Chapter 112 - The Ancients Judged Horses by Their Bones, Not Their Skin
"Aside from the marketing department, which is already taking shape, the rest of the departments urgently need to be established or further improved. I just got a general understanding of the company's current state.
Although the number of employees exceeds a thousand, there are only a dozen or so middle managers and only a few dozen at the grassroots management level. Such a management structure is obviously insufficient to support the company's long-term development.
Therefore, I suggest that we bring in a capable deputy general manager to help share your daily workload.
At the same time, the production, quality control, marketing, R&D, procurement, and human resources departments should be quickly structured in detail to ensure that every key area is overseen by a professional team, thus promoting the comprehensive optimization and upgrading of the company's structure.
Aimeigao Company is no longer the small team of a few dozen people it once was. In the short term, flexibility may sustain stability, but in the long run, if the management system remains underdeveloped, any minor oversight could trigger a chain reaction and disrupt the company's overall operations.
This is something we must carefully consider and prepare for in advance to ensure the company's steady progress and sustainable development," Lin Haoran continued to emphasize.
Maybe because the time had been too short, having transitioned from a small workshop to a large factory in just over a month, Liu Luanxiong had not yet had time to adapt. Many times, he preferred to handle major and minor matters personally.
"Haoran, your words truly woke me up like a dream. I will immediately work on completing the management framework. Some clients from the United States have been asking me to come over to discuss business, but I simply can't leave. If we set up a strong management team, I wouldn't be worried even if I had to leave for a week or two!" Liu Luanxiong said with a tone of realization.
The past four years in the family business had been like living in a closed circle, where all senior executives were family members.
In the early days of Aimeigao Company's founding, to save costs, he and his partner had worn many hats, even personally working on the production line.
After moving from Hong Kong Tsai to Kwun Tong, although the company's scale had gradually expanded, and grassroots and middle management had started to improve, in terms of senior management talent, he had indeed neglected it.
Currently, the marketing and quality control departments were not yet operating independently. Procurement, recruitment, and other core processes were still overseen by him personally, and human resource management relied heavily on the assistance of Lai Meihui, the finance expert.
Without her, he would have been completely overwhelmed.
Even more surprising was that the product designs still came solely from him — meaning he was essentially acting as the core of the company's R&D.
The root cause of Liu Luanxiong's situation was the rapid expansion of the company — leaping from a small workshop of dozens to a large factory of over a thousand in such a short time, leaving him almost no time to adapt or adjust.
"As one of the company owners, I don't want to seem like I'm doing nothing. Considering that Wan'an Group has access to professional talent resources, let me take the lead on recruitment efforts.
Of course, the final interviews will still need your approval, because you, being an expert in the fan manufacturing field, are the best judge of the talent we need.
I won't intervene beyond that," Lin Haoran proposed after careful thought.
Hong Kong gathered many professional headhunting companies, experts at helping enterprises efficiently find senior talent.
As long as you clearly define your needs, the headhunting companies could swiftly select the most suitable candidates.
Although commissions would need to be paid, this approach would save the company enormous time and effort in recruiting senior executives.
As for grassroots workers, recruitment was much simpler.
By establishing cooperation with a reputable human resources company, and as long as the benefits were decent and the requirements not too high, it would be easy to recruit enough ordinary workers through such agencies, ensuring that the company's basic labor demands were met in time.
Rather than letting Liu Luanxiong waste precious time on recruitment minutiae, it would be far better for him to focus on the factory's core operations.
Meanwhile, Lin Haoran could leverage his own network resources to introduce suitable talent into the company without personally exhausting himself.
"That arrangement suits me perfectly. You can preliminarily screen candidates through the talent company, and I'll conduct the in-depth interviews to ensure each candidate meets our high standards.
If I think someone is suitable, I'll immediately approve them," Liu Luanxiong readily agreed.
Lin Haoran didn't delay.
He immediately called the human resources department of Wan'an Group to obtain the contact information of the headhunting companies they collaborated with.
After noting down the number, he promptly got in touch with one of them.
Once Lin Haoran revealed his identity as the Vice Chairman of Wan'an Group, the headhunting company promised to immediately dispatch a representative to Kwun Tong for face-to-face communication with Aimeigao Company to deeply understand their specific talent needs.
This whole series of actions was handled by Lin Haoran with smooth and decisive efficiency, wasting no time at all.
