How to find the person who can help you get ahead at work | Carla Harris

Prevodilac: Kristina Radosavljević Lektor: Ivana Krivokuća

It was the spring of 1988

Bilo je proleće 1988. godine

when I had the aha moment.

kada sam doživela „aha” momenat.

I was at my first roundtable,

Bila sam za svojim prvim okruglim stolom,

and for those of you who don't know,

a za one koji ne znaju,

the roundtable was a very commonly used phrase on Wall Street

„okrugli sto” je bila često korišćena fraza na Vol stritu

to describe the year-end evaluative process

da bi se opisao proces godišnje evaluacije

for analysts, associates, vice presidents, all the way up to managing directors.

za analitičare, saradnike, potpredsednike, pa sve do izvršnih direktora.

That was the process where they were discussed behind closed doors

To je bio proces u kome oni raspravljaju iza zatvorenih vrata

around a table, i.e. the round table,

za tzv. okruglim stolom,

and everyone was put into a category --

i svi su stavljani u kategorije -

the top bucket, the middle bucket, the lower bucket --

najviši, srednji i niži koš -

and then that was translated into a bonus range

a onda je to bilo pretočeno u raspon bonusa

that would be assigned to each professional.

koji bi bio dodeljen svakom zaposlenom.

This was my first time there, and as I observed,

Bila sam prvi put tamo, i dok sam posmatrala,

I saw that there was one person that was responsible

videla sam da postoji jedna osoba

odgovorna za beleženje ishoda razgovora.

for recording the outcome of a conversation.

There were other people in the room that had the responsibility

U prostoriji je bilo drugih ljudi čiji je zadatak bio

of presenting the cases of all the candidates.

da predstavljaju slučajeve svih kandidata.

And there were other invited guests who were supposed to comment

A bilo je i drugih pozvanih gostiju od kojih se očekivalo da komentarišu

as a candidate's position was presented.

kada bi pozicija kandata bila predstavljena.

It was interesting to me that those other people

Meni je bilo interesantno da su ti drugi ljudi

were folks who were more senior than the folks that were being discussed

bili ljudi na višim pozicijama od onih o kojima se raspravljalo

and they theoretically had had some interaction with those candidates.

i oni su, teoretski, nekad imali kontakt sa tim kandidatima.

Now, I was really excited to be at this roundtable for the first time,

Ja sam bila stvarno uzbuđena što sam za okruglim stolom po prvi put,

because I knew that my own process would go through this same way,

zato što sam znala da će i moj proces ići istim tim putem,

and that my bonus would be decided in the same way,

i da će o mom bonusu biti odlučeno na isti način,

so I wanted to know how it worked,

pa sam želela da saznam kako to funkcioniše,

but more importantly,

ali još važnije,

I wanted to understand how this concept of a meritocracy

želela sam da razumem kako taj koncept meritokratije

that every company that I talked to walking out of business school

za koji se zalagala svaka kompanija sa kojom sam pričala

po završetku poslovne škole.

was selling.

Every time I talked to a company,

Svaki put kada bih pričala sa kompanijom,

they would say, "Our culture, our process, is a meritocracy.

oni bi rekli: „Naša kultura, naš proces, je meritokratija.

The way you get ahead in this organization is that you're smart,

Način na koji se napreduje u ovoj organizaciji je da si pametan,

you put your head down and you work really hard,

prioneš na posao i vredno radiš,

and you'll go right to the top.

i stići ćeš do samog vrha.”

So here was my opportunity to see exactly how that worked.

Dakle, ovo je bila moja prilika da vidim tačno kako je to funkcionisalo.

So as the process began,

Kako je proces počinjao,

I heard the recorder call the first person's name.

čula sam kako beležnik proziva ime prve osobe.

"Joe Smith."

„Džo Smit”.

The person responsible for presenting Joe's case did just that.

Osoba zadužena za predstavljanje Džoovog slučaja je upravo to uradila.

Three quarters of the way through, someone interrupted and said,

Na tri četvrtine izlaganja, neko je prekinuo i rekao:

„Ovo je odličan kandidat, sjajan,

"This is a great candidate, outstanding,

has great analytical and quantitative skills.

ima odlične analitičke i kvantitavne veštine.

This is a superstar."

Ovo je superzvezda”.

