Life roots in and starts from water. It is water that acts by itself and drives others; it is water that constantly seeks for its own direction; it is water that can exert multiplied strength when meeting an obstacle; and it is water that clears others of dirtiness with its cleanliness and has the magnanimity of containing both purity and filth; vast oceans can generate clouds by evaporation, which then turn into rain, snow, or convert into mist, or again congeal into an expanse of ice like a glittering and translucent bright mirror, yet it is still water that will never lose its nature no matter how it changes.

       The ancient sage Lao-tzu once said, “The highest good is like that of water. The goodness of water is that it benefits the ten thousand creatures, yet does not scramble for itself, but is content with the places that all men disdain. It is this that makes water so near the Way. And if men think the ground the best place for building a house upon, if among thoughts they value those that are profound, if in friendship they value gentleness, in words, truth; in government, good order; in deeds, effectiveness; in actions, timeliness – in each case it is because they prefer what does not lead to strife, and therefore does not go amiss”.

       An enterprise is a living organism needing to be tenderly cared for, and diligently fostered by all the staff ever since its founding, and its thirst for water is intrinsic. Therefore, it is as well applicable to the business operation way to translate the characteristics of water into the wisdom of the highest good, also it is the corporate culture for us all Gaoke people to cultivate our morality, be professional dutifully and keep our families harmonious, and it is the inherent soul of every Gaoke product as well.

      Gaoke, assimilating Lao-tzu’s thousand years of old wisdom of behaving and conducting ourselves properly, and absorbing the operating and management experiences of modern enterprises, has the operating management and innovative development principle of “forging ahead modestly”, “encouraging the free airing of views”, “unity and consistency”, “good faith and integrity”, “being orderly and self-restrained”, “thinking prudently and seeking changes”, and “grasping opportunities”. Just as the seven principles summarized by Lao-tzu from the characteristics of water: it is advisable for men to think the ground the best place for building a house upon, among thoughts to value those that are profound, in friendship to value gentleness, in words, truth; in government, good order; in deeds, effectiveness; in actions, timeliness. Water, having these commendable qualities, can have no struggle with the world, there is no necessity of struggle, nor can anyone compete with it.   

     First, Forging Ahead Modestly – Learning from water the character of “thinking the best place of the ground to dwell in” and conducting itself humbly, choosing distressing and difficult places and posts, and always maintaining the attitude of being modest and humble. Wei Zheng once admonished Emperor Tang Taizong: “Thinking of your own highest-ranking position, you should be prudent modestly, and self-restricted; worrying about any loss possibly resulting from haughtiness and self-complacence, you should have the same magnanimity as the ocean embraces all rivers.” At work, we should have a modest attitude no matter we are in a high-ranking positions or do a common job, taking others’ strong points to offset our shortcomings, continuously improving ourselves, and enhancing our technical capabilities. As for the enterprise, while being in adversity, it should overcome the tough situation flexibly as water comes up against a blocking rock, and we should learn modestly, forge ahead unceasingly, and enhance our comprehensive competencies, then, we can apply in the internationalized market the international advanced technology we learn, keep improving and become increasingly perfect. 

     Second, Encouraging Free Airing of Views – Learning from water the spirit of “valuing among thoughts those that are profound”, cultivating a broad mind which is profound and tranquil, being able to tolerate any opinions different from ours. The men of great success in ancient times invariably had a broad mind, being able to listen to different opinions, and the old saying of “Good advice is harsh to the ear as good medicine tastes bitter” just means this truth. It is just your opponent who knows you best, and you can best see your own shortcomings from his opinions. Lao-tzu also emphasizes again and again that “the river and ocean are the king of all valleys”, it means that our mind should be as broad as the river and ocean to embrace all things. The higher our position is, the bigger a mind we should have. Only if our mind is broad and tolerant, we can accept others’ clever talents and positive suggestions. All this is the essential helpful to our success. An enterprise also strengthens itself by dint of its rivals.

      Third, Unity and Consistency – Learning from water the benevolent tenderness and virtue of “valuing gentleness in friendship”. We should sincerely treat everyone, help and care for every member of the team, and with the strength of unity, courageously face up to all difficulties before us, because you are not striving by yourself alone, behind every successful enterprise there are several successful teams, and behind every employee there are also a group of team members as his supporters. Therefore, only a united and consistent team can change the impossible into the possible, and master the quality of every product, because friendly affection is beneficial to every product manufactured under an employee’s hands. 

       Fourth, Good Faith and Integrity – Learning the principle of “valuing truth in words” from water. A human being is not isolated from society and could not do without associating with others, and the requisite for association is good faith and integrity. It is fundamental for a human being to be true and live up to his words, to have his foothold in society, and this is the embodiment of his personality as well. Nor is an enterprise isolated from market, its most valuable intangible asset is just its business reputation, and good faith is fundamental for its survival.  

       Fifth, Being Orderly and Self-restrained – Learning the self-restraining quality of “valuing good order in government” from water. All things in the world have their laws, and a law is a rule, a restraint. “Do not do to others what you do not want to be done to yourself” is the portrayal of being orderly and self-restrained. Water turns into rain to sprinkle onto the world, to moisten all things: water turns into rivers and seas to surge unceasingly, yet it is regular in its behavior. Society is in change, motion is eternal, one can only seek development by adapting to circumstances, while there are laws in circumstances, and survival is only possible within the proper circumference. As far as the business world is concerned, the case is no exception. The market has its own law, and an enterprise can only seek its development by following the law and restraining its own investment operation. 

       Sixth, Thinking Prudently and Seeking Changes – Learning the cultivated behavior of “valuing the effectiveness in deeds” from water. When you carry water with a circular plate, the water will be like the round moon; when you carry water with a square cup, the water will be like an old square well. The great way of behaving ourselves in society is just as water can be either square or circular. Lao-tzu said, “To solve a difficult problem should start with handling its easy points; to achieve a great success must start with fixing attention on small places. All difficult things in the world are without exception completed by starting with easy ones; all great things under the sun are unexceptionally completed by starting with detailed ones.” If we fail to comply with this principle, it will be very difficult for us to accomplish our things. Secondly, we should be prudent without impatience before we enter upon a thing, slow and steady, and make an optimal plan. Behind every great investment there is a meticulous plan. Finally, we must readily adapt ourselves to circumstances like water rather than stick to conventions, this essentially means that we must have an innovative spirit, unceasingly making breakthroughs, and pursuing excellence.  

        Seventh, Grasping Opportunities – Learning the timely-acting art of “valuing the timeliness in actions” from water. Water is a highly seasonal species, becoming rain in summer and snow in winter, mist at dawn and frost at night. One should keep to the law of nature, follow its natural tendency, and await opportunities silently. Chance favors only the prepared mind, the time when we follow the order of nature is just the time that we should prepare ourselves silently, and once an occasion comes, we have to grasp the chance, and create a wonder. The right occasion-right place-right people is the optimal opportunity that enterprises seek, and the internal cause of their sustainable development as well. Just as the old saying of “the longest journey starts with a single step” goes, only if we are down-to-earth, do well everything at hand, and wait for the opportunity to mature, then success is a mellow fruit for us. Entertaining an eagerness for quick success and instant benefit would only make us miss success regrettably, and we can ascend to the summit of success only step by step.