Loyalty at Work: Be a Hunting Dog, Not a Husky 职场忠诚法则：别做哈士奇，做猎犬
This is Suzhou Victory Textile Co., Ltd.
Relationships involve friction and deceit, but also cooperation and mutual consent. Today, let’s talk about an undervalued virtue—loyalty.
I use the term “lord-subject relationship” to describe an intimate, binding connection between a superior and a subordinate. Those without connections are best advised to form such a bond with a capable leader as early as possible. If you report to two bosses at once, you become like a shovel in a warehouse—anyone can use you, yet no one truly cares. The more people giving orders, the fewer willing to take responsibility.
A true lord-subject relationship is one-on-one. In Game of Thrones, the knight Brienne swears: “I will protect your safety and give my life in times of danger.” The lady responds: “You will always have a place at my table, and I will never bring dishonor upon your service.” That’s a two-way pact: loyalty from the subject, protection from the lord.
Core rules include: a subject shall not serve two masters; the subject must protect the lord; the lord must guarantee the subject’s well-being; share good times together; and never force the subject to commit atrocities.
Sadly, not everyone upholds this ancient contract. A student named Xiaomei told me she is favored by her direct leader A, but another department head B also shows her kindness. When A finds out, he starts to “discipline” her. My response was: He is right to do so. A leader who still warns you hasn’t given up on you. From a company policy perspective, A shouldn’t interfere in her social life, but the essence of the lord-subject relationship is this: if your lord is at war with the neighbor, and you secretly befriend the enemy, anyone would grow suspicious.
Look at how Zhuge Liang handled such matters. He and his two brothers served three different kingdoms, yet he was never distrusted. Why? Because he kept attacking Cao Wei, declaring “Han and Wei cannot coexist under heaven.” Constant action earns a lord’s trust. The lord-subject bond always comes before any other relationship.
Ten thousand years ago, hungry wolves circled human campfires, drooling. One brave wolf approached, ate the food humans offered, and gradually turned into a dog. Humans kept the obedient dogs for breeding and either ate or abandoned the disobedient ones. Dogs even evolved the ability to digest grains, becoming the first animals to form a “lord-subject relationship” with humans.
The same applies in the workplace. Leaders allocate resources and opportunities to “their own people”—those who are loyal, capable, and reliable in critical moments. This inner circle includes shrewd thinkers, handymen, good-looking people, heavy drinkers, and also a few “grinders” on the edge, always replaceable.
Some may ask: Can I choose not to take sides? Sure. But most will end up frustrated, coasting to retirement in a deputy role. Alternatively, you could take the path of Sun Liancheng in In the Name of People and develop a hobby—like stargazing—as a way out.
Then there are “Husky-style employees.” They are overly gentle, friendly with everyone, and won’t even bark when a burglar enters—they’d rather play with him. The real reason “nice guys” are seldom promoted is that they lack the wisdom to distinguish friend from foe. They swear loyalty to their lord yet can’t help flirting with the enemy, sometimes leaking critical information when probed. When the lord is attacked, they remain oblivious, sometimes even making things worse.
If your leader calls you “brother” or “buddy,” be cautious. A leader who relies on warmth to win you over is either insecure or lacking real resources. A healthy lord-subject relationship is not brothers, but more like father and son. You can have many brothers, but only one father.
In the Records of the Three Kingdoms, the bond between Liu Bei and his generals Guan Yu and Zhang Fei is described as “as kind as father and son”—not the “sworn brotherhood” romanticized in fiction. In a father-son relationship, the father has the right to discipline any wayward son at any time. In today’s workplace, though you cannot use physical punishment, a leader must still possess the ability to impose consequences and correct disloyalty.
“You shall have no other gods before me.” — That’s the first of the Ten Commandments. When God saw humans turn to idols, He brought disasters upon their cities. Across cultures, the punishment for disloyalty has always been severe.
So, be a loyal hunting dog—fetch a rabbit every day. Don’t be a husky—the one that only knows how to tear up the house.
