Chapter 4 The first letter to Chinese students: start with honesty

introduction In 2000, when I was working at Microsoft Research Asia, a classmate from a famous university asked me: "Dr. Kaifu, I hope I can be as successful as you. According to my understanding, success is about managing people. It's been a lot of fun. So, what do I do to get into a managerial role?" Obviously, this classmate misunderstood the true meaning of success.In the process of contacting Chinese college students, I found that this misunderstanding of success is quite a common phenomenon.Many students will unconsciously equate success with "wealth", "status" or "leadership" and "management".In the final analysis, this phenomenon reflects a kind of confusion in the value orientation of Chinese students. Under the impact of a diversified society and multiple values, they have lost their independent judgment and gradually deviated from the correct values.

Seeing such a situation, I was very anxious.In fact, real success is not simply copying the success of others, nor is it blindly following a certain social trend.To achieve real success, you must first be a good person with integrity first, and you need to make enough efforts to find your true life goal through continuous learning and continuous communication with others.But how do I communicate these thoughts to tens of millions of Chinese students?Perhaps, I should pick up a pen and write a sincere and enthusiastic letter to Chinese students based on my thoughts on success and years of experience. As a Chinese scholar who has the opportunity to blend East and West, I have the obligation to fulfill.

At that time, my idea of ​​writing letters to Chinese students was opposed by many people around me. They were afraid that I would get into trouble, or be ridiculed as "nosy", or even affect the company's image.But in the end, I still decided to issue this open letter in the media in my own name - the title used at the time was "A Letter to Chinese Students", because I have not yet planned to write the second letter, the third letter... … This article was first published in Guangming Daily, and then it was reprinted by major media across the country.Almost overnight, the open letter was quickly reprinted in various forums and communities on the Internet, and the contents of the letter were spread by word of mouth in countless universities.I did not expect such a huge response, but it just confirmed my previous thinking: Chinese students need more guidance on the road to success, and I have the ability and willingness to provide them with the most effective guidance. help.

On May 23 this year, Mr. Bill Gates wrote an article in the "Wall Street Journal", supporting and urging the US government to give China permanent normal trading status.In the article, he specifically talked about the pleasant experience of the dialogue with Chinese college students at Tsinghua University and the deep impression he left there. This article made me think that during the past two years in China, the greatest enjoyment of my work is to communicate with students in various universities in China.These visits and exchanges gave me the opportunity to have face-to-face communication with thousands of young students on issues such as career and future that they care about.I am very impressed by the intelligence, studiousness and motivation of Chinese students.

In the process of communicating with these young students, I found that there are some issues that everyone is very concerned about.Most of those students who have received foreign university scholarships hope that I will talk about how to spend their study life in the United States; those students who decide to stay in China are very concerned about how to determine a correct direction and to develop as quickly as possible. Achieve success in scientific research and academics; and those students who have just stepped into the university, I hope I can tell them some experience in learning and being a human being.Recently, some students are more concerned about the development of the network information industry, hoping to understand how American college students start their own businesses and become rich.

Seeing so many pairs of eyes eager for knowledge and full of hope, I suddenly had an impulse to write a letter to Chinese students, expressing some of the thoughts I had in the process of communicating with my classmates and what I wanted to say about them. Write some advice from Chinese students to help them have a more perfect personality, a smoother life and a more successful career in the process of studying abroad, working or starting a business in the future. Adhere to the principle of integrity and integrity When I was working at Apple, there was a manager who was just promoted by me. Because of the criticism from his subordinates, he was very frustrated and asked me to find another person to replace him.I asked him: "What do you think are your strengths?" He said, "I am confident that I am a very upright person." I told him: "I promoted you as a manager at the beginning because you are a fair and impartial person. .Management experience and communication skills can be learned in the future work, but an honest heart is priceless.” I supported him to continue working and gave him a lot of guidance and help in management and communication skills.In the end, he lived up to expectations and became an outstanding management talent.Now, he is the chief technology officer of a fairly successful company.

