How to break bad management habits before they reach the next generation of leaders | Elizabeth Lyle

翻译人员: Camila Yang

I am guilty of stacking my dishes in the sink

如果把盘子都放在洗碗池里， 堆上好几个小时

and leaving them there for hours.

我会有负罪感。

I fact-checked this with my boyfriend.

我向我的男朋友确认过,

He says it's less like hours and more like days,

他说并不是好几个小时， 而是好几天，

but that's not the point.

但这不是重点。

The point is sometimes I don't finish the job

重点在于有时候直到碗盘已经堆积成山，

until the stack has gotten high enough that it's peaking over the lip of the sink

超过洗碗池边缘了，我才去清洗它们，

and my inner clean freak loses it.

我的洁癖在它面前败下阵来。

This charming habit developed when I was in college,

我在大学时期养成了 这个“迷人的”习惯，

and I had tons of excuses.

而对此我有一大堆借口。

"I'm running to class!"

“我急着去上课！”

"What's one more dirty dish in the sink?"

“池子里再多一个脏盘子 有什么关系呢？”

Or my favorite, "I think I can save time and water

还有我最爱的借口， “如果我攒到一起洗，

if I do them all together later."

就可以又省时间又省水。”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

But it's not like I needed those excuses, because nobody was calling me on it.

但我并不是真的需要这些借口， 因为没人要求我解释。

I wish they had.

我倒希望有。

I look back now

现在回想这些，我意识到：

and realize that every time I didn't put a dish in the dishwasher

每当我没有把盘子放入洗碗机中，

and finish what I started,

并等待盘子变得干干净净时，

it became more second nature to me,

我变得越来越习惯于此，

and I grew less likely to question why I was doing it.

也变得越来越不会去质疑 为什么我这么做。

Today, I'm a 30-something, certified dirty-dish leaver,

现在，我是个30多岁的“资深不洗碗专家”，

and breaking this habit is hard.

而改掉这个习惯却很难。

So when I'm not at home avoiding the sink,

当我没有在家里 对洗碗池视而不见的时候，

I work with large, complex organizations on leadership transformation

我与一些庞大复杂的组织 一同致力于组织转型期的

in times of change.

领导力变革工作。

My job is to work with the most senior leaders

我的工作是与一些 最高级别的领导打交道，

to examine how they lead today

评估他们今天是怎么领导他人的，

and establish habits better suited for the future.

并建立更适合未来的习惯。

But what interests me more than senior leaders these days

但最近比这些大领导更令我感兴趣的，

is what's going on with the junior ones.

是在新晋管理者中所发生的事情。

We call them "middle managers,"

他们被称作“中层管理者”，

but it's a term I wish we could change

但这是一个我希望能够被换掉的术语。

because what they are is our pipeline of future talent for the C-suite,

因为他们是未来核心管理层的中坚力量，

and they are starting to leave their dishes in the sink.

而他们的洗碗池里却开始堆起了盘子。

While organizations are hiring people like me

在机构雇佣像我这样的人，

to redevelop their senior leaders for the future,

为了未来改造他们的高级领导的同时，

outdated leadership habits are forming right before our eyes

过时的领导习惯正在我们眼皮底下，

among the middle managers who will one day take their place.

在这群总有一天会取代 高级领导位置的中层管理者中形成着。

We need middle managers and senior leaders to work together,

我们需要中层和高层管理者共同努力，

because this is a big problem.

因为这是一个很大的问题。

Organizations are evolving rapidly,

组织的变化日新月异，

and they're counting on their future leaders

他们指望着未来领袖的工作

to lead with more speed, flexibility, trust and cooperation than they do today.

会比今日更高速、更变通， 建立更多信任，促成更多合作。

I believe there is a window of time in the formative middle-manager years

我相信在中层管理者的培养阶段，

when we can lay the groundwork for that kind of leadership,

有一段时间是可以用来 培养这种领导力的，

but we're missing it.