The recorder then said,

Beležnik je tada rekao:

"Sounds like Joe should go in the top bucket."

„Izgleda da Džo treba da ide u najviši koš.”

Second person, Mary Smith.

Druga osoba je bila Meri Smit.

Halfway through that presentation, someone said, "Solid candidate.

Na pola predstavljanja, neko je rekao: „Solidan kandidat.

Nothing really special, but a good pair of hands."

Ništa posebno u suštini, ali dobar radnik”.

The recorder said,

Onda je beležnik rekao:

"Sounds like Mary should go in the middle bucket."

„Izgleda kao da bi Meri trebalo da ide u srednji koš.”

And then someone said, "Arnold Smith."

A onda je neko rekao „Arnold Smit”.

Before the person could present Arnold's case,

Pre nego što je osoba mogla da predstavi Arnoldov slučaj,

somebody said, "Disaster. Disaster. This kid doesn't have a clue.

neko je rekao: „Katastrofa. Katastrofa. Taj dečko nema pojma.

Can't do a model."

Ne može da uradi model.”

And before the case was presented,

I pre nego što je slučaj predstavljen,

the recorder said,

beležnik je rekao:

"Sounds like Arnold should go in the bottom bucket."

„Izgleda da Arnold treba ostati u donjem košu.”

It was at that moment that I clutched my pearls --

U tom momentu sam ustreptala -

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

and said, "Who is going to speak for me?"

i rekoh: „Ko će govoriti za mene?”

Who is going to speak for me?

Ko će govoriti za mene?

It was that moment that I realized that this idea of a meritocracy

To je bio momenat kada sam shvatila da je ova ideja o meritokratiji

that every organizations sells is really just a myth.

za koju se svaka organizacija zalaže u stvarnosti samo mit.

You cannot have a 100 percent meritocratic environment

Ne možete imati stoprocentno meritokratsko okruženje

when there is a human element involved in the evaluative equation,

kada je ljudski faktor uključen u proces ocenjivanja,

because by definition,

zato što, po definiciji,

that makes it subjective.

to ga čini subjektivnim.

I knew at that moment that somebody would have to be behind closed doors

Znala sam u tom momentu da bi trebalo da neko bude iza zatvorenih vrata

arguing on my behalf,

ko bi govorio u moje ime

presenting content in such a way

i predstavio sadržaj na takav način

that other decision makers around that table

da bi drugi ljudi koji odlučuju za tim stolom

would answer in my best favor.

dali odgovor koji ide meni u prilog.

That was a really interesting lesson,

To je bila stvarno interesantna lekcija,

and then I said to myself, "Well, who is that person?

i tada sam rekla sebi: „Pa, ko je ta osoba?

What do you call this person?"

Kako zovemo tu osobu?”

And as I thought about the popular business terms at the time,

I kako sam tada mislila o popularnim poslovnim rečima,

I said, wow, this person can't be a mentor,

zaključih da ta osoba ne može biti mentor,

because a mentor's job is to give you tailored advice,

zato što je mentorski posao davanje saveta skrojenih za datu osobu,

tailored specifically to you and to your career aspirations.

namenjenih specijalno za vas i za vaše napredovanje u karijeri.

They're the ones who give you the good, the bad and the ugly

Oni su ti koji ti daju dobro, loše i zlo

in a no-holds-barred way.

bez zadrške.

OK. Person can't be a champion or an advocate,

Dobro. Osoba ne može biti pobornik ili zaštitnik,

because you don't necessarily have to spend any currency

zato što nije nužno da uložite neku vrednost

to be someone's champion.

da biste bili nečiji pobornik.

You don't necessarily get invited to the room

Ne morate nužno ni da budete pozvani u sobu

behind closed doors if you're an advocate.

iza zatvorenih vrata, ako ste zaštitnik.

It was almost two years later

Skoro dve godine kasnije

when I realized what this person should be called.

sam shvatila kako ta osoba treba da bude nazvana.

I was speaking at the University of Michigan

Pričala sam na Univerzitetu u Mičigenu

to the MBA candidates,

kandidatima za studije MBA

talking about the lessons that I had learned

o lekcijama koje sam naučila

after my three short years on Wall Street,

nakon tri kratke godine na Vol stritu,

and then it came to me.

i onda mi je sinulo.