In contrast, I once interviewed a job candidate.He is quite outstanding in technology and management.However, besides talking, he said that if I admitted him, he could even bring over an invention he had worked in the original company.Then he seemed to realize that it was inappropriate to say so, and made a special statement: Those jobs were done after get off work, and his boss didn't know.After this conversation, as far as I am concerned, regardless of his ability and work level, I will definitely not hire him.The reason is that he lacks the most basic principles of life and the minimum professional ethics of "honesty" and "credibility".If such a person is hired, who can guarantee that he will not treat the achievements here as so-called "amateur work" and become a "tribute" to other companies after working here for a period of time?This shows that it is impossible for a person with imperfect character to become a person who really makes a difference.

In the United States, Chinese students are famous for their diligence and excellence. They were once the most popular group of international students in famous universities in the United States.Recently, however, some schools and professors have claimed that they no longer want to admit Chinese students.The reason is simple. Some Chinese students came to the United States with scholarships to study for PhDs, but once they found a job opportunity, they immediately applied to leave the school, leaving aside the degree and research they had promised to complete.This inconsistency between words and deeds has made quite a few professors in the United States doubt the integrity of Chinese students.It should be pointed out that there are a small number of Chinese students who have this kind of behavior, but it is such a "minority" that has caused great damage to the reputation of Chinese students.In addition, at present, many professors in the United States ignore the recommendation letters of most Chinese students, because they know that these recommendation letters come from the students themselves, and there is no reference at all.This is also the inevitable result after the integrity is damaged.

I had a similar problem with Microsoft Research.A student who came here as an intern unexpectedly reported a very good research result.However, the results of his research could not be replicated by others.Later, his boss discovered that the student had selected the experimental data, leaving only the data that met the best results, and discarding the "not so good" data.In my opinion, this student will never be able to achieve a real academic breakthrough, nor can he become a truly qualified researcher. The last thing I want to mention is some people who like to be greedy for small things.They use the school or company phone to make private long-distance calls and reimburse taxi tickets more.Some people may think that students focus on grades and careers, and other details are just some trivial things, and it is no big deal to do as they please.However, those so-called "little things" around them often become the key to shaping a person's personality and accumulating integrity.Some behaviors of being greedy for petty gains and playing tricks will only characterize yourself as a person who is greedy for small gains and has no prospects, and ultimately loses the big because of small things.Regarding these behaviors, a word can be summed up, that is, "don't do it because of the smallness of the evil".

living in groups Compared with most American students, Chinese students are relatively lacking in expression skills, communication skills and team spirit.This may be due to differences in cultural backgrounds and educational systems.Today, when we are facing a highly globalized society, it is especially important to live in groups, perform better and gain more. The ability to express and communicate is very important.No matter how excellent work you have done, if you can't express it and let more people understand and share it, it is almost tantamount to doing it for nothing.Therefore, during the learning stage, you should not only live in a world of one person, but try to learn to interact and communicate with people from all walks of life, actively express your views and opinions on various things, and even give speeches at public gatherings , Exercise your expressive ability.

