Boss Lu: A reborn life is destined to be without regrets!
Chapter 198 - 159. The distance between the boss and employees

Chapter 198: 159. The distance between the boss and employees

"Who runs a business like you do, holding meetings over every minor detail? If you’re not tired, who will be?"

On the other side, in Building 2, Block B of Nanhu Industrial Park, Lu Jincheng patted Zhou Sinin’s little head, unable to suppress his amusement.

"What’s with that look?"

Inside Zhou Sinin’s private office, where only Lu Jincheng and she were present, the girl blinked her peachy, watery eyes and tilted her head to ask.

"Now we’re no longer a little workshop in Beiyuan. Our status has changed."

Lu Jincheng pulled up a stool and sat down opposite Zhou Sinin.

"So what does that mean?"

Zhou Sinin cradled her chin in her hands, resting her arms on the office desk, and stared straight at Lu Jincheng, slightly lost in a daze.

He really looks kind of handsome today...

It was the first time she had seen him dressed in formal wear; his sharp facial features seemed to be framed even more sculpturally by the shirt, and his well-built, proportional muscles were like those of a clothes mannequin.

This morning in the conference room, his focus while delegating work, his cultured and gentle manner of speaking, formed a strong contrast to the usual playboy who would flirt with her nonstop.

Oddly enough, it didn’t seem like the shirt was one of the big-name brands her father usually wore, but every detail on him, including his shoelaces and shirt collar, was meticulously arranged.

For some reason, the more she looked, the more her heart raced.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?"

"Ah! I’m listening, really listening."

Zhou Sinin stuck out her tongue, her cheeks flushing red, as she sat up a little straighter.

"Before, when the shop was too busy, you could make coffee, pull a fancy espresso shot, or handle the cash register, and that was fine."

Mr. Lu unfolded his arms and clapped his hands together with a "snap" to regain Zhou Sinin’s attention, continuing to teach in a confident and earnest manner.

"Now that you’re running a company, with dozens of shops waiting for your management, do you still plan to sweat the small stuff?"

"The first thing to avoid as a leader is transactional work."

"What is transactional work?"

Zhou Sinin blinked, her interest piqued.

"You’re a boss, not a secretary. Transactional work includes tasks like sending and receiving documents, making phone calls, filing documents, and filling out expense reports—often repetitive and trivial tasks that waste time.

"If you allow this to continue, you’ll find that you haven’t protected your decision-making skills and attention, and you’ll waste much time on meaningless work."

For the sake of peace of mind as a hands-off manager, Mr. Lu spoke slowly and seriously.

"So, what should I do?"

Enlightened by his explanation, the ice-clever Zhou Sinin sought clarification.

"Before you get to know everything and decide to hire a secretary or assistant, my recommendation is to establish a set of SOPs for your own work."

Lu Jincheng said with a smile.

"SOP?"

Zhou Sinin’s bright eyes filled with confusion.

However, she was no longer surprised; every time she talked with Lu Jincheng, she’d always learn something new from him.

"It means ’Standard Operating Procedures.’ You need to learn how to quantify tasks and turn them into standardized, step-by-step processes to truly improve efficiency."

Lu Jincheng generously shared his habits from his previous life.

Most people who have been successful have a set of straightforward and efficient working methods.

His method wasn’t complicated; it was essentially a trilogy.

What to do at each step, clear benchmarks for completion, and visually presenting them using mind maps, tables, or flowcharts.

1. Choose a task that you will do repeatedly and quantify every detail.

2. When performing repeatedly, follow the process to improve efficiency.

3. At each step, extensively rehearse, find flaws, and then iterate and upgrade.

"Do you understand?"

Lu Jincheng had been speaking for quite some time and felt a bit thirsty.

"I’ll give you an example, like if a leader within the system comes to inspect work and hold a symposium, we’re in charge of preparing for the meeting."

He paused, casting his eyes around the office until they finally fell upon the teapot on the desk.

Zhou Sinin immediately got the hint, rose from her boss’s chair with a smile, and walked over to hand him a cup of warm water.

"This sounds straightforward, but in fact, there are a lot of details, and it’s quite a troublesome task, perfect for quantifying and turning into an SOP."

"There are specifics for before, during, and after the meeting."

Lu Jincheng sipped a bit of water, gesturing casually with his hand.

"Just take the preparation before the meeting, off the top of my head I can come up with fifteen points."

"Huh?"

The attentive Zhou Sinin asked curiously.

"Such as preparing meeting materials, designing the conference backdrop PPT, setting up laptops for screen projection, contacting on-site photographers, booking meeting rooms, printing place cards and setting them up, determining the scope of participants and issuing notices, deciding if meals should be arranged depending on the meeting time, setting out teacups, filling them with water fifteen minutes before the meeting starts, testing equipment in advance if there’s a video branch venue, drawing curtains for afternoon meetings, figuring out where to take group photos, posting signs from the main entrance to the venue, arranging for refreshments in the lounge, and turning on the air conditioning ahead of time."

Lu Jincheng actually counted off each of the fifteen detailed points on his fingers, recounting them to her like a precious treasure.

"..."

Is there anything he doesn’t know?

Watching Lu Jincheng eloquently explain, Zhou Sinin couldn’t help but narrow her eyes slightly.

Perhaps her father’s willingness to invest an eight-figure sum in this coffee shop wasn’t just out of indulgence for her, but because this guy Lu Jincheng truly had something.

He didn’t seem to have entertained any leaders, so where did all this experience come from?

Zhou Sinin gently bit her lip as daylight invited itself in, casting a light golden sheen on her brown hair, which fell in a curtain over her shoulders, clear and bright.

"I’ll remember that."

The girl nodded, then something else occurred to her, and she stood still in front of Lu Jincheng, asking,

"So, do you have an assistant because you’ve already got a firm grasp on all kinds of clerical work?"

"What do you think?"

Lu Jincheng put down his cup and met her gaze.

Zhou Sinin was taken aback, her long lashes fluttering slightly, and before she could respond, the man moved a couple of steps closer, smiling cheerfully as he spoke.

"It’s impossible to know everything; things unrelated to decision-making just waste my time."

"Just don’t feel like doing it."

Mr. Lu lowered his head and extended a finger, pointing at Zhou Sinin’s lips.

He suddenly changed the subject, like an F1 race car drifting abruptly mid-race.

"In fact, when I took the picture, I was thinking that today’s color looks quite nice."

"...Is, is that so..."

Despite it being the product of her careful grooming, having the compliment come after such a long time still made Zhou Sinin’s cheeks flush red, her shyness and nervousness evident in her brows and the corners of her eyes.

Such tender lips, the redness applied to them accentuated their youthful charm.

"And by the way, this is the first time I’ve seen you dressed so corporately. It takes some getting used to."

Lu Jincheng patted her waist in a motion that was incredibly natural.

"To show that I take it seriously."

Zhou Sinin bowed her head.

Her waist was elegant, exuding a sense of fragility.

Different from her usual flowing dresses, she looked equally gorgeous in trousers.

With the bespoke trousers hugging them, her long legs extended from her waist, looking even more slender.

So delicate, so smooth, so lengthy - the small undulations from thigh to knee, to calf, to ankle.

"Do you take such care for the staff, or for me?"

Mr. Lu would never miss an opening.

So, with a smile tugging at his lips, he persisted.