Liu Xiu
A Heart Placed in Another Man's Belly
When newcomers are all guarding against you, do one thing that lets them see you are not guarding against them
Book of the Later Han, Annals of Emperor Guangwu (part 1)
The people who have just joined you are on guard, and so are you. Why did Liu Xiu ride through the camps of surrendered rebels with only a light escort?
What actually happened?
The Tongma rebels had surrendered, but they were uneasy: afraid of reprisals, afraid of being broken up. Liu Xiu saw it. He did not post more guards. He told the surrendered men to return to their camps and form up, then rode out with a light cavalry escort and went through the lines one camp at a time. He put his own safety under their eyes. The men passed the word round that their lord had taken out his heart and put it inside other men, and from then on they followed him.
Find out what they are afraid of
The history records the men's unease and that he saw it. He did not begin with a speech or a reward. He worked out what was keeping them awake: reprisals, and being broken up. Rewards offered before that look like a test.
After a merger, new colleagues are not unwilling; they do not know if their jobs survive. One email saying every post stays does more than ten pep talks.
Not guarding is not the same as having no structure
He rode out lightly escorted, yet afterwards he distributed the surrendered men among his generals to command, and that is how the army grew to hundreds of thousands. Trust was shown to each man's face; the chain of command did not loosen.
You inherit a team: spend the first week listening to each person, and settle the names, duties and reporting lines in the same week.
Let them be the ones who say it
It was the surrendered men themselves who spread the word. Liu Xiu did not campaign for it or explain it. He did something people could see and let them say it for him, which carries far more weight than saying it himself.
A new hire tells the group chat that the boss gave him the biggest client. That outweighs ten times of the boss saying he trusts them.
How do I use it today?
Where you are: you have taken over people who were not yours, and they are watching to see whether you guard against them.
Ask first: What are they most afraid of right now? Is there one thing I can do today that shows them, in plain sight, that I am not guarding?
Where it goes wrong: taking it as pouring out your heart. He rode out with a light escort, but the surrendered men were still assigned to his generals, and the structure did not loosen. Put trust in front of people; keep the rules on paper.
Lines to keep
The surrendered men were still uneasy; Guangwu knew it.
He puts his heart in our bellies; how could we not die for him?
He divided the surrendered men among his generals, hundreds of thousands in all.
Same situation, other people are asking
I've tried rewards and I've tried consequences. Neither moved anything.How do I push them without breaking them?I keep restating the standard and nothing changes.Nobody argues with me any more and nothing gets done.The team has gone flat · all 14 questions →If this one named what you are going through,
send it to someone who needs it, or keep it somewhere you will find it again.