Expressive ability is not just your "eloquence".Professor Ambady of Harvard University recently conducted a very interesting experiment. He asked two groups of students to evaluate the teaching quality of several professors.He put the lecture videos of these professors silently for two seconds to show to a group of students, and got a set of evaluation results.Then compared with the results of the students who have listened to these professors for several months, the conclusions of the two groups are surprisingly similar.This shows that in the process of expressing one's own thoughts, non-verbal expressions are as important as language, and sometimes the effect is even more obvious.The non-verbal expressions mentioned here refer to people's appearance, manners, tone, tone and expression.Because from these aspects, people can judge your ability to behave and do things more intuitively and visually, and see your confidence and enthusiasm, so as to get a very important "first impression". For a group, a company, or even a country, team spirit is very crucial.Microsoft is famous for its special team spirit in the United States.In the research and development of products like Windows 2000, Microsoft has more than 3,000 development engineers and testers involved, and has written 50 million lines of code.Without a highly unified team spirit, without the tacit understanding and division of labor of all participants, this project would be impossible to complete. Relatively speaking, I have seen this phenomenon in other companies before.After a project was arranged, everyone knew it could not be completed, but they all tacitly did not tell the boss.Because there is no way to finish it anyway, everyone simply did not work hard to do things, but spent more time figuring out how to blame others for the failure of this project.It is these people and this style of work that almost bring this company down. In order to cultivate team spirit, I suggest that students actively participate in the work of various social groups while studying.In the process of division of labor and cooperation with others, sharing results, mutual assistance and mutual benefit, you can realize the importance of team spirit. In the process of learning, you must not be unwilling to share good ideas, ideas and results with others. It is unhealthy to worry that others will come ahead of you, and it will not help your success.There is a proverb that says, "The more you give, the more you get".Just imagine, if your behavior makes people feel that "yours is mine and mine is mine", when you need help, do you think others will come to help you?Conversely, if you help others generously from time to time, will you be rewarded by more people? In a team, be brave enough to acknowledge the contributions of others.If you use the wisdom and achievements of others, you should declare it.If you get help from others, you should express your gratitude.This is also the basic embodiment of team spirit. %%% Be an active person Thirty years ago, an engineer's dream goal was to enter IBM, the most technologically advanced company.At that time, IBM's definition of talent was a person with professional knowledge and hard work.Times have changed, things have developed to this day, and people's views on talents have gradually changed.Today, many companies are looking for people who are proactive, enthusiastic, flexible and confident. As a college student in contemporary China, you should no longer just passively wait for others to tell you what to do, but should take the initiative to understand what you want to do, plan them, and then go all out to complete them.Think about the most successful people in the world today, how many of them are obedient and waiting for orders from others?When dealing with your own academic and research projects, you need to devote yourself to continuous efforts with the sense of responsibility and love that a mother has for her children.If so, there is no goal that cannot be attained. A proactive person should also listen to criticism and opinions of others with an open mind.In fact, this is also a manifestation of aggressiveness.If you can't humbly accept criticism from others and learn from it, you can't make greater progress.Bill Gates once said to all employees of the company: "Customer criticism is more important than making money. From customer criticism, we can better learn from failure and turn it into a driving force for success." In addition to humbly accepting criticism from others, you should also try to find a mentor you particularly respect.This good teacher should be someone other than the teacher who directly teaches you. Such a person can give you some advice more objectively.In addition to teaching you academically, this good teacher can also guide you in other aspects, including how to behave in the world, how to look at problems, and the skills to deal with emergencies, etc.I was fortunate enough to have such a mentor when I was in charge of a research department at Apple.At that time, he was the senior vice president in charge of Apple's global operations and production business. Many of the teachings he gave me in terms of career development have benefited me throughout my life.If you have such a person to help you, then you will definitely grow faster than others. Most Chinese students are reserved and shy, and not used to self-promotion.However, if you want to seize the fleeting opportunity, you must learn to persuade others and sell yourself or your point of view to others.Convince yourself before convincing others.Your passion plus intelligence often reflects your potential, which is what people often call chemistry.In general, a good self-promotional strategy can make things even better. For example, once I received a very special job application.Unlike most job applicants in the past, this applicant's job application materials include his