How Business Leaders Can Renew Democracy | Daniella Ballou-Aares | TED

翻译人员: Tianyun Liu 校对人员: suya f.

So a few years ago,

在几年前，

I was catching up with a friend from business school,

我遇到了一位 来自商学院的朋友，

a Turkish executive who, on the surface, seemed to be thriving.

一位土耳其高管，从表面上看， 她的人生十全十美。

She had a great career, a beautiful family,

她的职业生涯非常出色，家庭美满，

and she was just one of those people who seemed to have it all together.

她就是那种典型的成功的人士。

But in reality, she was struggling.

但实际上，她正在挣扎。

The Turkish government had started going after business leaders

土耳其政府正在开始追捕

whose views it disagreed with.

其和它观点不同的商界领袖。

Some of their companies had been shut down.

一些人的公司倒闭了。

Others were in jail.

其余人则在监狱里。

And she was scared.

所以她很害怕。

And she felt guilty because she and everyone she knew

她感到内疚， 因为她和她认识的所有人都

had stayed out of politics.

没有参与政治。

They had focused on building their companies

他们专注于建立公司，

and raising their children,

和抚养孩子，

and now they were paying the price.

现在他们付出了代价。

As she left, she said to me with urgency,

当她离开时，她紧迫地对我说：

“In Turkey, we’re in season 10

“在土耳其，我们进入了 这个系列的第 10 季，

in this series we call ‘The Demise of Democracy.’

我们称之为‘民主的消亡’。

In the US, you're in season three."

在美国，现在播放的是第三季。”

On January 6, 2021, I could hear the sirens from my home.

2021 年 1 月6 日， 我能在家里听到远方传来的警笛声。

Living six blocks from the Capitol

我家在国会大厦六个街区开外，

in a neighborhood more typically occupied by strollers,

那里的群众不是愤怒的叛乱分子

not angry insurrectionists,

更多的是休闲的散步者，

I asked my children to stay inside and play in the basement

我要求我的孩子待在屋里， 在地下室玩耍

where they could not hear the violence.

只有在那里他们才远离暴力的声音。

And I watched in fear as our institutions and our leaders came under attack.

而我恐惧的看着 我的国家轮沉在暴力之下。

The next season in the decline of American democracy

美国民主的衰落

had begun.

已经开始。

OK, so this is not the problem I thought needed solving

好吧，所以这不是我在 90 年代 获得工程学学位

和工商管理硕士学位时

when I got an engineering degree and an MBA in the '90s.

认为需要解决的问题。

The Berlin Wall had fallen,

柏林墙已经倒塌，

and every leading political scientist assured us

每位著名政治学家都向我们保证，

that communism and authoritarianism were in permanent decline.

共产主义和威权主义 正在永久衰落。

Democracy was the clear winner in a long Cold War battle,

在漫长的冷战之战中， 民主显然是赢家，

and economic growth and development was the new imperative.

经济增长和发展 是新的当务之急。

So pursuing a government job in boring,

因此，在无聊、 看似效率低下的道路上

inefficient-seeming path seemed illogical.

追求政府工作似乎是不合逻辑的。

And so we went off to get our MBAs

因此，我们开始攻读工商管理硕士学位

and change the world through business.

希望通过商业改变世界。

In Johannesburg or ...

在约翰内斯堡或...

Beijing or Moscow or New York or Silicon Valley.

北京、莫斯科、纽约或硅谷。

Our big challenge was innovating enough to create opportunities in new markets.

我们面临的最大挑战是创意到 创新整个市场并从中获得机会。

Standing here today, this is not the future I imagined in the '90s.

今天站在这里， 这不是我在 90 年代想象的未来。

Communism might be a distant memory,

共产主义可能是一个遥远的记忆，

but authoritarianism is on the rise.

但威权主义正在崛起。

And for those who build careers in business,

对于那些在商业领域开创事业的人来说，

assuming that rule of law and democratic capitalism would remain intact,

假设法治和民主 资本主义将保持不变，

we now have the obligation, the opportunity,

我们现在有义务、

机会和权力采取行动。

the power to take action.

And, my generation, Gen Xers, have a particular obligation

而且，我们这一代，X世代， 负有特殊的责任，

because we now lead the majority of companies in the US.

