Before she could even settle into her chair as deputy team leader, Liu Li truly felt the weight of responsibility on her shoulders.
Before, I could just bury myself in my own experiments, but now I have to worry about the progress of the whole group the moment I open my eyes. I have to find out whose data is stuck, coordinate materials for the machine repair shop, and stay up all night to prepare the institute's periodic reports. Even when I'm eating in the cafeteria, my mind is always on which process parameter still needs optimization.
It was her first time chairing a group discussion, so she started mentally preparing several days in advance, writing down each point to be discussed on paper, afraid of any awkward silences. When she actually sat in the main seat, looking at her more senior colleagues like Zhou Wei and Sun Mei, her palms started to sweat a little.
But when it comes to serious matters, such as which fixture is not rigid enough or which measurement data is abnormal, she immediately gets excited, her eyes light up, and she speaks fluently.
Mr. Zhou, wouldn't it be more accurate to take into account the actual contact deformation during clamping in the boundary conditions of your model?
Mr. Sun, I think we need to add another measurement point at this location for the next batch of test pieces.
Mr. Zhang, I'll need to keep a close eye on the heat treatment of the new batch of materials.
She organized her work clearly and patiently listened to differing opinions, ultimately making decisions based on everyone's perspectives. After several rounds, the initial doubts the experienced colleagues had about her youth gradually turned into trust in her.
Team Leader Chen intentionally gave her free rein, entrusting her with many specific tasks. Running errands, coordinating, securing resources, and dealing with other teams—tasks that required considerable verbal skill—Liu Li tackled them all head-on. She was straightforward and to the point; when faced with difficult individuals, she presented the actual measured data, and if all else failed, she would take them to the workshop to see the actual products. Her pragmatic approach, honed from her frontline experience, was sometimes more effective than empty words.
Of course, there were times when she struggled. For example, writing that quarterly summary took her two nights, and what she wrote looked like a mere chronicle of events. In the end, Team Leader Chen couldn't stand it anymore and gave her some pointers: "Don't just list what you did. You need to clearly explain why you did it, what difficulties you encountered, how you solved them, what the results were, and what questions you still haven't figured out. That's the true value of a summary."
Liu Li then realized her mistake, scrapped the draft, and rewrote it, incorporating all the insights and experiences the team had gained over the past few months. The report was submitted, and the feedback was surprisingly positive.
Days passed by in a flurry of activity, learning, and growth. She was no longer the newcomer who needed to prove herself everywhere; she had become a crucial link in the team, bridging the gap between superiors and subordinates. Team members got used to confirming the next day's arrangements with her before leaving work, the senior mechanics in the machine repair team were willing to do her a favor, and even the cafeteria ladies knew to give Deputy Team Leader Liu an extra half spoonful of food.
I've finally got a firm footing.
Before she could even catch her breath, a new challenge loomed ahead. The project had entered a more critical phase, and the next hurdle to overcome was the dynamic stability of the high-speed spindle—the heart of the new textile machinery. This thing rotates at extremely high speeds and requires impeccable smoothness during operation, but existing designs and manufacturing processes always struggled to prevent even minor vibrations, severely impacting equipment performance and lifespan.
The preliminary analysis report lay on her desk. The problem was more complex than the deformation of thin-walled parts, involving the intersection of multiple fields such as mechanical dynamics, rotor balancing, materials, and lubrication. The group's discussion once again reached a stalemate; the proposed solutions were either too costly or too time-consuming.
Liu Li stared at the intricately designed spindle on the blueprints, her fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the table. Outside the window, the familiar roar of machinery from the workshop faintly drifted in. She knew that she and her team were about to face a more difficult battle than before, one that would demand even greater comprehensive technical expertise.
Strangely, she didn't panic; instead, a surge of excitement welled up inside her. After all, aren't difficult problems meant to be solved? She took a deep breath, picked up the report, and her gaze was calm and focused.
A new battle has begun.
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