I said, "Oh, this person that is carrying your interest,

Rekoh: „Ta osoba koja prenosi vaš interes,

or as I like to say, carrying your paper into the room,

ili, kao što ja volim da kažem, unosi vaše papire u sobu,

this person who is spending

ta osoba koja troši

their valuable political and social capital on you,

svoj vredan politički i socijalni kapital na vas,

this person who is going to pound the table on your behalf,

ta osoba koja će vas ispromovisati za stolom,

this is a sponsor.

to je sponzor.

This is a sponsor."

To je sponzor.”

And then I said to myself,

I tada rekoh sebi:

"Well, how do you get a sponsor?

„Pa, kako ćeš naći sponzora?

And frankly, why do you need one?"

Iskreno, zašto ti i treba?”

Well, you need a sponsor, frankly,

Iskreno, sponzor vam treba,

because as you can see,

zato što, kao što vidite,

there's not one evaluative process that I can think of,

ne mogu da se setim nijednog procesa ocenjivanja,

whether it's in academia, health care, financial services,

bilo da je reč o akademskom svetu, zdravstvenoj zaštiti, finansijama,

not one that does not have a human element.

da je bio bez ljudskog faktora.

So that means it has that measure of subjectivity.

To znači da postoji doza subjektivnosti.

There is a measure of subjectivity in who is presenting your case.

Postoji doza subjektivnosti u onome ko predstavlja vaš slučaj.

There is a measure of subjectivity

Postoji doza subjektivnosti

in what they say

u onome što će oni reći

and how they interpret any objective data that you might have.

i kako će oni interpretirati bilo koji objektivni podatak koji imate.

There is a measure of subjectivity in how they say what they're going to say

Postoji doza subjektivnosti u načinu na koji govore ono što su naumili da kažu

to influence the outcome.

da bi uticali na ishod.

So therefore, you need to make sure that that person who is speaking,

Zbog toga, morate da se postarate da osoba koja će govoriti,

that sponsor,

taj sponzor,

has your best interests at heart

svim srcem želi vaš uspeh

and has the power to get it, whatever it is for you,

i ima moć da ga dobije, šta god da je to za vas,

to get it done behind closed doors.

da završi to iza zatvorenih vrata.

Now, I'm asked all the time,

Stalno me pitaju:

"How do you get one?"

„Kako da ga nađem?”

Well, frankly, nirvana is when someone sees you in an environment

Iskreno, blaženstvo je kada vas neko spazi u okruženju

and decides, "I'm going to make it happen for you.

i odluči: „Ja ću učiniti to za tebe.

I'm going to make sure that you are successful."

Ja ću se postarati da budeš uspešan.”

But for many of us in this room, we know it doesn't really happen that way.

Ali većina nas ovde prisutnih zna da se to ne dešava u stvarnosti.

So let me introduce this concept of currency

Dozvolite mi da vam predstavim ovaj koncept vrednosti

and talk to you about how it impacts your ability to get a sponsor.

i da vam kažem kako on utiče na vašu sposobnost da nađete sponzora.

There are two types of currency in any environment:

Postoje dva tipa vrednosti u svakom okruženju:

performance currency and relationship currency.

vrednost izvođenja i vrednost međuljudskih odnosa.

And performance currency is the currency that is generated

Vrednost izvođenja je vaša vrednost koja se dobija

by your delivering that which was asked of you

kada izvršavate ono što se od vas traži

and a little bit extra.

i dajete još malo više.

Every time you deliver upon an assignment above people's expectations,

Svaki put kada izvršite zadatak iznad očekivanja,

you generate performance currency.

proizvodite svoju izvršnu vrednost.

It works exactly like the stock market.

To funkcioniše baš kao berza.

Any time a company says to the street

Svaki put kada kompanija kaže

that they will deliver 25 cents a share

da će obezbediti 25 centi po akciji,

and that company delivers 40 cents a share,

a obezbedi 40 centi po akciji,

that stock goes up, and so will yours.

akcije odu gore, a tako će i vaše.

Performance currency is valuable for three reasons.

Izvršna vrednost je bitna iz tri razloga.

Number one, it will get you noticed.

Prvo, primetiće vas.

It will create a reputation for you.

Stvoriće vam reputaciju.

