First, manage talents with clear rewards and punishments.
When using troops to control people, we must distinguish between rewards and punishments. As long as the word "public" is put in front, subordinates will be convinced. If subordinates have made great contributions, they must not be jealous of talents, which will seriously dampen their spirit and should be rewarded according to their achievements.
Second, be good at knowing people and observing them carefully.
Zeng Guofan is good at making a comprehensive prediction of a person. Zeng Guofan's observers attach importance to observing people's spirit, so they don't judge people by their appearances. For example, he is "ugly and short-sighted" and Luo is "like an old man in the country, but he can fall in love and be a wizard." Another example is tazib. Because he was an official early, he trained hard in sandals every time and was appreciated by Zeng Guofan. Later, he personally recommended him.
Third, give credit to others and blame yourself.
The most classic example is that Sima Shi won the support of everyone and seized the political power of Cao Wei by blaming himself. To attribute the credit to others is to attribute the credit to others truthfully and not take it for yourself; Sin belongs to oneself, which means taking the initiative to take responsibility, and don't put the blame on others. This is the most difficult thing for leaders to do. If this can be done, who will not work hard for it?
Fourth, be persuasive and tireless in teaching others.
Zeng Guofan turned his shogunate (including the Xiang army he led) into a talent school. He is persuasive and tireless, and has trained many outstanding talents from his shogunate.
Fifth, cultivate talents through talents.
You will be beaten if you fall behind. What you want to practice is your body, not your face.
Six, thunderbolt means, bodhisattva heart
The heart is good, but the means are not soft. Zeng Guofan said: "Raise the people for the people, serve the officials and serve the people." Serving the people is not empty talk, not a few show things, but sincere love. Love is not unprincipled. In order to protect the interests of most people, rewards and punishments must be strict. In order to punish corrupt officials, Zeng Guofan set up a new organization to handle cases and tried to kill people himself.
Seven, strict self-discipline, set an example.
Zeng Guofan was an official in Beijing and an official outside Beijing for decades. He never took a penny of money of unknown origin. Moreover, he vowed not to be an official and make a fortune. He not only thought so, but also did so. Zeng Guofan, with deep ambition to help the world, said in a letter to his family: "Since I was thirty years old, it is shameful to be an official and make a fortune, and it is also shameful and hateful to be an official and save money for future generations. Therefore, I swear I must be selfish and never make a fortune by being an official. God knows very well, so don't break your word! "
Eight, move with emotion, understand with reason.
Zeng Guofan attached great importance to military training. He divided the training of Xiang army into training and teaching, with ideological education as the main. In the "Proposal for Newly Recruiting Rural Courageous Persons", he said: "Is it reasonable for this department to recruit you to act as a courageous person in rural areas and make contributions to the country? If you don't learn martial arts early on weekdays, the thief will kill you if you can't kill the thief in the future. If you retire, you can't escape the national law. It can be seen that the martial arts you learned were originally to protect your own lives. "
The "feeling" of this passage is to stand in the ranks of soldiers and speak for their interests. Zeng Guofan emphasized unity of mind in his lectures. He wanted to train a teacher who was sincere and United, with the aim of training a collectivist army.