self-introduction, his yearning for Microsoft Research, and why he thinks he is a suitable candidate, in addition to his published papers, The teacher's recommendation letter and the topic he hopes to work on at Microsoft, etc.Although the school he graduated from is not the most famous school in China, his self-promotion has worked.I saw his enthusiasm and seriousness in these documents.When I interviewed him, he submitted a fuller profile.Finally, when I asked him if he had any questions to ask me, he asked me, "Do you have any reservations about me?" At that time, I did have doubts about whether he could enter the new research field, so I went further. Asked him some questions about this.He gave two convincing examples.In the end, we hired this candidate.He's doing really well right now. Challenge yourself and develop your potential When I was working at Apple, one day, the boss suddenly asked me when I could take over his job?I was very surprised and said that I lacked management experience and ability like him.But he said that these experiences can be cultivated and accumulated, and he hopes that I can do it in two years.With such hints and encouragement, I began to consciously strengthen my learning and practice in this area.Sure enough, I did take over his job two years later.I personally think that a person's leadership quality is very important for his future study, business or politics.At any time and in any environment, we should consciously cultivate our leadership skills.At the same time, I suggest that you give yourself some opportunities to show your ability in this area. Perhaps, like me, you will be surprised that your potential in this area is far beyond what you imagined. Setting goals for yourself is very important.It is unrealistic to set goals too high, but never set goals too low.In the 21st century, competition has no boundaries. You should let go of your thinking, stand at a higher starting point, and set a more challenging standard for yourself. Only then will you have an accurate direction of effort and broad prospects. Don't be a "frog at the bottom of a well".In addition, it is ridiculous to think that one has achieved fame just by getting good grades and rankings in one school. You must know that there are mountains beyond mountains, and there are people above mountains, and the measurement standards are different in different places.Therefore, in terms of setting goals, you must not have the idea of ​​"rather be the head of a chicken than the queen of a cow". A first-class person may perform as well as an average person on ordinary problems, but on first-rate problems there will be a world of difference.The famous American writer William Faulkner said: "Don't try your best to compete with your colleagues. You should care more about: you are stronger than you are now." You should always set yourself some very challenging , but not an unattainable goal. When setting your future career goals, don't forget to ask yourself: "Is this my favorite major? Am I willing to devote myself to it?" I hope that you can be full of passion and imagination for the work you choose to do, and have a good understanding of the way forward. Be fearless of all kinds of difficulties and obstacles that may arise.When it comes to love for work, a Microsoft researcher I knew once touched me deeply.He often drove out on weekends and said he was going to meet his "girlfriend". Later, by chance, I saw him in the office and asked him, "Where is his girlfriend?" He smiled and pointed to the computer and said, "That's her." For work Bill Gates also had a very wonderful elaboration, he said: "Wake up every morning, when I think of the huge impact and changes that the work I have done and the technology I have developed will bring to human life. It’s going to be incredibly exciting and exciting.” A few months ago, there was a discussion on "Beijing Youth Daily" about Bill Gates and Paul Korchagin, who was the greater one.Since I grew up in the United States, I didn't know about Paul and his deeds.However, I very much agree with Paul's famous saying: "The most precious thing for a person is life, and life belongs to us only once. A person's life should be spent in this way. Don't be ashamed of being mediocre..." Therefore, choose a career that you really love, constantly challenge yourself and improve yourself, so that your life can be wonderful and fulfilling. Objective and direct communication Once, a Chinese university professor came to me and asked me to help him find a foreign expert to give a keynote speech at a conference he organized. At the end, I added a sentence, preferably a foreigner.I disapproved and said to him: "The most authoritative person in this field is a Chinese in Beijing. Why do you have to find a foreigner?" He apparently agreed with me, but he still invited an American. People came to give this speech, and the results were very poor.Therefore, we should not fall into the blind admiration complex.We should judge things with objective eyes, not by the color of his skin or where he lives. There is a saying that "truth is always in the hands of a few".To understand the meaning of this sentence, we should have our own vision and the ability to think independently, not necessarily what most people agree with, or what some authority says is right.Whether it's academics, research or business, we can't follow blindly, we have to think more about why. With an objective opinion, you should express it directly.If you do anything like "playing Tai Chi", it will make people confused and cause a lot of misunderstandings.Once, a researcher working at Microsoft Research asked me for my opinion on the research direction he chose. I made some analysis and thought that there were many problems in this direction. Big, but if he insists, I'm willing to support him in trying to do it.As a result, he thought that what I meant was that