Number two, it will also get you paid and promoted

Drugo, obezbediće vam veću platu i unapređenje

very early on in your career

veoma rano u vašoj karijeri

and very early on in any environment.

i veoma dobar početak u bilo kom okruženju.

And number three, it may attract a sponsor.

I treće, može privući sponzora.

Why? Because strong performance currency

Zašto? Zato što jaka izvršilačka vrednost

raises your level of visibility in the environment, as I said earlier,

podiže vaš nivo vidljivosti u okruženju, kao što rekoh,

such that a sponsor may be attracted to you.

tako da možete privući sponzora.

Why? Because everybody loves a star.

Zašto? Zato što svi vole zvezde.

But if you find yourself in a situation

Ali ako se nađete u situaciji

where you don't have a sponsor,

da nemate sponzora,

here's the good news.

evo dobrih vesti.

Remember that you can exercise your power and ask for one.

Zapamtite da možete primeniti svoju moć i tražiti ga.

But here's where the other currency is now most important.

Ali upravo ovde je najvažnija druga vrednost.

That is the relationship currency,

A to je vrednost međuljudskih odnosa,

and relationship currency is the currency that is generated

a vrednost međuljudskih odnosa je vrednost koja se proizvodi

by the investments that you make in the people in your environment,

kroz vaša ulaganja u ljude iz svog okruženja,

the investments that you make in the people in your environment.

ulaganja u ljude iz svog okruženja.

You cannot ask someone to use their hard-earned

Ne možete tražiti od nekog da iskoristi svoj teško zarađeni

personal influential currency on your behalf

lični uticaj za vašu stvar

if you've never had any interaction with them.

ako nikada niste uspostavili nikakvu komunikaciju sa njima.

It is not going to happen.

To se neće desiti.

So it is important that you invest the time to connect, to engage

Dakle, veoma je važno da uložite vreme da se povežete, uključite

and to get to know the people that are in your environment,

i upoznate ljude iz vašeg okruženja,

and more importantly to give them the opportunity to know you.

i što je još važnije, da im pružite priliku da upoznaju vas.

Because once they know you,

Zato što, onda kada vas upoznaju,

there's a higher probability that when you approach them

veća je verovatnoća da će, kada im priđete

to ask them to be your sponsor,

i zamolite ih da vam budu sponzori,

they will in fact answer in the affirmative.

potvrdno odgovoriti.

Now, if you're with me and you agree that you have to have a sponsor,

Sad, ako me pratite i ako se slažete da vam treba sponzor,

let's talk about how you identify a sponsor.

hajde da pričamo o tome kako identifikovati sponzora.

Well, if you're looking for a sponsor,

Pa, ako tražite sponzora,

they need to have three primary characteristics.

oni moraju imati tri osnovne karakteristike.

Number one, they need to have a seat at the decision-making table,

Prvo, moraju imati svoje mesto za upravljačkim stolom,

they need to have exposure to your work

moraju imati uvid u vaš posao

in order to have credibility behind closed doors,

kako bi imali kredibilitet iza zatvorenih vrata,

and they need to have some juice,

i moraju imati poštovanje,

or let me say it differently, they'd better have some power.

ili, da se drugačije izrazim, bilo bi dobro da imaju moć.

It's really important that they have those three things.

Veoma je važno da poseduju te tri stvari.

And then once you have identified the person,

I onda, kada ste identifikovali osobu,

how do you ask for one?

kako je pitati?

The script goes like this.

Scenario je ovakav.

"Jim, I'm really interested in getting promoted this year.

„Džim, ja sam veoma zainteresovan za unapređenje ove godine.

I've had an amazing year

Imao sam izuzetnu godinu

and I cannot show this organization anything else to prove my worthiness

i nemam šta drugo da pokažem ovoj organaziciji

da bih dokazao svoju vrednost i spremnost za unapređenje,

or my readiness for this promotion,

but I am aware that somebody has to be behind closed doors

ali sam svestan da mora biti neko iza zatvorenih vrata

arguing on my behalf and pounding the table.

ko će se založiti za mene.

You know me, you know my work and you are aware of the client feedback,

Ti me znaš, znaš moj rad i svestan si povratnih informacija klijenata,

and I hope that you will feel comfortable arguing on my behalf."

i nadam se da ti neće biti neprijatno da se založiš za mene.”