这里是苏州维特瑞纺织。
人际关系中既有磨损也有合作，今天聊一种被低估的美德——忠诚。
我用“君臣关系”来形容一种亲密的上下级绑定。没有背景的人，最好尽早与有实力的人结成这种关系。如果同时被两个领导指挥，你会像仓库里的铁锹——谁都能用，没人心疼。越多人下命令，越少人敢担当。
真正的君臣关系，是一对一的。在《权力的游戏》里，女骑士布蕾妮宣誓：“我保护您的安全，危难时献出生命。”主母回应：“你永远在我家中有一席之地，我绝不让你蒙羞。”这就是双向契约：臣忠诚，君保证。
核心原则包括：臣不能有二主；臣要保护主公；君要保障臣的权益；有福同享；不逼迫臣做伤天害理之事。
可惜，不是所有人都能守住这份契约。一位学员小美说，她很受直属领导A赏识，但另一个部门主管B也对她示好，A知道后开始敲打她。我的回答是：敲打得对。愿意敲打，说明领导还没放弃你。从公司制度看，A不该干涉你的社交，但君臣关系的本质是——主公在和隔壁交战，你却与敌人私交甚密，换谁都会猜忌。
诸葛亮的做法值得学。他哥仨分仕三国，却从不被猜忌，因为他一直进攻曹魏，喊出“汉贼不两立”。不断行动，才能让主公信任你。君臣关系永远高于其他关系。
一万多年前，饥饿的狼群围着人类火堆流口水。一只胆大的狼靠过来吃人类给的食物，慢慢变成了狗。人类留下听话的狗繁衍，不听话的吃掉或抛弃。狗甚至进化出消化粮食的能力，成为最早与人类结成“君臣关系”的动物。
职场同理。领导会把资源和机会分给“自己人”——忠心、能干活、关键时刻顶得上的下属。圈子里有精明人、能干杂事的、好看的、能喝酒的，还有一类是“傻干活”的边缘角色，随时可能被替换。
有人问：不站队行吗？可以。但多数人会郁郁不得志，混个副职退休。当然，也能像《人民的名义》里的孙连成那样，发展出仰望星空的爱好，也算一种活法。
还有一种人叫“哈士奇式员工”。他们过于温和，跟谁都好，家里进了贼还跟小偷玩。老好人不被重用的根本原因，是缺乏判断敌友的智慧。他们效忠主公，却忍不住跟主公的敌人暧昧，甚至在被套话时暴露关键信息。主公被攻击时，他们浑然不觉，有时还帮倒忙。
如果你的领导跟你称兄道弟，要留神。靠亲热拉拢人的领导，要么没自信，要么没资源。健康的君臣关系，不是兄弟，而是类似父子。兄弟可以有很多个，爸爸只有一个。
《三国志》里，刘备与关羽、张飞的关系是“恩若父子”，不是“桃园三结义”那种兄弟。父子关系中，父亲有权随时敲打有异心的儿子。现代职场虽不能打板子，但领导依然要有剥夺和惩戒的能力。
“除我之外，不可有别的主。”——这是《摩西十诫》第一条。神看见人类背弃自己，就会降下灾难。无论中西，对不忠诚的惩戒，从不手软。
所以，做一条忠诚的猎犬，每天叼回兔子；别做哈士奇，只会拆家。
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Suzhou Victory Textile Co., Ltd. （苏州维特瑞纺织有限公司）is located in Changshu city(belongs to Suzhou District) Jiangsu,China. 80 Kilometers away from Shanghai Port.
Our team has been working in textile over 18 years.Our mainly products are Tie dyed Fabric,Velour/Velvet,Quilt Fabric,Jacquard Fabric,Single Jersey, Pique,Rib Fabric,Bird Eyes/Mesh Fabric, Interlock, French Terry/Fleece, Polar Fleece, Coral Fleece, Flannel Fleece, PV Plush, Sherpa Fleece,Coarse Needle Fabric etc Fabrics.
Compositions include Polyester,Cotton,Spandex/Lycra,Nylon/Polyamide,Rayon/Viscose,Modal/Tencel,Bamboo,Arcylic,Soybean,Wool,Flax/Linen,etc.
Functional Fabric:Sportswear Fabric(Coolmax,Coolpass,Coolplus,X-dry,Cooldry,Feelcool Ice,Topcool,Sorona,Supplex etc.),Waterproof,Fireproof(Aramid,Polyimide),Heat(Thermolite),Antibiosis(Sanitized),Uvioresistant,Radiation-proof,Recycle,BCI,Organic,Pima/Supima etc Fabrics.
We also have invested a home textiles & garments factory where we move our fabrics to sew many kinds of Garments, blankets etc.
Our marketing team and QC department are checking all the day in every process and keep close contact with customers to make sure customer knows every stage of the production. All the fabrics and blankets are inspected by our QC before packaging and shipping. Also we can provide some certifications Such as Oeko-Tex standard 100, SGS, Intertek etc.
We have production capability 5000 tons of various type of fabrics annually.Our products are mainly transported to China, southeast Asia, Middle East, Europe and America etc.
Welcome to our company. We will highly appreciate any inquiry and question from you and respond asap.We believe you will enjoy one-stop service from us if you work together with us.