因为我们现在领导着美国大多数的公司。

And I don't just mean the C-suite,

我指的不仅仅是高管，

I mean the investors, the entrepreneurs,

我指的是投资者、企业家、

the executives who saw success as our public institutions faltered.

那些在公共机构步履蹒跚， 可以看到成功的高管。

OK, so some of you might be getting a little skeptical, thinking,

好吧，所以你们当中有些人 可能会有点怀疑，他们想：

"Is she suggesting we need more corporate influence in politics?"

“她是在暗示我们需要更多的 企业政治影响力吗？”

OK, look, I am not suggesting

好吧，你看，我并不是说

we need more checks written to advance specific,

我们需要开更多的支票来促进特定的、

narrow corporate interests.

狭隘的公司利益。

What I'm talking here today is about a different challenge,

我今天在这里说的是另一种挑战，

and I'd suggest an even bigger one.

我提出一个更大的挑战。

That the pro-democracy business leaders will stay out of politics

那就是支持民主的商界领导者 不在参与政治，

because it's the safe thing to do,

因为这是一件安全的事，

it's the respectable thing to do,

这是一件值得尊敬的事，

and what history tells us

历史告诉我们，

that when business leaders stay out of politics,

从纳粹德国到现代的土耳其和匈牙利

from Nazi Germany to modern-day Turkey

当商业领导者不在插手于政治，

and Hungary,

and they passively enable autocrats,

被动地为独裁者提供支持时，

democracies collapse.

民主就此崩塌。

But when business leaders engage,

但是，当商界领导者参与时，

we have a better chance of democracy surviving.

我们更有可能实现民主。

As occurred in South Africa,

就像在南非发生的那样，

when a group of business leaders played a pivotal role

当时一群商界领袖， 在不发生内战的情况下

in ending apartheid without a civil war.

在结束种族隔离方面发挥了关键作用。

OK, so what does the solution really look like?

好的，那么解决方案到 底是什么样子？

I'm not suggesting we need more corporate virtue signaling and CEO statements

我并不是说我们需要更多的企业美德信号 和首席执行官在当今的每个问题上

on every issue of the day.

发表声明。

And the Silicon Valley dream of techno-optimism,

我认为硅谷对科技热情

I fear, also can't help us.

并不能帮助我们。

I don't think tech bros inheriting the Earth

我认为这个地球上任何的工程师

will answer our problems for us.

会为我们解答问题。

What we need now are courageous leaders

我们现在需要的是勇敢的领导者

who understand that it is squarely in their self-interest

他们必须保护我们的选举权， 改革我们的机构，

to protect our elections and reform our institutions,

确保虚假信息不会主导政治，

to ensure that disinformation doesn't dominate politics

并在维护我们的制度的

and to really play their role

时候真正发挥自己的作用，

in protecting our system.

一起维护我们的体系。

So for 20 years,

因此，20 年来，

saving American democracy was not part of my professional ambitions.

拯救美国民主 并不是我的职业抱负的一部分。

I was advising companies at Bain,

我曾在贝恩为公司提供咨询，

I was part of building a management consulting company across five continents.

我参与了在五大洲建立 一家管理咨询公司的工作。

And even when I went into government,

而且，即使在我进入政府的时候，

it was to focus on boosting private investment

也要把重点放在增加对新兴经济体的

in newly-emerging economies.

私人投资上。

But when I got to Washington and joined the Obama administration,

但是当我来到华盛顿加入奥巴马政府时，

here’s what got me scared:

让我感到害怕的则是：

was that our public institutions that projected so much power

那些看似强大的公共机构，

seemed underneath to be fragile and disruptable.

竟然如此脆弱和易被打破。

And by 2017,

到 2017 年，

it was clear that that disruption was well under way.

显而易见，那种混乱已经在进行中。

And it was time to pivot to a new mission:

现在是转向新使命的时候了：

to focus on bringing business leaders

吸引商业领袖加入这个项目

into the project to renew American democracy.

以重振美国的民主。

I consulted with some of the most thoughtful academics

我咨询了一些研究美国政治制度的

studying the US political system,

最有思想的学者，

and pulled together a group of my Harvard Business School classmates

同时也召集了一群 我在哈佛商学院的同学，

to design a different kind of political organization.

