Chapter 391 - 256: He... A Breath of Fresh Air Among Bosses

Chapter 391: Chapter 256: He... A Breath of Fresh Air Among Bosses

Drenched in sweat after a hard workout at the gym, the runner’s high left his mind and body feeling utterly refreshed. Lin Chu took a quick shower and left.

Today marked another "breakup." But for him now, this kind of separation barely caused a ripple; his emotions weren’t affected in the slightest.

His mind couldn’t help but drift back to that night—the night that had changed his destiny, the night he’d had drinks with Wang Zhefei at their "usual spot"... Shaking his head with a small smile, he thought, ’Maybe this is numbness, or maybe it’s progress.’

After all, times had changed.

Stepping into the elevator, Lin Chu headed for the 18th floor.

The 18th floor housed the largest conference room in the entire building, a space almost like an auditorium that could hold hundreds of people.

The all-hands meeting for the entire group was scheduled for 4:00 PM, and it was almost time.

When Lin Chu arrived, he saw that the conference room was already packed with people, all buzzing with conversation.

The two subsidiaries with the most employees at present were primarily LC Media and the LC Golf Club.

LC Security and LC Retail, on the other hand, were still in their expansion phase. Strictly speaking, they hadn’t even gotten off the ground yet.

The LC Group was like a nascent "regime," ravenous for new blood to build itself up.

And today’s meeting was primarily meant to address that very issue.

The attendees consisted of employees at the manager level and above, as well as top-performing employees and representatives from each department, selected from a list provided by the finance department.

A red carpet had already been laid out, stretching from the entrance to the presidium.

On the large digital screen behind the presidium, the words "LC Group and Subsidiaries’ First General Assembly of Outstanding Employees" were displayed.

There were six seats on the presidium, each with a name placard.

In the center was Lin Chu.

To his left were Li Ziming and Zhang Peng.

To his right were Hu Ping’an, Gao Haitao (absent), and Liu Junfeng.

After a sweeping glance around the room, Lin Chu walked nonchalantly toward his seat. He remembered the small goal he’d set for himself during his speech at the Peking University MBA orientation: next time he spoke, he’d be sitting on the presidium. ’Well, I guess I’ve achieved it,’ he thought.

’Even if it’s just at my own company.’

Someone started clapping, and the scattered applause quickly swelled into a thunderous ovation.

Lin Chu: ...

Tsk.

’Has the formalism started already?’

However, Lin Chu now had a new perspective on these formalities he had once despised. ’The great affairs of a state are but two: ceremony and arms.’ Arms meant military might, and ceremony... well, that meant ritual and etiquette.

What was true for a nation was also true for a company. In fact, it was true for any human organization, even a family. They were all essentially the same.

And formalism was an unavoidable by-product of ceremony.

Lin Chu took the center seat. The applause continued for another ten-odd seconds before ceasing abruptly as he gestured for quiet with his hands.

"Partners, employees, friends. Today is a great day for me, a great day for the company, and a great day for all of you. A few hours ago, I had the finance department issue a bonus to every single person. I trust you’ve all received it?"

Lin Chu began, a broad smile on his face.

Someone in the audience yelled out with a laugh, and the room erupted in wild applause once more.

Nothing more needed to be said.

Money talked.

They had all been talking about it amongst themselves. Even the security guards and cleaning staff at the golf club had received one. It was... an ostentatious display of wealth that left everyone speechless.

"In any company, there are really only two things that matter. First, doing the work—and doing it with initiative and drive. Second, getting paid—and getting paid with dignity."

"The first of those two points depends on all of you. The second depends on me."

"I hope that from now on, my job description has only two items: first, paying you, and second, being on my way to pay you."

Lin Chu had already worked out the entire speech in his head while he was running. This was his company, his stage to command.

Laughter and applause once again filled the room.

Lu Ming led the cheering, shouting, "President Lin is a badass!"

Recognizing the source of the voice, Lin Chu shot him a look but maintained his steady tone.

"LC Group’s first five-year development plan will be centered on four core subsidiary businesses."

"The four are: LC Media, which will handle our online presence and serve as the standard-bearer for the group. This will be our publicity arm."

"LC Golf Club, which will focus on serving our high-net-worth clientele."

"LC Retail, with a mission to revive traditional culture and revitalize our intangible cultural heritage industries."

"And LC Security, which will safeguard all of the group’s developments and ventures."

"These four pillars will be deeply intertwined. They will support each other from all sides, fostering mutual growth and development."

"Our development goal for this five-year plan is as follows: For the LC Golf Club, we will open one new location every year. For LC Media, LC Retail, and LC Security, our goal is to have business operations covering every provincial capital in the country within five years. There’s nothing to hide here. I want everyone to know this, because this is our shared mission!"

Thunderous applause followed.

Announcing the company’s development plan—such a major strategic decision—to every mid-level manager and top-performing rank-and-file employee was an idea that had just occurred to Lin Chu. He hadn’t discussed it with anyone yet.

He was simply learning from his predecessors; after all, he’d been reading quite a few of those little red books lately.

—A shared goal was one of the essential ingredients for organizational cohesion.

"The next thing I want to discuss is our new Talent Selection Program. According to estimates from the HR department, by the time we achieve the goals of our first five-year plan, our total number of employees will need to be close to six thousand. Right now, we have just over fourteen hundred."

"Beyond external and campus recruitment, I am a firm believer in internal development, mobility, and promotion. Starting tomorrow, the President’s Office will post a detailed list of available positions on our internal company portal, complete with job requirements and salary packages. I encourage all of you to put yourselves forward for any roles you feel suited for. Of course, if you know of a suitable candidate among your colleagues, recommendations are also highly welcome."