible or practical, we settle with the second-best solution or the best possible solution given the circumstance and the constraints either in terms of cost or capabilities.  

The theme is more than just a statement, or a slogan, they are also our expectations, and our best wishes to all of you, to make the right choices, JOIN the right group of wise people, STRIVE for the right goals and THRIVE in the right circumstances!!

01

How to Thrive: Trust is key

I want to congratulate you, because, by choosing to study (or if you are a faculty or staff member who works or lectures) at ZIBS, you have made the excellent choice of “Joining the Wise”, as there is a huge reservoir of wisdom at ZJU and ZIBS in particular. You will not just benefit from this reservoir but also contribute to it, to the ZIBS wisdom pool as each of you are also bringing with you a wealth of wisdom accumulated through your personal and professional journeys. I am looking forward to your sharing, with your cohort of classmates, your colleagues, and your community at ZIBS.  

Now you have already accomplished the first part of our theme, “Joining the Wise”, or at least stated your willingness to be a wise person. How about the second part “Strive to Thrive”? Business schools especially ZIBS are expected to teach the hard part: the “HOWs”. So how to “Strive to Thrive”?

Well, over the past couple of weeks I have been thinking, thinking hard about an answer, a ZIBS answer to this question. A keyword as a result of my humble effort has emerged——Trust (信任), as simple as it may seem. Trust is both fundamental and foundational to succeed and THRIVE, for individuals and institutions alike, for Chinese and non-Chinese, in the past，present, and the future.

Let me draw on the wisdom of our ancestors again, also from “The Analects of Confucius”, the famous “Questions & Answers” between Zigong and his teacher Confucius about governance, （“子贡问政”）, in 550 BC. One day, Zigong asked Confucius: “Among the triangle of Arms, Food, and Trust. Which one is the most indispensable? According to Confucius, the wise man, trust is the utmost foundation, more important than food, and more important than army. 

Likewise, the modern world relies heavily on trust even more. Let’s take a look at a few scenarios.

• Trust in Finance

As is recognized by many, finance is all about credit, or trust. In banking industry, there is a saying “my word is my bond”. Many people may find it hard to believe, but 25 years ago, as a junior banker at ABN AMRO,I was literally shocked when my colleague Wolfgang in Germany told me that his conversation with the CFO of a German client would suffice, provided that we document it in a simple note, as verbal guarantee is a legally enforceable agreement in German court. The high level of trust that our bank placed on the verbal guarantee greatly simplified and streamlined the process of credit negotiation and business transaction with the client.

• Trust in Society

Today, TRUST is still a commodity of scarcity and in severely short supply! It is the foundation for international diplomacy, social governance, public administration, financial markets, business activities and social relationships.

It is noteworthy that countries are successful and thriving thanks to higher level of trust their people have, in each other, in the political system, in the government institutions, reducing the cost of doing business or simply dealing with each other, improving the business environment. Small wonder these successful economies would include countries like Germany, Switzerland, or Singapore.

Similarly, successful and thriving businesses often have great level of trust with their customers, their employees, their distributors, their suppliers and their regulators, in their products and services.

• Trust in Business

The story I am going to share with you is an excellent example of trust in business. In 1985, a small Chinese company under financial difficulty, found that 76 refrigerators they produced are defective and shoddy. As defective as the products were, they were considered good enough to be put into market. Remember it was in 1980s where home appliances like refrigerators were considered luxury goods and hardly available or affordable to the average Chinese households. Many customers would settle for these “good enough” refrigerators. Instead of selling them to the market or giving them out as employee benefits, the CEO ordered to smash them all by the very employees who created them! That not only sent the shockwave throughout the company but also sent the powerful signal to everyone including their customers: 

We only produce and sell quality products, you can TRUST our quality and our brand. 

Can you guess which company it is? The small company was Haier, the CEO was ZHANG Ruimin. Haier is now one of the most successful Chinese companies and brands people generally trust. Haier is not the only one who values trust more than anything else. Check out the values and vision statements of some other leading companies, the chance is that TRUST is usually mentioned. 

Fast forward, in today’s digital era, in the age of internet, trust is even more important as online communication is playing an increasingly important role in our network of connections. The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated this trend. No wonder the smart digital giants have all focused on (or have said that they would focus on) winning the TRUST of their users, customers and society in general. Many of you must have heard of this Chinese slogan by a technology company, “因为信任，所以简单 “. It says TRUST helps us simplify complicated terms of contracts, help us streamline the long negotiation processes, help us save time and money in reaching agreements. In the terms of economics, transaction cost is significantly reduced, trust makes life easier, business easier, relationship easier, governance easier and everything easier. Which company is that? I guess many of you already knew the answer, it is one of the best-known tech companies in the world—— the Ant Group, whose Chairman and CEO, Eric Jin is also with us today. I believe it is exactly this trust-centric mindset which has been driving Ant Group forward and contribute to financial inclusion.

