China is currently a peasant society, but a citizen society is its natural future direction.

In peasant society, relationships and fairness rule; in civil society, legal principles prevail.

In other words, what matters going forward is whether your chain of evidence is airtight—your mastery of the process, which ultimately boils down to process management.

Did you record that call with your supplier? Is there an email confirming the agreement? Did they confirm receipt? The difference between having it and not having it is worlds apart.

And if your process management slips up—even just once—you'll get labeled as sloppy by the big boss. Once he sees you as unreliable, your chances of being promoted vanish.

The world doesn't ask whether you're excellent; it asks how you can prove it.