但我们错过了。

Why?

为什么呢？

Because our future leaders are learning from senior role models

因为我们的未来领袖 正在以高层领导为榜样，

who just aren't ready to role model yet,

而这些高层领导 并没有准备好成为榜样，

much less change the systems that made them so successful.

更不用说改革帮助他们实现 今天的成就的整套系统了。

We need middle managers and senior leaders to work together

我们需要中层领导和高层领导携手共进，

to define a new way of leading

定义新的领导方式，

互相促进以更好地应对挑战。

and develop each other to rise to the occasion.

One of my favorite senior clients --

我最喜欢的高级客户之一，

we'll call her Jane --

我们叫她Jane，

is a poster child for what's old-fashioned in leadership today.

是今天被定义成过时领导力的典型代表。

She rose to her C-level position

她爬到现在的核心领导层位置，

based on exceptional individual performance.

靠的是出色的个人表现。

Come hell or high water, Jane got the job done,

哪怕赴汤蹈火，她也能完成工作，

and today, she leads like it.

现在，她也在沿用这种方式领导别人。

She is tough to please,

她很难取悦，

she doesn't have a lot of time for things that's aren't mission-critical,

没有时间分给那些“非关键任务”，

而且她通常最相信自己的判断。

and she really doesn't trust anyone's judgment more than her own.

Needless to say, Jane's in behavior boot camp.

毫无疑问，她正处于“行为训练营”中。

Those deeply ingrained habits

这些根深蒂固的习惯，

are deeply inconsistent with where her organization is heading.

几乎与她公司的发展方向背道而驰。

The command-and-control behavior that she was once rewarded for

她曾经受到赞赏的 高要求强控制型模式，

just isn't going to work

在一个更多变、

in a faster-moving, flatter, more digitally interconnected organization.

更扁平化、更数字化连接的 公司里，已经不适用了。

What got her here won't get her there.

让她成功走到今天的方法， 无法让她走得更远。

But I want to talk about John,

但我想谈谈John，

a supertalented, up-and-coming manager who works for Jane,

他在Jane手下工作，是一位 极具天赋、前途无量的主管，

因为Jane的习惯会影响到他。

because her habits are rubbing off on him.

Recently, he and I were strategizing

最近，我们俩在为一个决策制定计划，

about a decision we needed to put in front of the CEO, Jane's boss,

这个决策是要交给Jane的上级，即CEO，

and the rest of Jane's peers.

以及其他Jane的同僚的。

He said to me, "Liz, you're not going to like this,

他对我说：“Liz，你肯定不会 喜欢这种工作方式，

but the way decisions get made around here

但在我们这里做出决策，

is with a bunch of meetings before the meeting."

是通过开大会和大会之前的无数小会。”

I counted.

我算了一下，

That was going to mean eight one-on-ones, exec by exec,

这意味着八场一对一会议， 一个主管接着一个主管，

to make sure each one of them was individually on board enough

来确保每个人都有参与其中。

that things would go smoothly in the actual meeting.

从而使得在最终的大会上 事情能进展顺利。

He promised, "It's not how we'll do things in the future,

他向我保证道， “这绝不会是我们未来做事的方式，

but it's how we have to do them today."

但目前我们不得不这么做。”

John wasn't wrong on either count.

John在这两件事上都没有说错。

Meetings before the meeting are a necessary evil

大会前的小会，是他公司目前

“无法避开的毒瘤”。

in his company today,

and I didn't like it at all.

而我一点也不喜欢。

Sure, it was going to be inefficient and annoying,

确实，这又低效又惹人生厌。

but what bothered me most was his confidence

但最让我担心的是他的自信，

that it's not how they'll do things in the future.

他对于以后他们不会这么做事的自信。

How could he be sure?

他怎么能如此断定呢？

Who was going to change it and when, if it wasn't him and now?

如果不是此刻不是此人， 谁又会在何时来改变这一切？

What would the trigger be?