If Jim knows you

Ako vas Džim zna,

and you have any kind of a relationship,

i ako imate nekakav izgrađen odnos,

there's a very high probability that he will answer yes,

postoji velika verovatnoća da će pristati,

and if he says yes,

a ako pristane,

he will endeavor to get it done for you.

on će uložiti napor da to završi za vas.

But there's also a shot that Jim might say no,

Ali, postoji takođe šansa da će Džim reći ne,

and if he says no, in my opinion,

a ako kaže ne, po mom mišljenju,

there's only three reasons that he would tell you no.

postoje samo tri razloga za odbijanje.

The first is he doesn't think that he has enough exposure to your work

Prvi je da on ne smatra da ima dovoljan uvid u vaš rad

to have real credibility behind closed doors

da bi imao dovoljan kredibilitet iza zatvorenih vrata

to be impactful and effective on your behalf.

kako bi bio uticajan i efektivan za vas.

The second reason he may tell you no

Drugi razlog zbog koga vas može odbiti

is that you think he has the juice to get it done,

je da vi smatrate da on ima uticaj da završi posao,

but he knows that he does not have the power to do it

ali on zna da nema moć da to završi,

and he is not going to admit that in that conversation with you.

a ne želi to da prizna u razgovoru sa vama.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

And the third reason that he would tell you no,

I treći razlog za odbijanje je -

he doesn't like you.

ne sviđate mu se.

He doesn't like you.

Ne sviđate mu se.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

And that's something that could happen.

A to je nešto što može da se desi.

But even that will be valuable information for you

Ali čak i to će vam biti korisna informacija

that will help to inform your next conversation with a sponsor

koja će vam pomoći u sledećem razgovoru sa sponzorom

that might make it a little bit more impactful.

i koja bi ga mogla učiniti malo upečatljivijim.

I cannot tell you how important it is to have a sponsor.

Ne mogu vam dovoljno naglasiti koliko je važno imati sponzora.

It is the critical relationship in your career.

To je ključni odnos u vašoj karijeri.

A mentor, frankly, is a nice to have,

Iskreno, mentora je lepo imati,

but you can survive a long time in your career without a mentor,

ali možete i bez njega dugo preživeti u karijeri,

but you are not going to ascend in any organization without a sponsor.

ali bez sponzora nećete uspeti ni u jednoj organizaciji.

It is so critical that you should ask yourself regularly,

To je toliko važno da bi trebalo svakodnevno da se pitate:

"Who's carrying my paper into the room?

„Ko nosi moje papire u sobu?

Who is carrying my paper into the room?"

Ko nosi moje papire u sobu?”

And if you can't answer who is carrying your paper into the room,

A ako ne znate odgovor na to ko nosi vaše papire u sobu,

then I will tell you to divert some of your hardworking energies

onda vam savetujem da usmerite deo svoje revnosne energije

into investing in a sponsor relationship,

u ulaganje u sponzorski odnos,

because it will be critical to your success.

zato što će on biti ključan za vaš uspeh.

And as I close, let me give a word

I na kraju, dozvolite mi da kažem koju reč

to the would-be sponsors that are in the room.

onima prisutnim koji bi bili sponzori.

If you have been invited into the room,

Ako ste pozvani u sobu,

know that you have a seat at that table,

znajte da imate mesto za stolom,

and if you have a seat at the table,

a ako imate mesto za stolom,

you have a responsibility to speak.

imate odgovornost da progovorite.

Don't waste your power worrying about what people are going to say

Ne trošite svoju moć na razmišljanje o tome šta će drugi reći

and whether or not they think you might be supporting someone

i da li oni misle ili ne misle da podržavate nekog

just because they look like you.

samo zato što liče na vas.

If somebody is worthy of your currency,

Ako je neko vredan vaše pažnje,

spend it.

potrošite je.

One thing I have learned after several decades on Wall Street

Jedna stvar koju sam naučila nakon nekoliko decenija na Vol stritu

is the way to grow your power is to give it away,

je da vaša moć raste tako što je poklanjate,

and your voice is at the heart.

i govorite iz srca.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

And your voice is at the heart of your power.

Vaš glas je u srcu vaše moći.

Use it.

Iskoristite ga.

Thank you very much.

Hvala vam puno.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)