Why good leaders make you feel safe | Simon Sinek | TED

Translator: Chong Chen Reviewer: Yifeng Zhou

There's a man by the name of Captain

最近 William Swenson 隊長

William Swenson

who recently was awarded the congressional Medal of Honor

由於佢喺 2009 年 9 月 8 日嘅表現

for his actions on September 8, 2009.

獲國會頒授榮譽勳章

On that day, a column of American

就喺嗰日

一班美國同阿富汗軍人組成嘅步隊

and Afghan troops

were making their way

經過阿富汗一個地方

through a part of Afghanistan

to help protect

去保護一班阿富汗政府官員

a group of government officials,

a group of Afghan government officials,

班官員正係前往 同當地一啲村落長老見面

who would be meeting with some local

village elders.

The column came under ambush,

呢一步隊中途遇到埋伏

and was surrounded on three sides,

被人三面包圍

and amongst many other things,

當中隊長 William Swenson

Captain Swenson was recognized

for running into live fire

喺駁火其間衝入去救受傷嘅戰友

to rescue the wounded

and pull out the dead.

同埋拖返死咗嘅戰友出嚟

One of the people he rescued was a sergeant,

其中一個被佢救出嚟嘅係一位軍士

and he and a comrade were making their way

佢同另一個冇受傷嘅士兵

to a medevac helicopter.

帶住軍士行去一架醫療直升機

And what was remarkable about this day

嗰日之所以特別係因為

is, by sheer coincidence,

咁啱嗰日其中一位救護人員

one of the medevac medics

happened to have a GoPro camera on his helmet

頭盔上有一個 GoPro 牌嘅攝錄機

and captured the whole scene on camera.

架機錄低成個畫面

It shows Captain Swenson and his comrade

畫面中隊長 William Swenson 同佢嘅隊員

bringing this wounded soldier

將呢位頸中咗槍嘅士兵帶返嚟

who had received a gunshot to the neck.

They put him in the helicopter,

佢哋將呢位士兵運到直升機上

and then you see Captain Swenson bend over

然後睇到隊長 William Swenson 彎低身

and give him a kiss

錫咗呢位士兵一啖

before he turns around to rescue more.

然後返返去救更多受傷嘅戰友

I saw this, and I thought to myself,

睇到呢樣之後，我沉思

where do people like that come from?

好似 William Swenson 嘅人 喺邊度嚟嘅呢？

What is that? That is some deep, deep emotion,

乜嘢令佢有咁嘅舉動？

就係深層嘅情感

when you would want to do that.

就係當你想做某樣嘢嘅時候就會有

There's a love there,

呢種情感裏面係有愛

and I wanted to know why is it that

我想知道點解同我共事嘅人裏面

I don't have people that I work with like that?

冇好似佢一樣嘅人？

You know, in the military, they give medals

你知啦，軍隊裏面

to people who are willing to sacrifice themselves

獎牌係俾嗰啲捨己為人嘅人

so that others may gain.

In business, we give bonuses to people

喺商場上，獎金係俾嗰啲損人利己嘅人

who are willing to sacrifice others

so that we may gain.

We have it backwards. Right?

我哋倒返轉做。係嗎？

So I asked myself, where do people like this come from?

所以我問自己

好似佢一樣嘅人喺邊度嚟架？

And my initial conclusion was that they're just better people.

我開頭嘅結論係 佢哋心地只係比一般人好

That's why they're attracted to the military.

就係點解軍隊吸引佢哋嘅原因

These better people are attracted

呢啲人更講求服務精神

to this concept of service.

But that's completely wrong.

但呢一個諗法係完全錯嘅

What I learned was that it's the environment,

我所學到嘅係，係環境導致噉樣嘅情況

and if you get the environment right,

如果將個環境較返啱

任何人都可以好似佢咁 做到呢啲咁有愛心嘅嘢

every single one of us has the capacity

to do these remarkable things,

and more importantly, others have that capacity too.

而更重要嘅係，其他人都會變得有愛心

I've had the great honor of getting to meet

我好榮幸有機會見到佢哋其中一啲人

some of these, who we would call heroes,

我哋稱之為英雄嘅人

who have put themselves and put their lives

佢哋唔理自己生命去拯救其他人

at risk to save others,

and I asked them, "Why would you do it?

我會問佢哋 「點解你會噉樣做？」

Why did you do it?"

And they all say the same thing:

佢哋所有人都講咗同一個理由：

"Because they would have done it for me."