谁会成为那个导火索呢？

And when it happened,

而当它真的发生时，

would he even know how to have effective meetings without pre-meetings?

他真的会知道怎么能不通过 一堆小会来保证大会的效率吗？

He was confidently implying that when he's the boss,

他自信满满地暗示当他成为领导时，

he'll change the rules and do things differently,

他会改变规则， 用不一样的方式做事。

but all I could see were dishes stacking in the sink

但我能看见的， 只有堆在洗碗池的盘子，

and a guy with a lot of good excuses.

和一个有很多好借口的家伙。

Worse, a guy who might be out of a job one day

或者更糟糕，一个可能 有天会丢掉工作的家伙，

because he learned too late how to lead

因为他太晚才学会

in the organizations of tomorrow.

要如何领导未来的公司。

These stories really get to me

这些故事让我真正受到触动的是

when it's the fast-track, high-potential managers like John

像John一样的平步青云、 潜力无限的管理人员。

because they're probably the most capable of making waves

因为他们或许是最有能力掀起风浪，

and redefining how leaders lead from the inside.

重新从内部定义 领袖应如何领导的一群人。

But what we find is that they're often doing the best job at not rocking the boat

但我们却发现， 他们往往在稳定船舵

and challenging the system

固定系统上做得最好。

because they're trying to impress

因为他们想给能让他们晋升的

and make life easier on the senior leaders who will promote them.

高层领导留下好印象， 让生活更轻松一点。

As someone who also likes to get promoted,

作为一个也想升职的人，

I can hardly blame him.

我很难去指责他们。

It's a catch-22.

这是个进退两难的局面。

But they're also so self-assured

但他们同时又如此信心满满，

that they'll be able to change their behavior

相信一旦他们得到权力，

once they've earned the authority to do things differently,

就可以挑战权威， 用不同的方式做事，

and that is a trap.

而这是一个陷阱。

Because if I've learned anything from working with Jane,

因为如果要说我从 和Jane共事中学到了什么，

it's that when that day comes,

那就是当那天来临时，

John will wonder how he could possibly do anything differently

John会讶异于在他这样一个 高风险、高压力的领导岗位上，

in his high-stakes, high-pressure executive job

如果不赌上自己和整个公司的前途，

without risking his own success and the organization's,

又怎么可能用不同的方法做事。

and he'll wish it didn't feel so safe and so easy

然后他会庆幸， 继续维持原来做事的方法，

to keep doing things the way they've always been done.

感觉是如此安心又轻松。

So the leadership development expert in me asks:

因此，我心中的 领导力培养专家问道：

How can we better intervene in the formative years

我们怎样才能在即将成为 领导的中年管理层形成期，

of our soon-to-be senior leaders?

更好地加以干预？

How can we use the fact that John and his peers want to take charge

我们怎样才能利用John和 他的同僚希望能

of their professional destinies

主导自己职业命运这一点，

and get them ready to lead the organizations of the future,

使他们准备好领导未来的公司，

rather than let them succumb to the catch-22

而不是陷入一个进退两难的困境。

that will perfectly prepare them to lead the organizations of the past?

一个只能让他们准备好 领导过去的公司的困境。

We'll have to start by coming to terms with a very real paradox,

首先，我们必须接受 一个现实中的两难局面。

which is this:

那就是：

the best form of learning happens on the job --

最好的学习方法是在工作中学习，

not in a classroom, not via e-modules.

而不是在教室或是虚拟课堂中。

And the two things we rely on to shape on-the-job learning

而我们打造这种“工作中学习”模式 所依靠的两样东西，

are role models and work environments.

是榜样和工作环境。

And as we just talked about,

正如之前所谈到的，

our role models are in behavior boot camp right now,

我们的榜样现在正处于 “行为训练营”里。

and our work environments are undergoing unprecedented disruption.

