Concerning some misunderstandings about Huawei’s so-called “wolf culture”, Huawei founder and president Ren Zhengfei recently said in an interview with the South China Morning Post: “Wolf culture” may have been misinterpreted by the outside world. In fact, it includes three aspects: sensitivity, teamwork, and perseverance.

First, the biggest feature of the wolf is that its nose is very sensitive. It knows where the customer’s needs are, and where the direction of science and technology will be in ten or twenty years. The sensitivity of the wolf is very important. The wolf can smell the meat far away, and the piece of meat must be found in the ice and snow. This is sensitivity to the market, sensitivity to customer needs, and sensitivity to new technologies, representing a keen understanding.

Second, the wolves are not fighting alone, but fighting in groups, which represents teamwork.  There must be a team spirit. The Google Legion is doing well. We are learning this now. Of course, we also put articles that criticize the Google Legion on the Internet at the same time. While supporting and accepting criticism, this can also be regarded as forming a group. Fighting alone will not succeed in this world. For example, our company promotes the “Tu Dandan Model”. Tu Dandan is a little girl who leads a team. The model she proposed was formed by a group of three doctors and two masters, and we supplemented two experimental engineers, a secretary or a clerk.  Some clerical work can be done by clerks, and experimental work can be done by experimental engineers. Experimental engineers can be younger and have lower academic qualifications, but they will grow up under such strong teachers, even become better than teachers. So we promote teamwork.

Thirdly, the wolf also has the characteristic of being unyielding. Cadres can’t find any difficulties then ask to change jobs. Why do they want to change jobs? Changing to another district, even if you move from a high position to a low position, will suppress the growth of young people there.  If you can’t be the leader, you can cook for this team. You have to be there, and you will be rewarded for fighting. As a best leader, when I step back, I can be a “cook”- just do logistics support, do the environment, do scenes. Ren Zhengfei said: “I am a logistic support staff, mainly listening difficulties, what are the difficulties in all aspects, and organization to solve the difficulties. So I can’t move the work which is not suitable for me, transferring me a position, why should I transfer positions? It will block the path of the young people going up where you go. You have to fight hard on the road you choose, and you can’t fight back to cook well. The cooking time can be studied hard and you can return to the battlefield. You are still in your original ‘Legion’.”