he was not allowed to do it, so he chose another direction.Later, when he was going on a business trip, the person in charge of administrative affairs told him that you could choose to take the train or fly.He thinks the executive is actually suggesting that he take the train because flying is too expensive.In fact, his guesses were all wrong.Because our communication method is straightforward, but he is "playing Tai Chi".Afterwards, through a series of corporate culture lectures, we let the employees understand: talk about what is on your mind, and don't complicate simple issues.Now, there are much fewer misunderstandings like this in the institute. Turning around and talking insincerely, the result wasted everyone's precious time.Looking forward and backward, for fear of saying the wrong thing, the result is to become a cautious coward.What's worse is that there are still some people who don't speak in person, but talk behind their backs. This is of no benefit to others or themselves, and in the end it can only destroy the unity of the group.Such a person and style can neither face the society, nor can they blaze new trails in scientific research, let alone stand out in the fierce business competition. I hope that students can be open and honest, and dare to say "no", this is the expression of respecting their own thoughts and wishes.Of course, when expressing your opinions, both opposition and criticism should be constructive and highly sincere, not criticizing for the sake of criticism or criticizing for the sake of debate.The way I agree is to provide constructive and positive comments.When starting to discuss a problem, no one should reject others thousands of miles away. Everyone puts their ideas on the table and fully reflects their personal views. Only in this way can there be a conclusion that accommodates the opinions of most people.Of course, you also need to learn to express your opinions with appropriate methods and tone, for example, don't embarrass others in front of many people.In this way, your criticism will be effective. Cherish campus study life A few days ago, there was a news in the newspaper that a middle school student dropped out of school to start an Internet company.I don't think this is worth advocating.For the vast majority of students, school life is a good opportunity to systematically learn basic theoretical knowledge, learn how to think and solve problems.These knowledge will become the most basic knowledge and skills needed in your future development.Just like building a tall building, if the foundation is not laid well, it will not be able to withstand the wind and rain. On a global scale, the level of research in the United States is undoubtedly world-class.In addition to the United States, you will find that the research level of the United Kingdom is also quite outstanding.The reason is actually a language problem.British people can read all kinds of latest research reports and materials in English from the United States and the world without hindrance.This is very helpful for them to grasp the research direction, track the latest progress, and publish research results.Therefore, English learning is also very important for us researchers.Only by strengthening the cultivation of this quality can we adapt to future development.I suggest: learn English first to learn listening and speaking, and then learn to read and write, and must completely solve the problem of English learning at the university level.When you get older, the price you have to pay will be much greater. In addition to English, mathematics and statistics are also very important basic courses for science and engineering students, which cannot be ignored.Mathematics is the crystallization of the wisdom of human beings for thousands of years. You must learn it well with your heart, and you should not be perfunctory.I regret today that I didn't spend more time learning mathematics better.In addition, computer applications, algorithms and programming are also familiar and mastered by every engineering student. They are tools that everyone must use in the future. The development of science and technology can be described as changing with each passing day.The purpose of studying in school is actually to master the most basic learning tools and methods.Use these tools and methods in the future to learn new things.For example: If I learned C++ in class, can I learn Java by myself? If I learned HTML in class, can I learn XML by myself? Pass". In the first two years after graduating from university, the students got together and found that the changes were not too big.When we get together five years later, much has changed.Some people fall behind because they no longer learn and can no longer master new things, and naturally fall behind in social development.If we are to never fall behind in this competitive society, we must always learn. My boss - Dr. Rick Rashid is currently the senior vice president in charge of research at Microsoft Corporation. He has achieved great success, but he has always maintained a learning and enterprising heart.Today, he still writes about 50,000 lines of programs a year.He believes that programming with the latest technology can keep him sensitive to the most cutting-edge computer technology and enable him to make continuous progress.Today, some doctoral students take junior undergraduates and masters students to do projects, and they are complacent that they no longer need to program.In fact, such an approach is very unwise. Every time I visit Tsinghua University and other schools, the most frequently asked question is about the part-time job of students.I think part-time work is a good thing for students in general, and it is a way to broaden their horizons.For example, if you work in a research institution, you can learn the latest technology; if you work in the product department, you can learn the