而我们的工作环境 正经历着前所未有的瓦解。

We are systematically changing just about everything

我们几乎在系统地改变所有事情，

about how organizations work,

改变公司如何运转。

but by and large, still measuring and rewarding behavior

但是大体上看，仍然是基于旧制度

based on old metrics,

对行为进行奖惩。

because changing those systems takes time.

因为改变制度需要时间。

So, if we can't fully count on role models or the system right now,

所以，如果我们现在 不能完全依赖于榜样或制度，

it's on John to not miss this critical development window.

就只能指望John不要 错过这扇发展之窗了。

Yes, he'll need Jane's help to do it,

诚然，他会需要Jane的帮助来完成，

but the responsibility is his because the risks are actually his.

但他必须承担责任， 因为风险实际上是由他来面对的。

Either he inherits an organization that is failing

他要么继承一个执着于

because of stubbornly old-fashioned leadership,

过时的领导力而走下坡路的公司。

or he himself fails to build the capabilities to lead one

要么他会因为打安全牌而无法掌握

that transformed while he was playing it safe.

能够领导一个转型成功的公司的能力。

So now the question is, where does John start?

所以问题是：John要从何入手呢？

If I were John, I'd ask to start flying the plane.

如果我是John，我会先 要求开始自己驾驶飞机。

For my 13th birthday, my grandpa, a former Navy pilot,

在我13岁生日时， 我外公，一位前海军飞行员

gave me the gift of being able to fly a very small plane.

给我的礼物是， 让我驾驶一架很小的飞机。

Once we were safely airborne,

一旦我们安全升空，

the pilot turned over the controls, folded his hands,

他就交出大权，完全放手

and he let me fly.

让我来驾驶。

It was totally terrifying.

那真的很恐怖，

It was exhilarating, but it was also on-the-job learning with a safety net.

很令人兴奋，但同时也是 在安全网中进行的“在工作中学习”。

And because it was real,

因为它是真实的，

I really learned how to do it myself.

我真的学会了怎么自己操作。

Likewise, in the workplace, every meeting to be led,

同理，在工作中， 每场要主持的会议、

every decision to be made

每个要做出的决定，

can be a practice flight

都可以是一次飞行训练。

for someone who could really use the learning experience

让某人能真的用到 学习中的经验，抓住机会

来找寻他们如何用自己的方法工作。

and the chance to figure out how to do it their own way.

So instead of caving, John needs to knock on Jane's door,

所以比起畏缩不前， John需要的是敲开Jane的门，

propose a creative strategy

提出一个有创意的策略，

for having the meeting without the eight pre-meetings,

能够不用开八次小会而直接开大会。

show her he's thought through the trade-offs

在协调和平衡过程中 向Jane展示出他的思考，

and ask for her support to do it differently.

并向她寻求支持，用不同方式做事。

This isn't going to be easy for Jane.

这对Jane来说并不简单，

Not only does she need to trust John,

她不仅需要信任John，

she needs to accept that with a little bit of room to try his hand at leading,

还需要接受，如果给他 一点点空间来尝试去领导，

John will inevitably start leading in some ways

John会自然地开始用更带有个人特色，

that are far more John than Jane.

而非Jane特色的方式来进行领导。

And this won't be an indictment of her.

这不是在谴责Jane，

Rather, it will be individualism.

恰恰相反，这会成为个人特色，

It will be progress.

会是一个进步。

And it might even be a chance for Jane to learn a thing or two

也许还会成为Jane从中学习，

to take her own leadership game to the next level.

并提高自己领导力的机会。

I work with another senior client who summed up this dilemma beautifully

在我与另一位高级领导共事时， 他用一种优美的方式总结了这个困境。

当我们谈论到 为什么他和他的同僚，

when we were talking about why he and his peers

haven't empowered the folks below them with more decision rights.

不给下属更多的决策权时，

He said,

他说，

"We haven't done it because we just don't trust

“我们不这么做是因为我们不相信

他们会作出正确的决定。

that they're going to make the right decisions.

