CEO of EBay: The value of trust

Absrtact: My first job was not written into LinkedIn's personal profile, and I should add the following sentence: 7 o'clock in the morning, while driving a truck, drinking beer. But the skills I've learned have largely influenced my leadership style. I graduated from high school.

My first job was not in the "LinkedIn profile," which I should add: "7 o'clock in the morning, with a truck on and a beer on the side." "But the skills I've learned have largely influenced my leadership style," he said.

The summer of my high school year, my friend's father asked me to work for his Schlitz beer dealership. He said to me, "You'll make a lot of money." "I agree." It was a trade union job and asked me first to join the International Truck Drivers Association (Analysys Brotherhood of Teamsters).

Work starts 6:30 A.M., located in a Chicago warehouse far away from my home. There are about 25 trucks, each with 1 drivers and 1 assistants. My position is "Assistant bench" and I take my place when my assistant is on leave or on leave.

I was working with Harvey Otterau (Harvey Outlaw) for the first time, and Otterau was a pretty scary guy. I don't know what's going to happen to him. He saw me and said, "I don't know why they assigned you to me." ”

Otterau's route is to travel to the Cabrini-green residential area (cabrini-green), which may be the worst community in New York. It was not safe to pay cash on the way, Otterau hid a gun in his socks. (his former assistant was wounded in the head with a beer, still lying in the hospital.) )

Therefore, this job still has a certain risk, but there are some special treatment. One morning, Otterau saw me sweating and brought me two bottles of chilled beer. said: "Here you are." "It was 7 o'clock in the morning, when I was 18 years old, and I thought," This is the greatest job I've ever had. "(The 18-year-old is the legal age for drinking) there is another treatment: if the cans are damaged, 10 cents can be bought home.

Every week I would go on a different route with a different driver. My favorite driver is Harry. He is a very optimistic big guy, let me do something other drivers do not let me do, such as at the end of a day of work, allow me to drive into the warehouse. The truck is huge and hard to drive. One time did not grasp a good angle, crashed into the warehouse door. The car and the door were all choked up and lost thousands of dollars. I was so scared, I thought, "This is my 7-year salary." ”

I told the warehouse supervisor and Harry about it. To my great surprise, Harry quickly took over conversation and said, "It's my fault, I made him do it." The warehouse supervisor looked at Harry and smiled and said, "Don't worry about it." ”

Back in the past, the job of unloading beer taught me two great leadership experiences. First of all, I have to get along with different types of people. I do not want them to be like me, through their differences, work style, to my different attitude, I understand a lot.

Today, when I meet a stranger, I routinely ask myself, "Where is this man's strength, what can I learn from it?" "As a business leader, this is one of the most powerful tools I have.

The second leadership experience is the value of trust. Harry showed me some incredible side, he used trust to communicate with me, the courage to take responsibility. During the rest of the summer, I tried to do my best and was infinitely loyal to Harry.

That summer, I made a lot of money, far more than my expectations of that age. By working with Otterau, Harry and others, I have gained a lot of experience and experiences, and I have benefited greatly from my future work.

For example, I would insist on the principle of "assumed trust" (presume) every day. Whether it's at Bain (Bain Company) or ebay, I encourage employees to believe that.

If you think you have to win everyone's trust, this idea is bound to reduce the efficiency of the team. Instead, why not "assume trust" until someone makes something that can't be trusted?

If so, you will take this idea to your co-workers: we are on the same team. Pursue trust and communication, motivate everyone, and ultimately make everyone more successful. This rule is flexible, adaptable to a team, and adaptable to the entire enterprise.

I believe that this will create a strong team. This is my experience from Harry in the truck that taught me that interacting with everyone is an opportunity to learn. For me in my youth, it was a great experience to thank Harry. (Tan Jan)