Quote by Zhang Ruimin: “The fish rots from the head; quality must begin at the top.”

When an organization or institution fails in quality, ethics, or discipline, the problem almost always starts with its leadership, not its workers. Accountability belongs first to those with the most power, not those with the least.

In 1985, Zhang Ruimin took charge of the Qingdao Refrigerator Factory, which was nearly bankrupt and producing defective goods. China was in the early years of economic reform under Deng Xiaoping, and quality standards in state-owned enterprises were notoriously poor. Zhang's decision to publicly destroy defective refrigerators with a sledgehammer was a dramatic statement about accountability and standards.

Chinese business leader who transformed Haier from a near-bankrupt refrigerator factory in Qingdao into one of the world's largest home appliance companies. In 1985 he famously led the destruction of 76 defective refrigerators with a sledgehammer to instill quality standards, an event that became a landmark moment in Chinese business culture. His management philosophy later evolved into the Rendanheyi model of networked micro-enterprises.