technology and skills of development; if you work in the marketing department, you can understand the operation of the business.I think every student should have part-time job experience, but don't do some "useless jobs".First of all, we must understand that part-time work is only a supplement to student life, and learning is the most important thing.The purpose of working part-time is to broaden your horizons, not to go to work early.If you put the time spent on translating books and entering databases into learning, you can make more money in the future.That money will far exceed the income of the current part-time job. In addition, there are some students who are encouraged by dropping out of school to start a business, and drop out of school in order to become China's Bill Gates and Michael Dell.From my point of view, except for very special circumstances, I do not recommend that students drop out of school to start a business.The successful people you see who drop out of school and start a business are actually very few.At present, although most students have entrepreneurial ideas, they lack entrepreneurial experience, so the possibility of failure is very high.If you want to succeed, I suggest that you read the book first.If you want to learn entrepreneurial experience, you can use your vacation time to go to a company to learn while working.Bill Gates also said, "If you are considering setting up a new company by yourself, you should first know clearly: starting a company requires huge energy investment and takes huge risks. I don't think you need to be like me. At the beginning Just start a company. You should consider joining other companies and learn their work, how to start a business in this company. what kind of doctor hat do you want to wear When I entered Carnegie Mellon University to study for a doctorate in computer science, the dean of the department once told me that when you get your doctorate, you should become the world's number one expert in the field of research you are engaged in.This sentence is unattainable for me as a fledgling, but it also makes me full of ambition and eager to try.In this way, after five years of hard work and hard work day and night, the results he expected appeared so naturally.A person who intends to study for a Ph.D. should set himself a very high goal.If you don't have ambitions, don't deceive yourself. Maybe you will have greater achievements in doing business or doing other jobs. After the goal is established, I suggest that you design a three-year study and research plan for yourself.First of all, you need to thoroughly understand the existing work and achievements of others in the related field.Then put forward your own ideas and insights, and do down-to-earth work.In addition, it is necessary to keep track of the latest research progress in this field.Only in this way can we grasp the direction, avoid repetitive work, and concentrate on the most valuable research directions. In academia, it is generally believed that "famous teachers give rise to talented students".It can be seen how important a mentor is in your growth path.Therefore, you should take the initiative to find the best teacher in the field you are studying.In addition to your teacher, you should also seek advice from all the experts around you.Don't forget to go to the "most knowledgeable teacher" - Internet!Now, almost all papers, research results, and advanced ideas can be found online.I also encourage you to email directly to consult some world-recognized experts and professors.In my experience, for such emails, most of them will get back to you very quickly. When I was studying for a Ph.D., I worked seven days a week and 16 hours a day. A large number of statistical results and analysis reports almost made me collapse.At that time, other researchers in the field took a different traditional approach than I did.Although my teacher supported me, he did not approve of my research direction.I have also doubted more than once whether what I did can really succeed.But finally one day, a result made at three o'clock in the middle of the night made me feel the taste of success.Later, the research progressed by leaps and bounds, and my supervisor began to adopt my research methods.My doctoral dissertation made my research one of the most influential works in natural language research at that time.Studying for a Ph.D. is not an easy task. Avoid impetuous emotions, but work steadily step by step.Don't be tempted by some fleeting fame and fortune, but have to invest 200%.You may be fatigued, regretful, and lost, but remember that the success and breakthrough you are looking forward to is also pregnant.That kind of work and results where everything is going well and anyone can get it, I believe the research value must not be high. In a certain sense, if a person intends to engage in research work for the rest of his life, the outline of his future work can basically be judged from his working habits, research methods and thinking modes formed during his doctoral degree.Therefore, you must be a "careful person" and make full use of your time at school to lay a solid foundation for your future. written in the last words Some of the above points of view are some of my feelings in the process of interacting with my classmates.I hope these suggestions and ideas can inspire you who are trekking in the future, and can help you in your current study.Perhaps because of different views, people have their own aspirations, or because of the harsh words, this letter may not be accepted by every student.But as long as one in a hundred classmates who read it benefited from it, the letter was worth more than any research I had done.I sincerely hope that in the new century, Chinese students will become more mature and have a greater chance of success, whether they are at home or abroad; whether they are doing research or doing business.