共同设计一种不同类型的政治组织。

We started to bring together business leaders from different industries,

我们开始汇集来自不同行业、

geographies and political persuasions.

地域和政治派别的商界领袖。

We call it the Leadership Now Project.

我们称此项目为 “Leadership Now”。

Since 2018, we've been deploying our time, dollars and networks

自 2018 年以来， 我们一直在投入时间、资金和人脉

to preserving democracy.

来维护民主。

And we've seen that we can make progress.

而且我们已经看到我们可以取得进展。

We now have members in more than 20 states

现在，我们的成员遍布 20 多个州，

and some real successes under our belt.

并取得了一些真正的成功。

And our members are individual business leaders who come to this work

我们的成员是个人商界领袖， 他们参与这项工作，

not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans.

并非作为民主党人或共和党人， 而是以美国人的身份。

We focus our efforts on the highest ROI strategies at a state

我们将精力集中在州和联邦层面上的

and federal level.

最高投资回报率策略上。

We really work to make the economic case

我们在努力的证明，

that an unstable democracy harms business and our economy.

不稳定的民主体制对商业 和我们的经济造成了损害。

And increasingly, we’re clear at what’s really at stake:

而且，我们越来越 清楚真正的危险在于：

that when democracy falters, the rule of law goes out the window,

当民主步履蹒跚时， 法治会随之消失，

innovation is crushed along with dissent,

创新与异议一起被压制，

leaders reward friends and punish enemies,

领导人拉拢支持者并惩罚反对者，

and wars become far more likely.

而战争变得更加可能。

We've built Leadership Now applying modern business thinking

我们已经建立了Leadership Now， 将现代商业思维

to an old-school political model:

应用于一种老派的政治模式：

the dues-paying membership organization,

会费缴费的会员组织，

which some of the most powerful players in politics

一些最有权势的政治 参与者已经使用了数十年，

have employed for decades,

like the Chamber of Commerce,

例如商会、

the NAACP, the NRA,

NRA、工会、

unions, the Sierra Club.

塞拉俱乐部。

They’ve all used this model because it helps us and them

他们之所以使用这种模式， 是因为它可以帮助我们

to play the long game.

打一场拉锯战。

We're not just seeking silver bullets,

我们不只是在寻找灵丹妙药，

and we don't give up when we fail,

失败时我们也不会放弃，

but we can replicate and scale successes across different states when we win.

但当我们获胜时， 我们可以在不同的州复制我们的成功。

And our members are taking real action together.

我们的成员正在共同采取实际行动。

Let me share a few examples of how.

让我举几个例子。

Where we’ve sought to uphold trust in elections.

我们一直在努力维护对选举的信任。

Where we’ve sought to protect the people and policies

我们寻求保护那些致力于巩固

that are working to shore up our democracy.

我们民主的人民和政策。

And how we’ve pushed back on political retribution,

以及我们如何推迟政治报复，

which we see continuing to increase.

我们认为这种报复将继续增加。

So in October 2020,

因此，在 2020 年 10 月，

we issued the first public statement by a business organization

我们发布了商业组织的第一份公开声明，

seeking to reinforce the legitimacy of the presidential election process.

旨在加强总统选举过程的合法性。

More than 200 leaders from across industries joined us,

来自各行各业的 200 多位 领导人加入了我们的行列，

and later major business associations and corporations also joined

后来主要的商业协会 和公司也加入了我们的行列，

in calling for the certification of the election and condemnation

呼吁对选举进行认证，

of the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

并谴责 1 月 6 日对 国会大厦的袭击。

We've worked to support some of the leaders

我们一直在努力支持一些愿意

who are willing to push back on threats to democracy.

反击民主威胁的领导人。

So in 2022, a group of Wisconsin business leaders,

因此，在 2022 年， 威斯康星州的一群商界领袖，

a bipartisan group,

一个由两党组成的团体，

asked their candidates for governor

询问他们的州长候选人

if they would be willing to certify elections

是否都愿意对选举进行认证，

regardless of the result.

无论结果如何。

A basic, nonpartisan question.