「 因為佢哋都會噉樣對我 」

It's this deep sense of trust and cooperation.

呢個就係信任同合作嘅精神

So trust and cooperation are really important here.

因此，信任同合作喺呢度係非常重要

The problem with concepts of trust and cooperation

問題係，信任同合作係講緊感覺

is that they are feelings, they are not instructions.

而唔係指令

I can't simply say to you, "Trust me," and you will.

我冇可能同你講，「 信我呀 」 然後你就會信我

I can't simply instruct two people to cooperate, and they will.

我冇可能叫兩個人合作，佢哋就會合作

It's not how it works. It's a feeling.

信唔係咁樣

佢係講感覺

So where does that feeling come from?

噉呢種感覺係點樣嚟嘅呢？

If you go back 50,000 years

如果我哋返到五萬年前 舊石器時代嗰陣、人類起源嘅時候

to the Paleolithic era,

to the early days of Homo sapiens,

what we find is that the world

我哋會發現，成個世界充滿危險

was filled with danger,

all of these forces working very, very hard to kill us.

所有呢啲危險嘅力量 都好似要趕絕人類噉

Nothing personal.

冇嘢係私人嘅

Whether it was the weather,

無論係天氣、資源缺乏 或者一隻劍齒虎

lack of resources,

maybe a saber-toothed tiger,

all of these things working

所有呢啲嘢都會縮短人類嘅壽命

to reduce our lifespan.

And so we evolved into social animals,

所以，人類進化成群居動物

where we lived together and worked together

我哋住埋一齊、一齊做嘢

in what I call a circle of safety, inside the tribe,

就係咁部落成為咗一個安全嘅環境

就係呢個部落，我哋搵到歸屬

where we felt like we belonged.

And when we felt safe amongst our own,

當我哋喺其他人當中感到安全嘅時候

the natural reaction was trust and cooperation.

最本能夠嘅反應就係發展信任同合作

There are inherent benefits to this.

信任同合作有本質嘅好處

It means I can fall asleep at night

我意思係我哋夜晚就可以瞓得著

and trust that someone from within my tribe will watch for danger.

同埋會放心部落裏邊嘅人 幫我哋提防危險

If we don't trust each other, if I don't trust you,

如果我哋彼此唔信任，如果我唔信任你

that means you won't watch for danger.

啫係話你唔保護我哋安全

Bad system of survival.

噉就會係一個非常差劣嘅生存模式

The modern day is exactly the same thing.

現代社會也係一樣

The world is filled with danger,

呢個世界充滿危險

things that are trying to frustrate our lives

好多嘢都喺度糟蹋我哋生活

or reduce our success,

阻止我哋嘅成功、減少我哋嘅成功率

reduce our opportunity for success.

It could be the ups and downs in the economy,

危險可以係經濟嘅波動

the uncertainty of the stock market.

股票市場唔穩定

It could be a new technology that renders

或者會有一個新技術

your business model obsolete overnight.

令你嘅商業模式喺一夜之間過時

Or it could be your competition

或者係你嘅競爭對手硬係想將你打敗

that is sometimes trying to kill you.

It's sometimes trying to put you out of business,

有時可能係試圖將你由商場上面淘汰

but at the very minimum

但係至少佢哋會盡一切辦法

is working hard to frustrate your growth

阻止你嘅業務增長、搶你嘅生意

and steal your business from you.

We have no control over these forces.

我哋只係唔能夠控制呢啲危險嘅力量

These are a constant,

佢哋永恆存在、唔會消失

and they're not going away.

The only variable are the conditions

唯一可以改變嘅就係組織裏面嘅情況

inside the organization,

and that's where leadership matters,

亦啫係領袖發揮作用嘅地方

because it's the leader that sets the tone.

因為係領袖決定成個調子

When a leader makes the choice

當一個領袖選擇

to put the safety and lives

將組織入面嘅人嘅安全同生命 放喺第一位嘅時候

of the people inside the organization first,

to sacrifice their comforts and sacrifice

即使噉樣會犧牲佢哋嘅舒適度 同埋佢哋嘅物質財富

the tangible results, so that the people remain

啲人仍然會覺得安全

and feel safe and feel like they belong,

覺得自己屬於呢個組織

remarkable things happen.

