How to lead in a crisis | The Way We Work, a TED series

Transcriber: Erin Gregory Reviewer: Ivana Korom

We think of a great leader

翻译人员: Lark Yu 校对人员: Nan Yang

我们认为，伟大的领导者

as the unwavering captain who guides us forward

就像一个坚定的船长， 穿越挑战和复杂状况

through challenge and complexity.

指引我们前进。

Confident, unwavering leaders,

拥有着过往的经历和经验，

armed with data and past experience

自信、坚毅的领导者，

have long been celebrated in business and politics alike.

长期以来在商业和政治领域 都享有盛誉。

But sometimes and certainly now,

但有时，特别是现在，

a crisis comes along that is so new and so urgent

危机来临，未知且紧迫，

that it upends everything we thought we knew.

同时颠覆我们所有认知。

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One thing we know for sure

有件事情我们确定无疑，

is that more upheavals are coming.

那就是更多的动荡即将来临。

In a completely interconnected world

在一个完全互联的世界里，

a single political uprising,

一次的政治动乱，

a viral video, a distant tsunami,

一个热门视频，一场遥远的海啸，

or a tiny virus can send shock waves around the world.

亦或是小小的病毒 都能在全世界掀起滔天巨浪。

Upheaval creates fear,

动荡带来恐惧，

and in the midst of it people crave security,

而身处其中人们渴望安全，

which can incline leaders

使得领导者们更倾向去展现

toward the usual tropes of strength, confidence, constancy,

惯用的力量、信心和毅力，

but it won't work.

但现在行不通了。

We have to flip the leadership playbook.

我们需要推翻这种领导力指导手册。

First, this type of leadership requires

首先，这种类型的领导力要求

communicating with transparency, communicating often.

沟通中信息透明、沟通及时。

So how can leaders lead when there is so little certainty,

在不确定性极大时，

so little clarity?

领导者如何领导？

Whether you are a CEO, a prime minister, a middle manager

无论你是首席执行官、首相、中层管理，

or even a head of school,

还是一名校长，

upheaval means you have to ramp up the humility.

动荡意味着你必须虚心求教。

When what you know is limited,

当知道的东西有限，

pretending that you have the answers isn't helpful.

假装你知道答案是没有帮助的。

Amidst upheaval, leaders must share what they know

在动荡中，领导者 一定要分享他们所知，

and admit what they don't know.

并承认自己不知道的。

Paradoxically, that honesty creates more psychological safety for people,

有悖常理的是，坦诚沟通 给人们带来更多的心理安全感，

not less.

而不是更少。

For example when the pandemic devastated the airline industry

举个例子，当疫情在一夜之间

给航空业带来摧毁性打击，

virtually overnight,

CEO of Delta Airlines Ed Bastian

达美航空的 CEO 艾德·巴斯蒂安（Ed Bastian）

ramped up employee communication

尽管对未来的走向知之甚少，

despite having so little clarity

面临着真正严峻的后果，

about the path ahead, facing truly dire results.

依然加强员工沟通。

At one point in 2020,

2020 年的某个时间点，

losing over a hundred million dollars a day,

他们一天损失一亿美金，

it would have been far easier for Bastian

采取行动前获取更多信息

to wait for more information before taking action,

对巴斯蒂安或许来得更容易些，

but effective leaders during upheaval

但在动荡时期，高效的领导者们

don't hide in the shadows.

并不会躲在角落。

In fact, as Bastian put it,

事实上，正如巴斯蒂安所说，

it is far more important to communicate

当你心中一团迷雾时，

when you don't have the answers than when you do.

及时沟通尤为重要。

Second, act with urgency despite incomplete information.

第二，尽管信息不全， 也要采取紧急行动。

Admitting you don't have the answers

承认你没有解决方案，

does not mean avoiding action.

并不意味着不做行动。

While it's natural to want more information,

希望获得更多信息乃是人之天性，

fast action is often the only way to get more information.

而迅速行动有时是 获取更多信息的唯一途径。

Worse, inaction leaves people feeling lost and unstable.

更糟的是，不作为 会让人们感觉迷茫和不安。

When New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern

在新西兰首相 杰辛达·阿德恩（Jacinda Ardern)

在应对新冠疫情时，

laid out a four level alert system very early

很早就启动四级应急响应，

in the COVID-19 crisis,

she lacked information with which to set the level.

她也缺失设定级别依据的信息。

Despite lacking answers, she did not wait to communicate

对于国家面临的威胁，

尽管缺乏信息，她没有等闲视之。

about the threat with the nation.

起初她把级别设定为二级，

At first she set the level at two,

only to change it to four two days later as cases rose.

随着情况发展，两天后就升级为四级。

That triggered a national lockdown,

由此引发了全国性封锁，

which no doubt saved countless lives.

毫无疑问这项举措挽救了无数人的生命。

Later, when cases began to dissipate,

后来，情况开始好转，

she made subsequent decisions

她根据新形势的变化

reflecting that new information.

做出了相应的决策。

Third, leaders must hold purpose and values steady,

第三，领导人必须 抱持稳定的愿景和价值观，

even as goals and situations change.

即使具体目标和情况发生改变。

Values can be your guiding light

当一切都在扑朔迷离之中，

when everything else is up in the air.

价值观就是你的指路明灯。

If you care about customer experience,

如果你关注客户的体验，

don't let go of that in times of upheaval.

不要在动荡时期放弃它。

If a core value is health and safety,

如果核心价值是健康和安全，

put that at the center of every decision you make.

将它放在你做的 每个决策的核心位置。

Now doing this requires being very transparent

做到这点需要你对你的价值观

about what your values are,

非常透明，

and in this way, your steadfastness shows

践行此道，你的坚定

not in your plans but in your values.

不仅展现在你的计划书中， 而且深植于你的价值观中。

Prime Minister Ardern's clear purpose all along

首相阿德恩自始至终的明确宗旨

was protecting human life.

是保护人民的生命。

Even as the immediate goal shifted from preventing illness

尽管直接目标由阻止疫情传播转变为

to preparing health systems

落实配套医疗系统，

and ultimately to bolstering the economy.

到最终促进经济发展。

And finally, give power away.

最后，分享权力。

Our instincts are to hold even more tightly

我们的本能是在动荡时期

to control in times of upheaval, but it backfires.

应该更紧握住权力，但事实相反。

One of the most effective ways to show leadership,

展现领导力最为有效的方式之一，

if counterintuitive,

有点儿反直觉，

is to share power with those around you.

就是与你周围的人分权。

Doing this requires asking for help,

做到这点需要寻求他人帮助，

being clear that you can't do it alone.

要清楚独木难成林。

This also provokes innovation

在赋予人们意义感时，

while giving people a sense of meaning.

也会激发创造力。

Nothing is worse in a crisis

在危机时感到自己无能为力，

than feeling like there's nothing you can do to help.

这才是最糟糕的情形。

We follow this new kind of leader through upheaval,

我们跟随这样的新型领导渡过危机，

because we have confidence

因为我们的信心

not in their map but in their compass.

不是来自于领导的线路图， 却是他们的愿景指南针。

We believe they've chosen the right direction

我们相信他们在现有情况下

given the current information,

选择了正确的方向，

and that they will keep updating.

而且他们会持续更新。

Most of all, we trust them

最重要的是，我们信任他们，

and we want to help them in finding and refinding

我们希望帮助他们找到和重新找到

the path forward.

前进的道路。