But then again, how could they?

但他们又怎么可能做出呢？

We've just never given them decisions to practice with."

我们从来没有给过他们练习的机会。”

So I'm not advocating that Jane hands over the controls

所以我不是在提倡 Jane应该交出领导权，

and folds her hands indefinitely,

然后无条件放手。

but what I am saying

我想说的是：

is that if she doesn't engineer learning and practice

如果她在今日John的工作中，

right into John's day today,

不给他学习和练习的机会，

he'll never be able to do what she does,

他永远都做不到她所做的，

much less do it any differently than she does it.

更别说用不同的方法做了。

Finally, since we're going to be pushing both of them outside their comfort zones,

最后，因为我们要求双方 都跨出各自的舒适区，

we need some outside coaches

我们需要一些“外围教练”，

来确保不会变成 双方都茫然不知所措的状况。

to make sure this isn't a case of the blind leading the blind.

But what if instead of using coaches

但如果我们的教练

to coach each one of them to individually be more effective,

不是用来指导他们各自应如何更高效，

we started coaching the interactions between them?

而是指导他们如何互动呢？

If I could wave my magic wand,

如果能挥动我的魔法棒，

I would have coaches sitting in the occasional team meeting

我会让教练偶尔出席

of Jane and her direct reports,

Jane和她下属之间的团队会议。

debriefing solely on how well they cooperated that day.

会议上只是单纯汇报 他们那天的合作情况有多好。

I would put a coach in the periodic feedback session between Jane and John,

我会在Jane和John的定期 反馈会议中插入一个教练，

and just like a couples' therapist coaches on communication,

就如同恋人之间的沟通治疗师一样。

they would offer advice and observations

他们会对于在未来如何更好地进行对话，

on how that conversation can go better in the future.

给出建议和观察。

Was Jane simply reinforcing what Jane would have done?

到底Jane仅仅是在强化 她自己会怎么做？

Or was Jane really helping John

还是真的为了公司，

think through what to do for the organization?

而帮助John思考要做什么。

That is seriously hard mentorship to provide,

要提供这种指导确实很难，

and even the best leaders need help doing it,

甚至连最好的领导 也需要帮助才能做到。

which is why we need more coaches coaching more leaders,

这就是为什么我们需要更多的 教练来指导更多的领导，

more in real time

更多地切合实际，

versus any one leader behind closed doors.

而非闭门造车。

Around 20 years ago, Warren Buffet gave a school lecture

大约二十年前，沃伦 · 巴菲特 在一所学校演讲时，

in which he said, "The chains of habit are too light to be felt

他说到：“习惯的锁链是如此之轻，

until they're too heavy to be broken."

“以至于直到它沉重得无法 被打破之前，都不会被发觉。”

I couldn't agree more,

我无比认可这句话，

and I see it happening with our future leaders in training.

也看到了它出现在我们 对未来领导的培养中。

Can we and they be doing more to build their leadership capabilities

在他们仍然保持着开放的心态、 充满热情，还没在那条我们早已预见到的

while they're still open, eager

满布陋习的路上走太远时，

and not too far gone down a path of bad habits we totally saw coming?

我们是否能一起帮助 他们打造领导力呢？

I wish my college roommates and I called each other out back then

我真希望我和大学室友 当时有互相提醒对方

for the dishes.

那堆脏盘子的存在。

It would have been so much easier to nip that habit in the bud

比起今天再来改， 把坏习惯扼杀在萌芽阶段

than it is to change it today.

要容易得多。

But I still believe in a future for myself full of gleaming sinks

但我仍然相信我的未来 能有无数光洁闪亮的洗碗池

and busy dishwashers,

和忙碌的洗碗工。

and so we're working on it,

我们现在正为之努力着，

every day, together, moment to moment,

每一天，每一刻，共同携手，

one dirty dish at a time.

一次洗一个脏盘子。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）