一个基本的、无党派的问题。

When one of the candidates refused to agree,

当其中一位候选人拒绝同意时，

they endorsed his competitor,

他们支持了他的竞争对手，

who went on to win a closely-fought election.

后者在激烈的选举中获胜。

Later that year,

同年晚些时候，

we worked with our member, Paul Tagliabue,

我们与我们的成员、 美国国家橄榄球联盟前专员

the former commissioner of the NFL,

保罗·塔利亚布埃合作，

to pull together his long-standing networks in business,

整合了他在商业、 体育和军事领域的长期人脉，

sports and the military

to support legislation to protect future presidential election transitions.

以支持保护 未来总统大选过渡的立法。

Later that year, Congress did just that,

在年末的时候，国会就是这样做的，

passing legislation to reform the Electoral Count Act

通过了在两党基础上改革

on a bipartisan basis.

《选民计票法》的立法

We stand with companies

我们与受到政治报复威胁的

that are threatened with political retribution.

公司站在一起。

The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis,

佛罗里达州州长罗恩·德桑蒂斯

had threatened Disney with political retribution

曾威胁迪士尼进行政治报复，

and actually had exacted political retribution

实际上对那些持有对他有反对意见

for the companies disagreeing with him and his legislature.

的立法机构的公司进行了政治报复。

We argued that this was something that was more typical in autocracies,

我们认为，这在专制国家中更为常见，

not democracies like the US, and set a dangerous precedent.

而不是像美国这样的民主国家， 这开创了一个危险的先例

Our amicus brief on the case was filed

我们已经提交了 关于该案的法庭之友摘要，

and we continue to support Disney's position

并且在案件进展过程中继续支持

as the case moves forward.

迪士尼的立场。

We take a clear position against laws that damage democracy.

我们对破坏民主的法律采取明确的立场。

In August 2023, Jeni Britton,

2023年8月， Jeni’s Splendid 的创始人

the founder of Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream,

杰妮·布里顿

joined more than 50 business leaders in her state of Ohio,

加入了俄亥俄州的 50 多位 商界领袖的行列，

making the case that a cynical measure

指出一项愤世嫉俗的措施，

that sought to limit citizens ability to weigh in on ballot initiatives

旨在限制公民在投票提案中发声，

was bad for democracy.

对民主不利。

The ballot initiative ultimately was defeated 57 to 43 percent,

投票提案最终以 57% 对 43% 的比例被否决，

with both Democrats and Republicans voting against it.

民主党和共和党的选民都投了反对票。

Look, this is just a start.

看，这仅仅是个开始。

There are many more successes that we can have together.

我们还可以共同取得更多成功。

And here's the good news, you don't have to act alone.

这里有个好消息，你不是独自一人。

Our polling of business leaders shows that the majority care about democracy,

我们对商界领袖的民意调查显示，

they would like to protect democracy in the US.

大多数人都希望保护美国的民主。

So here's a few things you can do together with like-minded business leaders.

因此，您可以与志同道合的 商业领袖一起做以下几件事。

Remember that small actions have power.

牢记任何的行动都富有影响力。

If election administrators are threatened in a city,

如果一个城市的选举管理者受到威胁，

even if just 10 executives come together and take a stand,

即使只有 10 位高管 齐聚一堂表明立场，

they will be seen as courageous leaders and the unexpected voices

他们也会被视为勇敢的领导者 和为我们的制度挺身而出的不凡之声

that are standing up for our system.

Now imagine if in every city and industry,

现在想象一下， 如果在每个城市和行业里的

a dozen executives came together

高管都聚在一起，

and made a plan for how they will respond when democracy is threatened.

并制定计划，应对民主受到威胁的情况。

Look, we're at a tenuous moment,

看，我们正处于一个不稳定的时刻，

and I am certain that we can win this fight.

但我确信，我们可以赢得这场战斗。

But we have watched too many seasons of democracy's decline in the US

但是，我们已经目睹了美国

及全球民主衰退的太多季节。

and around the world.

And we need to work now, in urgency, together to save our democracy.

现在，我们迫切需要共同努力， 拯救我们的民主。

And I'm more convinced than ever

而且我比以往任何时候都更加坚信，

that business leaders have a role to play in that.

商界领袖在其中发挥作用。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）