Zhang Yiming’s Insights on Talent Management and HR Practices

Many companies blame policy, market, consumer demand, or technology changes for failures, but the root cause is often the quality of people hired; talent is crucial for a company’s success.

Question 1: As a company grows and its business becomes more complex, should it focus more on processes and detailed rules? Early-stage businesses have simple operations, but as they scale they add people and complexity, leading to chaos. Adding more processes can solve immediate issues but eventually slows innovation and creates rigidity. The better approach is to increase the density of high‑quality talent, allowing simple principles to guide actions rather than exhaustive rules.

Question 2: How to prevent employee poaching and design talent policies that attract and retain top talent? A talent mechanism should provide short‑ and long‑term rewards, growth opportunities, and an enjoyable work environment. Effective incentives include offering market‑leading ROI, high compensation ceilings, and performance‑based rewards such as substantial year‑end bonuses, rather than relying solely on stock options.

Question 3: Why are more companies emphasizing the importance of HR? A CEO should act as an excellent HR, balancing capital, opportunity, and talent inputs. HR must go beyond recruitment to participate in organizational management, talent allocation, and strategic decision‑making, ensuring the company uses talent effectively.

Question 4: What kind of employees should a company value and what common traits do outstanding talents share? Over the past decade, the author observed that the most successful individuals exhibit strong “delayed gratification,” a trait demonstrated by the classic Stanford marshmallow experiment. This ability to forego immediate rewards for greater long‑term gains correlates with higher achievement.

The author also shares personal experiences: graduating with modest salary differences, prioritizing long‑term judgment over short‑term gains, and rapidly advancing by taking on responsibilities beyond his formal role. He emphasizes that working without strict boundaries, helping teammates, and continuously learning accelerate growth.

Finally, the article advises young professionals to set ambitious goals beyond material comforts like buying a house, to stay in vibrant city centers for better networking, and to cultivate delayed gratification in both mindset and actions to achieve lasting success.