Last night I had a dream. I dreamt that I was chatting and laughing with my classmates on a bus. We were all happy to be together again. Before we knew it, we went from stop to stop. People around us gradually got off at their destinations. Fewer and fewer classmates were on the bus, and it became quieter and quieter. Finally, I couldn't bear it and walked towards the driver, hoping he would stop the bus... I woke up. I knew it was a dream, but it still lingered in my memory.

Goodbye Bay Area

I had the opportunity to attend a week-long conference at Google this time. I thought it would be a relaxing trip, but I ended up being exhausted. I guess I was inexperienced; I didn't realize that attending conferences could be so much more tiring than going to work.

I've been to the Bay Area countless times; I'm so familiar with some places that I don't even need GPS anymore. But this was the longest I've ever stayed—almost a week. Besides the usual memorable crowds, delicious food, and terrible traffic, I also experienced having my car vandalized and being pulled over by the police.

The pullover wasn't too bad, but because I was driving with my phone on, the police officer saw my VA license and kept asking if I knew I couldn't drive with my phone on. I insisted I didn't know, and finally gave me a verbal warning and let me go. The car being vandalized was a first for me, and what surprised me was that it happened near the bustling business center of Santa Clara, and it was very professionally vandalized, with exactly one hole for opening the trunk (as shown in the picture). Luckily, I hadn't left anything in the car. Although I drove the beat-up car for three days, when I returned it, the rental company staff were quite experienced and just said "oh" to indicate they understood.

Having lived in Virginia for a long time, moving to the Bay Area can be a bit of a shock. The Bay Area lacks the hustle and bustle of big cities, but it also lacks the tranquility typical of American cities; it's somewhere in between. There are many good restaurants, and it's close to China, making daily life relatively easy. However, housing prices are very high, and the houses are old, small, and cramped. Living in such a place now would be difficult for me; renting an apartment in the city center would be preferable. The huge wealth gap causes many problems; the frequent car vandalism is just one manifestation. There's always a sense of other uncertainties, which one can only truly appreciate after living there for a while. The bustling crowds are reminiscent of New York, and the influx of people causes severe traffic congestion.

If I had the choice, I would definitely choose to live in Virginia, but the Bay Area offers more opportunities. Putting myself in their shoes, if I didn't consider the Bay Area my home, I would be very happy to go there because I wouldn't have to bear unnecessary pressure. This feeling is very similar to when I first settled down in the US—if things didn't work out, going back to China wouldn't be bad either.

Top-down management inertia

The Chinese Football Association has recently drawn criticism again. This is the umpteenth time they've issued such a ridiculous policy. I used to write articles indignantly about it, but now I'm numb to it. Under the current management system, issuing ridiculous policies is highly probable, while issuing good ones is rare, so it's not surprising. After all, there are many management organizations even worse than ours. However, considering recent events, I've noticed that the management mindset of the Chinese people has also been distorted by this system.

Many people from China tend to have a top-down mindset, largely due to the way they've been raised. I recently encountered a similar situation in a startup team—the managers liked to issue rules through official pronouncements. A newly formed group should develop its rules based on the spontaneous interests and characteristics of its members. Managers should adapt, organize, and adjust these rules accordingly. Every team is different, and existing, formulaic management models will inevitably become unsuitable. To use an imperfect analogy, if it's a group of thieves, it's unreasonable to use a constitution to prohibit stealing. Similarly, if all team members enjoy something, it's inappropriate for the manager to forbid it.

All regulations, including laws, should be gradually formed through the operation of a group, with managers playing the role of extracting, summarizing, and controlling them. The collective will of the team should supersede that of a single manager, unless under a strongman regime. Undeniably, many startup teams need a strongman regime, but can this strongman truly oversee the entire operation, thus eliminating the need for cooperation from other strong individuals?

This reminds me of the recent soccer tournament organized by my alma mater. To host a sporting event, you first need participants. It's virtually impossible to organize a tournament simply by renting a venue and issuing a notice without participants. This is clearly putting the cart before the horse. Back in 2012, when I first came to Washington, D.C., I wanted to organize a Washington soccer league. We contacted various schools to find soccer leaders, eventually finding six schools. We held numerous meetings to discuss the timing, schedule, and format of the matches before finally finalizing the arrangements.

Football is a team sport, and it's more fun playing with familiar people. Is it too hasty and short-sighted to think you can organize everything just by renting a field and issuing a notice? Does this resemble the top-down management mentality mentioned earlier? Does it resemble our beloved Football Association making decisions based on its own interests? Or is it just a "political" task that can be easily accomplished with a perfunctory approach?

Managers should act as good coordinators, identifying specialists and allowing them to focus on their work undisturbed, maximizing their abilities. The Chinese Basketball Association's appointment of Yao Ming as its leader is a good example, but unfortunately, this is extremely difficult under the current domestic system.