Dong Mingzhu talks about six hot topics again: Gree strategy, successor, personal label, personal tax advice

If you want to build a century-old enterprise, you must have an echelon to complete it

Talking about Gree’s strategy: steady development

China News Weekly: After your new term begins, will Gree Electric make any major adjustments at the strategic level?

Dong Mingzhu: First, Gree Electric must develop steadily and cannot have any incidents or make the company face difficulties. This strategy must be maintained. Second, investors hope to get returns after investing for so many years, which is also very important to us. So how should we report back? Is it hype or false information? We advocate using the value and income created by enterprises to reward them.

In terms of corporate development, there are three sectors: first, covering all categories from household air conditioners to electrical products, and the next step is smart home. A business must make money, but making money must not be its purpose.

We have entered the equipment field and can now produce a variety of CNC machine tools, some of which have become processing equipment for core components in high-end automobiles. In the past, many components of many household appliances were imported. Now we have this capability. This is the second sector.

The third part is to master the core technology of key components, such as motors, drives, and reducers. We can all control the key core components independently. This is what makes us most proud. In the past, we had no choice but to import. In addition, new energy is also our development direction in the future.

Talking about successors: Only those with a spirit of selflessness and sacrifice can be leaders

China News Weekly: Some people think Dong Mingzhu is Gree , Gree is Dong Mingzhu. Without your gree, you will lose your soul. What do you think of this view?

Dong Mingzhu: I think at every stage, companies need to have such a soul person. The soul figure is not a single person, but also a team. I am a challenging person, and my team must also have this challenging spirit.

The team must also have an innovative spirit and a spirit of not being afraid of difficulties. For us, the epidemic is a huge challenge and difficulty. How can we solve the problem of tens of thousands of dealers under the traditional model? There must be a soul person to do it. Now my team is very united. In the past, I was risking my life alone, but now everyone is working hard.

China News Weekly: Do you have a succession plan? What kind of successor do you have in mind?

Dong Mingzhu: People often ask me, but I still have to say it. As early as 2001, when I was the president, someone asked me at that time, would Mr. Dong have to burn three fires as the new president? I said there is no fire, just one thing is to train successors.

In fact, we had this awareness at the time. Since we want to build a century-old enterprise, we must have an echelon to complete it. This is the first point. The second is to have a perfect team, and the third is to have a set of modern and operable systems that are constantly improving and changing.

Now I am the chairman and someone else is the chairman. The system can be changed. I think people are the most important. People in Gree must have the spirit of selflessness and the spirit of sacrificing themselves for others, so that they can be leaders.

At present, there are several good people in our current team. I deliberately let them compete on a platform. I believe that someone will stand out. This one will stand out. People can lead a team to go better.

Talking about Meng Yutong: It’s not just about being an internet celebrity

China News Weekly: Gree never lacks topics. Your secretary Meng Yutong has nearly 2 million fans on Douyin, and you have said that you will train her to be your successor. In the eyes of the outside world, Meng Yutong is the marketing influencer you launched. What do you think?

After staying in Gree for half a year, through contact with Yutong, I found that this child has a lot of plasticity. Finally, through this She stayed in Gree for a (variety show) show and now works by my side as a secretary.

I am not simply cultivating her as an Internet celebrity. If a person wants to become a manager, he must experience all aspects. It’s not surprising even if everyone thinks she is an Internet celebrity, in practice she does participate in the sales of Dong Mingzhu’s store.

China News Weekly: In other words, you trained Meng Yutong as a manager.

Dong Mingzhu: Yes.

China News Weekly: What message do you have for young people like Meng Yutong and those born in the 1990s and 2000s?

Dong Mingzhu: In Gree, there are many children born in the 1990s, and there are tens of thousands of them now. From what I can see face to face, I feel that they all have a kind of vitality. It’s not that they don’t have dreams. From the bottom of their hearts, they really want to do something of their own. The key is that we have to create an environment where they can each find the most accurate dream. positions to provide them with a platform.

Young people should let go of themselves. I have personally experienced it all for so many years. I have had grievances, encountered difficulties, and even encountered situations where others did not understand me. But in the face of difficulties, I have to have a strong mentality, that is, what on earth am I going to do? For example, as an undergraduate, you may have to start from scratch. You may have to go to the workshop to be an ordinary worker. See if you can let it go. What's wrong with being a worker? In fact, when you are a worker, you may have more room for development than someone who enters the office from the beginning, you may have a clearer understanding of the grassroots level, you may know what kind of person you want to be, and you may know better how to do it in the future.

Talking about labels: I like the identity of the National People's Congress representative the most

China News Weekly: You have many labels, "Internet celebrity director" "Miss", "Iron Lady" in the business world, "Queen of Delivery", "Queen of Marketing", "Domineering Female CEO", "Queen of Air Conditioning", "National People's Congress Representative"... Which one best represents Dong Mingzhu?

Dong Mingzhu: If I really have to choose, I would like to be a National People’s Congress representative (identity) the most. I think this is not just a label. As a representative of the National People's Congress, it is fulfilling social responsibility for enterprises. Through such a system, the collected information will be reflected to the central and State Council levels, allowing the country to make better decisions.

