This past weekend, over 2 billion people have been celebrating Chinese New Year. That's over a quarter of the world's population!
The festival is renowned for its traditions, bright colours, beautiful decorations and vibrant celebrations.
But... there are also some valuable business lessons to be learned from Chinese proverbs. So let's take a look!
1. "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now"
Aside from 20 years ago, the best time to act is today. Whether that's starting the business you've always dreamed of creating, or changing to the career you've always wanted to do, or even the retraining, learning and development of new skills.
Although it's easy to wallow in regret about not having started earlier, don't let that stop from you from starting now.
There's no time like the present, and it's better late than never.
2. "In every crisis, there is opportunity"
This proverb can be seen in different ways.
The best and most successful businesses solve problems. If you're looking to start a business or improve the one you already own, then think about what problems people have, and how you can provide the solution.
Alternatively, you can think about it like this. Every time a big issues arises in your company, take the time to consider the problem and how you can solve it in the long run - and better your business as a result. Sometimes, the best thinking and ideas come as a result of a crisis.
3. "The drowning man takes the first hand"
If you're in trouble, you're more likely to accept help from absolutely anyone.
But this isn't always the right thing to do.
For example, if your business is understaffed and you want to make a hire immediately, it may be worse in the long run, as the cost of a bad hire can be astronomically high. Both in terms of time, resources, and morale.
So, spend more time on hiring. Don't just rely on instinct - have questions prepared and have more than one round in your interviewing process.
Alternatively, you might consider retraining someone internally. Learn Amp is the perfect platform for this, as we facilitate performance management as well as providing expertly-curated content, to help your employees reach their full potential.
4. "A bad workman blames his tools"
In business, as in life, things go wrong. It's inevitable.
But it's how you deal with these things that set successful versus unsuccessful people apart.
Instead of blaming someone or something else when things go awry, hold yourself accountable.
Next, instead of wallowing, accept that the mistake happened and work out what you can do to prevent it or improve on it for next time. Mistakes are often the best teachers.
5. "If a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing well"
Whatever it is you do, give 100% effort.
If you're starting a business, then there's no point in doing so half-heartedly. If you give your absolute most, then success will surely follow. At least you'll have taken lessons from the experience to carry forward into your next venture.
If you're working for a business, then the more effort you put in, the more reward you will reap.
Either way, you reap what you sow - and it's best to give your all.
6. "All cats love fish, but fear to wet their paws"
Many people love the idea of achieving success and all that comes with it. But few are willing to take the risks to make it happen.
Succeeding in business takes a great deal of risk, uncertainty, and uncomfortable challenges.
If you want to succeed, you have to be willing to put yourself out there and take chances. This will take self-belief and self-discipline. To help you on your journey, why not consider using Learn Amp? Our platform helps to drive business performance and boost retention within businesses - and you can book a free demo to find out how.
7. "Defeat isn't bitter if you don't swallow it"
There's no doubt that you'll encounter setbacks. The path to success is fraught with obstacles, and at some point you will feel defeated.
But don't let that stop you. Instead, let the defeat become a learning and let it drive you further along your path to succeeding.
If you give up, you have a 100% chance of failing. However, if you persist, you still have the chance to succeed.
Persistence is key. If you fall down seven times, stand up eight.
8. "If you want one year of prosperity, grow grain. If you want 10 years of prosperity, grow trees. If you want 100 years of prosperity, grow people."
Sometimes, entrepreneurs can be short-sighted when it comes to realising what actually makes a business successful.
In the short term, it can be enough to just focus on the money you're making.
However, if you really want your business to become sustainable and then to flourish, you have to focus time and resources into getting the right people, and then retaining them.
This includes investing heavily in your employees, by creating an environment for them to succeed and making sure that everyone's aligned towards the same goal.
We hope you've been inspired!
Hopefully you've enjoyed reading our list of proverbs and seeing what you can learn from them.
They don't apply just to business, but can be applied to all aspects of life too.
We provide learning, employee engagement and performance management all in one platform, helping to drive business success. So if you're seeking more ways to improve and grow your business, why not visit our website to learn more about us?
We hope to hear from you soon!