The headhunting company even took the initiative to offer door-to-door service, greatly boosting efficiency.
By contrast, if Liu Luanxiong had handled this, he would have first had to sift through a long list of headhunting companies, personally arrange visits, and waste a lot of time.
This was precisely the advantage of having powerful resources: it avoided unnecessary detours and saved valuable time and energy.
When Lin Haoran gently set down the receiver, his composed demeanor made Liu Luanxiong once again glance at him with envy.
Both were young talents, yet while Liu Luanxiong often needed to work hard and waste energy to accomplish things, Lin Haoran seemed to solve every challenge with just a simple phone call — that effortless efficiency was exactly the image of an ideal boss Liu Luanxiong admired.
Unconsciously, Liu Luanxiong sighed softly, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Lin Haoran keenly sensed Liu Luanxiong's emotional fluctuation, and he smiled as he patted him on the shoulder, saying earnestly,
"Ah Xiong, don't worry. Our shared goal is to help Aimeigao Company grow strong and, one day, become a publicly listed company admired by all.
When that time comes, the resources and influence you dream of will naturally follow.
True leadership is about knowing how to delegate and how to use the right people.
As Ouyang Xiu once said, 'The ancients judged horses not by their skin but by their bones; a thin horse may have extraordinary bones.'
We must seek inner ability and potential, not superficial flashiness."
"In this process, learning to identify and use talent will be our greatest asset.
Recruiting and cultivating the right people is far more important than blindly expanding the team.
Although the road will not be easy, it is precisely through these challenges that the extraordinary value of each team member will shine."
Lin Haoran, speaking to Liu Luanxiong — the future business giant — like an elder brother educating a younger brother, delivered a hard lesson, drawing a look of admiration from Liu Luanxiong.
With these words, Liu Luanxiong's confidence instantly doubled. His earlier feelings of envy quietly turned into powerful motivation to move forward.
As Aimeigao Company's order volume continued to soar, its cash flow also became more abundant, filling him with unprecedented confidence and anticipation for the future.
Reflecting on this journey of breaking away from his family business and starting independently, Liu Luanxiong became even more convinced that leaving the family business and pursuing entrepreneurship had been the right decision.
Under his meticulous management, Aimeigao Company was advancing steadily, demonstrating vigorous development momentum.
At the current pace, it wouldn't be long before Aimeigao Company would surpass Union Yue Kee Ceiling Fan Factory and become one of the top manufacturers in the fan industry.
Looking further ahead, Liu Luanxiong's heart was filled with grand ambitions.
Just as Lin Haoran had said, pushing Aimeigao Company into the capital market and achieving the dream of becoming a listed company was no longer a distant fantasy but a tangible and achievable goal.
"The headhunter consultant should arrive soon. When they do, just clearly explain our recruitment needs, and they'll professionally solve the rest.
If you encounter any tricky issues in the future, feel free to call me anytime.
I'll do everything within my power to ease your burdens.
After all, I'm also a stakeholder in this company," Lin Haoran said, glancing at his watch, then standing up to leave.
He had originally planned to go directly to Qingzhou Cement Company after finishing his matters at Wan'an Group.
However, he had been unexpectedly delayed by Liu Luanxiong's call.
Now, with the key issues resolved and having gained a thorough understanding of Aimeigao Company's situation, he felt it was time to leave.
Besides, Liu Luanxiong was about to dive into heavy tasks — recruiting senior executives, handling the leasing of the first and third floors of the building, and working closely with HR firms to hire more grassroots workers.
In this context, Lin Haoran believed his presence would only get in the way.
It was better to leave the stage to Liu Luanxiong and let him focus.
"Haoran, rest assured, I'll handle everything properly.
You go and take care of your business!" Liu Luanxiong confidently patted his chest to assure him.
He understood very well that this partner of his wasn't just the chairman of Qingzhou Cement Company but also the heir to Wan'an Group — holding resources from two listed companies — and his schedule was naturally tight.
Compared to that, their Aimeigao Company was still in its growth phase, and the gap was obvious.
Lin Haoran nodded slightly, waved goodbye, and left the factory with his bodyguards, heading to Qingzhou Cement Company located in Hung Hom.
The distance between Qingzhou Cement Company and the factory was not very far — even closer than the distance between Central and Hung Hom.
This made commuting between the two locations extremely convenient, and since the roads were clear, Lin Haoran's private car steadily arrived at Qingzhou Building just over ten minutes later.
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