China News Weekly: Why do you work so hard on variety shows and live broadcasts? People of the same age are doing square dancing or traveling for leisure.

Dong Mingzhu: This is also the reason for experience. I started as an ordinary salesman. What I thought at the time was very simple, which was to do a good job in sales for the rest of my life, to do my job to the best, to be the best in sales, and to do the job as perfectly as possible.

At that time, I thought I was a business person in this life and had no extravagant aspirations. Later, I encountered a collective job-hopping incident and the company had no sales. Businesses are like people. Their intestines and stomach are weak, they cannot absorb nutrients, and they cannot make money. How can they nourish their hearts? So sales are crucial to the business. Gree has given me this platform again, so that I can do such good sales. I think people still need to have a grateful attitude.

In this position, the interests of the company cannot be lost. Marketing is a particularly challenging job. It is necessary to do a good job in sales channels and maintain the market, and at the same time To safeguard the interests of the enterprise. It was very contradictory for me at the time. In the early 1990s, I could earn more than 1 million a year, but when I came back (Gree), I would earn 100,000. From an economic point of view, I didn’t want to come back. But then I think about the value of people. You can’t make enough money. Letting you lead a team is a challenge for you. Do you dare to answer it?

It is actually a process of challenging yourself. So I agreed and worked my way up to where I am today. Be grateful to others and also be grateful to yourself. In fact, when you fall in love with this business through your own efforts, you will not easily abandon the platform for a little money, so you did not go to other companies at that time, but stuck to it.

It is recommended that the threshold for personal income tax be adjusted from 5,000 to 10,000

China News Weekly: Some scholars said that currently, the national About 15% of people pay personal income tax. If the threshold is raised to 10,000, only about 5% of people pay personal income tax. You suggest raising the personal income tax threshold to 10,000. Have you studied the pros and cons? What are the difficulties in landing?

Dong Mingzhu: As the times and social needs change, the starting point will naturally need to be adjusted. The starting point was 800 yuan at first, then 2,000 yuan, 3,500 yuan, and then 5,000 yuan. It has been five years now.

The consumption and income of the older generation have not changed much. The post-90s generation is the mainstream consumer group, (the earliest group) are also in their 30s, starting a family and starting a business to take care of the elderly. The state has also introduced many subsidy policies (tax reductions and exemptions), such as education and elderly care. Calculated, the cost is almost more than 10,000 yuan.

Calculating and reviewing subsidies requires a lot of manpower, which itself is an invisible and huge cost. Why not simplify complex issues and directly adjust the threshold?

At present, taxation is mainly supported by the working class. In fact, there is a remedy, which is to increase the tax burden on high-income people. The original tax burden is 45%, which can be increased to 50%. I think 55% or more can be adjusted in this way to achieve equal prosperity.

Compared with senior executives, front-line workers are very hard-working, and the two need to be balanced. We need to allow the working class to consume, and consumption will stimulate domestic demand, and companies can also expand production capacity. Expanding production capacity will solve the problem of employment, which is a virtuous circle. In addition, there are many types of taxes that can be levied.

When discussing political and business relations: individuals must be upright

China News Weekly: You have grown from a salesman to the chairman of Gree Electric Appliances. After more than 30 years of ups and downs, I must have a deep understanding of the relationship between politics and business.

Dong Mingzhu: In fact, I think we need to be upright and upright. Since the 18th National Congress to the 19th National Congress, (political and business relations) have been gradually changing, and we feel it deeply. Gree Electric Appliances relies on the market, and the Zhuhai government has given the greatest support. It does not interfere with market operations, give full play to the role of the enterprise, rely on technology development, and rely on marketing channels to complete Gree's entire development.

Today, we have more contacts with the government and have a lot of cooperation with government departments, from which we have seen many changes. I dare not say that there is no (corruption) now, but at least it is much better. In the past two years, the central and local governments have come to help enterprises. Ministries, commissions, and provinces often come to investigate, ask us if we have any difficulties, and help us solve them. In the past, when we encountered difficulties, we had to find connections. Now, if you report any problems, you can get timely help. solve.

China News Weekly: Do you have anything to add about the relationship between government and business?

Dong Mingzhu: Now from the central to local governments, a lot of efforts are being made to support small and medium-sized enterprises, including financial allocations, tax exemptions, subsidies, etc. What is more important is how to allow small and medium-sized enterprises to generate their own blood. Competition must have a good environment, rather than simply using money to solve it.

China News Weekly: The Fifth Session of the 13th National People's Congress is the last session of this session of the National People's Congress. As a deputy to the National People's Congress, how do you rate your performance of your duties?

Dong Mingzhu: If I give it 100 points, I think I would be too proud, because people are in the process of growing up, and they are always pursuing perfection and constantly discovering shortcomings. , Only in this way can we make progress. During my duties, I still tried my best.

——The above article comes from China News Weekly, author Tong Xizhong