02

What is Trust: the 5Cs

Let us now look into the critical components of Trust, the House of Trust. To make it simpler for you to remember, I have summarized the critical components as 5Cs since they all start with C.   

These 5Cs are:

Character (品格): the kind of people you are dealing with, the kind of counterparties you are dealing with. For a company, what you are is usually reflected in your corporate DNA. If trust is the foundation for business to thrive, character is the foundation for building trust.

Concentration (专注): how committed you are will determine how much effort you put into what you do, how much you concentrate or commit your time, effort and resources to a particular project or relationship. Your level of commitment will affect the outcome and will affect how much people will trust you can actually deliver as promised.

Capacity (能力): how competent and capable you are? People say “my mind is willing, but my body is weak”. In Chinese, we say: 力不从心！Both are saying that one may have all the willingness to do something, but lack the capability or capacity to deliver it. Therefore, capacity is also a key component for trust.

Communication (沟通): how well are you understood by your stakeholders? You need to communicate effectively so that they know, understand and appreciate who you are, what your intentions and goals are, and what your action points will be. The classical WHAT, WHO, WHEN and HOW questions. With communication comes transparency, with transparency comes TRUST.

Consistency（一致）：are you consistent in delivering your promises, over time, in different contexts? The Chinese legend LEI Feng said very well: 做好事不难，难的是一辈子做好事。It is not difficult to do good deeds, what is difficult is to do good deeds throughout your life. That is Doing Good For Good. Consistency in performance will determine whether or not you are truly reliable and trustworthy.

To summarize, Character, Concentration or Commitment, Capacity or Competence, Communication and Consistency, altogether constitute the building blocks of TRUST. Each and every element of the 5Cs is important and indispensable with character as the foundation! By relentlessly implementing and seamlessly integrating the 5Cs, you will be on your way to earn the TRUST and to THRIVE.

03

How to Build Trust: The Triangle of TPP

Having talked about the House of Trust, how to build the House? I would like to share with you a Triangle of TPP (Technologies, Process & Procedures, People & Organization). The TPP Triangle is the pillar underpinning The House of Trust. Given the time constraint, I will briefly touch on them and you will learn from the classes.

Let me start with Technology, the first side of the triangle: it is how good you are with producing your products and providing the services; are you applying the latest technologies to automate & augment the product delivery and production process?  

The second side of the triangle is Process and Procedures. How are the front end, middle office and back office interacted and integrated in customer delivery process? How customer feedbacks are integrated into the product innovation and BRAND building process?

Last but not the least, the third side of the triangle are People and Organization. How people are managed and motivated, how organizations are organized and operated, especially in the age of global connectivity and digital economy. 

The TPP Triangle of Trust constitute the infrastructure for the company, their synergy and strengths represent the competitive advantages of a company. From the perspective of capital markets, this can be explained by the movement of its share prices, the vast differentials of PB/PE ratios between the good and bad companies. Because today the intangible assets like IPR and BRAND are more important than hard assets. Trust is the most important element of Intangible Asset.

Key Takeaways and Implications for ZIBS

To sum up, in order to thrive, whether for an economy, a society, an industry especially industries such as finance, as well as organizations and individuals, trust is of utmost importance. And to have a deeper understanding of trust, we came up with “The House of Trust” which decomposed trust into 5 equally important and indispensable elements, namely the 5Cs, including Consistency, Communication, Capacity, Concentration and Character. How to build “The House of Trust”? the TPP Triangle which integrates the three pillars of trust, Technology, as well as People & Organization to construct a triangle, with the belief that the synergy of these three factors could be the KEY TO TRUST, hence THRIVE.

This very mindset has been, and should be deeply rooted in the development of ZIBS as an international business school. Three years ago, we began our ZIBS journey with NO money, but fortunately we were blessed with enormous Trust. The unconditional trust did not just come from our university leadership, but also from our support functions, our staff, our students as well as our external partners, from government agencies to corporate and academic institutions, from home and abroad.

Today, our global network of academic partners hail from America to Asia, from Australia to Africa, Europe and Middle East. They have chosen to trust ZIBS, not just trust in who we are, what we have done, but also trust in our future potential! They see our passion to build and potential to become a premier global business school in the future. Up to this moment, over 400 students from over 50 countries are studying at ZIBS. They have put their trust in ZIBS, making ZIBS one of the most international schools in and outside China. 

Dear Class 2021, dear colleagues, dear friends and family members of ZIBS, taking this opportunity, I thank you for your trust in our story and our team, your trust in our programs, your trust in our progress and our prospect. We are truly grateful for your generous support and kind trust. As we continue our journey to build ZIBS into a premier global business school: “Connecting the World, Shaping the Future”, I know we can count on your continued trust and support. Let us all start today with our joint effort to build, to connect, to trust, and to thrive together! Thank you! 

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