Zhang Yaxi: Young Cadres Should Establish and Practice a Correct Outlook on Political Achievements
The outlook on political achievements is the concentrated manifestation of young cadres' worldview, outlook on life, values, outlook on power, and outlook on career within the context of practical work; it serves as a critical guide for their performance of duties, exercise of power, and entrepreneurial endeavors. At the critical juncture of launching the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" [1], young cadres must consciously take a correct outlook on political achievements as their guide, integrate their personal ideals into the broader framework of the Party and national undertaking, and truly become a vanguard force capable of shouldering the heavy responsibility of national rejuvenation.
A correct outlook on political achievements is the virtue of governance, the way of public service, and the essential requirement of administration. It is both a value position and a set of practical logics. The choice of outlook on political achievements determines the nature of the results, merits, and actual performance produced in the course of serving the Party and the people and promoting economic and social development. In today's world, the struggle in the ideological sphere is complex and severe, with certain erroneous trends of thought and unhealthy tendencies [2] growing stealthily. If young cadres lack the professional resolve provided by a correct outlook on political achievements, they can easily lose themselves in "circle culture" [3], the "philosophy of connections" (guanxi), and "promotion anxiety," or even succumb to "passive lying flat" [4]. Only by recognizing the questions of "for whom do we create achievements, what kind of achievements do we create, and how do we create them" from the height of epistemology can they truly focus their minds and energy on the practical deeds of sharing the Party's concerns, fulfilling responsibilities for the country, and dedicating themselves to the people. As the fresh force in the development of the Party and national cause, young cadres should profoundly realize that persisting in doing the right thing is far greater wisdom than merely doing things "correctly."
Young cadres should persist in self-tempering and take proactive initiative through the mutual reinforcement of knowledge and action. The core essence of a correct outlook on political achievements is to work with practical dedication, seek tangible results, and win the hearts of the people. Young cadres must recognize that true ability is honed through practice. They must lower their posture and immerse themselves [5] in the main battlefield of reform and development and at the front lines of serving the masses. When encountering issues, they must not "shirk, delay, muddle through, or dodge," but use decisive action to answer the questions of "who am I, for whom am I working, and upon whom do I rely?" They must actively carry forward the fine tradition from the Yan'an period [6] of "seeing only public servants and no officials," and always keep in mind the fundamental purpose of wholeheartedly serving the people. They must persist in the principle that "the people's aspirations are the direction of governance," treating the "minor matters" of the masses as their own "major affairs." They should pour their hearts and souls into satisfying the masses' desire for convenient schooling for children, the expectations of the elderly for a peaceful life, and the demands for accessible medical care, allowing their talents to be sublimated through practical labor. At the same time, they must maintain a sense of crisis regarding "competence anxiety" [7], continuously improving their abilities in investigation and research, emergency response, mass work, and communication and coordination, striving to become pillars of the New Era who are politically reliable, productive in work, and resilient in style.
Young cadres should strengthen their commitment to cultivating "latent achievements" and consolidate the solid foundation for long-term development. Those who do not plan for the span of ten thousand generations are insufficient to plan for a single moment [8]. A correct outlook on political achievements is one that is based on the present while looking toward the long term, advocating the spiritual state of "success does not have to be attributed to me, but I must contribute to the act of succeeding." One must be willing to perform foundational work, be happy to take on unfinished business, and create political achievements that truly consolidate the foundation of the enterprise and benefit future generations. Young cadres are in the prime of their lives and possess the time and energy to bridge the present and the future; this represents both a unique advantage and a heavy responsibility. Especially in the digital age, one must be wary of the erosion of the outlook on political achievements by impetuous trends such as the one-sided pursuit of "traffic" and "instant success." They must resolutely reject "tenure thinking" and an "opportunistic mindset." They must never, for the sake of "attractive figures" during their term of office, "eat next year's food today" or "drain the pond to catch the fish" [9], thereby harming the interests of the masses and affecting long-term development.
Young cadres should have the courage to set precedents and adapt to the needs of the times. To grasp innovation is to grasp development; to plan for innovation is to plan for the future. Young cadres tend to have active minds, are quick to accept new things, and are full of passion for innovation and creation. A correct outlook on political achievements requires young cadres to transform this advantage into actual efficacy for promoting the development of new quality productive forces and serving high-quality development. On the one hand, they must demonstrate the vigor and vitality of youth, exploring boldly in key areas of the reform assault, actively using new concepts, new technologies, and new tools to pilot projects, and striving to be "problem solvers" who use innovative thinking to resolve issues. On the other hand, they must follow the mass line of the Party in the New Era, master the scientific method of "from the masses, to the masses," avoid "building cars behind closed doors" [10], and "set precedents" on the basis of in-depth investigation and scientific demonstration, transforming innovative ideas into developmental results that move from nothing to something, and from something to excellence, striving to be "pathfinders" on the New Journey.
Young cadres should remain clean and upright, ensuring that their political achievements can withstand the test of practice, the people, and history. A correct outlook on political achievements requires not only the wisdom and passion to forge ahead but also the professional resolve and persistence of integrity. Most young cadres are at the front lines of work and entrepreneurship, facing risks and tests that are more direct and complex. Young cadres should "button the first button" [11] of honest administration from the very beginning of their careers and from the present moment. They must always remember that power belongs to the "public" and not the "private," continuously enhancing their political acumen and discernment, adhering to principles, and abiding by rules, so as to exercise power impartially, in accordance with the law, and with integrity. They should consciously purify their social circles, life circles, and friend circles, strictly observing the policy red lines, legal bottom lines, and the "high-voltage lines" of discipline. Maintaining a spirit of "inspecting oneself as if one were falling behind," they should strive to ensure that "the heart is not moved by the temptation of petty gain, and the eyes are not dazzled by the confusion of the five colors" [12], consolidating the foundation of faith and steadying the direction of action through self-respect, self-reflection, self-warning, and self-encouragement, so as to stand guard and perform well for the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization.
(The author is the Director and Assistant Researcher of the Chinese-path Modernization Research Office, Institute of Marxism Studies, Henan Academy of Social Sciences) Source: Guangming Daily (March 19, 2026) Editor: Huihui