然後犀利嘅嘢就會發生

I was flying on a trip,

有一次旅行搭飛機

and I was witness to an incident

我親身經歷咗一件事

where a passenger attempted to board

當時一個乘客喺未嗌號碼之前就想上機

before their number was called,

and I watched the gate agent

然之後我睇到地勤職員 將呢位乘客當做係犯咗法咁

treat this man like he had broken the law,

like a criminal.

嗰名乘客因為早咗一輪上機而被人喝著

He was yelled at for attempting to board

one group too soon.

So I said something.

於是我同地勤職員講

I said, "Why do you have treat us like cattle?

我話 ︰ 「點解你對我哋好似對畜牲一樣？

Why can't you treat us like human beings?"

點解唔可以用對人嘅態度對我哋？」

And this is exactly what she said to me.

佢就真係咁樣同我講

She said, "Sir, if I don't follow the rules,

佢話︰「 先生，如果我唔跟返個規定，

I could get in trouble or lose my job."

我會有麻煩或者冇我份工。」

All she was telling me

從佢嘅話裏面感覺到佢冇安全感

is that she doesn't feel safe.

All she was telling me is that

佢唔信佢嘅組長

she doesn't trust her leaders.

The reason we like flying Southwest Airlines

我哋鍾意坐西南航空

is not because they necessarily hire better people.

並唔係因為佢哋請更加好嘅員工

It's because they don't fear their leaders.

而係因為呢啲員工唔會驚佢哋嘅上頭

You see, if the conditions are wrong,

呢樣嘢反映咗如果情況出錯

we are forced to expend our own time and energy

我哋就要被迫花自己嘅時間同精神 去保護自己

to protect ourselves from each other,

and that inherently weakens the organization.

而呢樣嘢本質上削弱組織嘅力量

When we feel safe inside the organization,

當我哋喺一個組織裏面感覺安全時

we will naturally combine our talents

人就會自然集合本身嘅才華同力量

and our strengths and work tirelessly

唔會覺得攰咁 不斷工作去應對外部嘅威脅

to face the dangers outside

and seize the opportunities.

同埋會捉緊機會

The closest analogy I can give

最貼切嘅比喻係

to what a great leader is, is like being a parent.

一個偉大嘅領袖就好似父母一樣

If you think about what being a great parent is,

如果你諗下偉大嘅父母係點嘅時候

what do you want? What makes a great parent?

你會諗到乜嘢？

點先能夠成就出偉大嘅父母？

We want to give our child opportunities,

education, discipline them when necessary,

我哋都想俾機會、教育孩子 同埋適當嘅紀律

all so that they can grow up and achieve more

令佢哋比我哋 能夠更好咁成長、成就更多

than we could for ourselves.

Great leaders want exactly the same thing.

偉大嘅領袖都想要同樣嘅嘢

They want to provide their people opportunity,

佢哋希望能夠俾到人機會 教育、同適當嘅紀律

education, discipline when necessary,

build their self-confidence, give them the opportunity to try and fail,

塑造佢哋嘅自信

俾機會佢哋去試下失敗嘅滋味

all so that they could achieve more

以至於佢哋能夠獲得 連我哋自己都唔會有、更大嘅成就

than we could ever imagine for ourselves.

Charlie Kim, who's the CEO of a company called Next Jump

Charlie Kim 係 Next Jump 嘅首席執行官

in New York City, a tech company,

Next Jump 係喺紐約一家科技公司

he makes the point that

佢話如果你屋企處於一個艱難時期

if you had hard times in your family,

would you ever consider laying off one of your children?

你會考慮唔養你其中一個細路嗎？

We would never do it.

冇人會噉做

Then why do we consider laying off people

噉點解我哋會解僱 我哋組織裏邊嘅人呢？

inside our organization?

Charlie implemented a policy

Charlie Kim 喺公司實施終身聘用制度

of lifetime employment.

If you get a job at Next Jump,

如果你喺 Next Jump 公司裏面有一份工

you cannot get fired for performance issues.

你唔會因為工作問題而俾人炒

實際上，如果你有問題

In fact, if you have issues,

佢哋會教你同支援你

they will coach you and they will give you support,

just like we would with one of our children

就好似對住個我哋成績得 C 嘅孩子一樣

who happens to come home with a C from school.

It's the complete opposite.

而好多公司嘅做法卻係啱啱相反

This is the reason so many people

have such a visceral hatred, anger,

呢個就係點解會有咁多人 對著銀行首席執行官嘅時候

內心會有怨恨

at some of these banking CEOs

with their disproportionate salaries and bonus structures.

而呢啲執行官收著 唔成比例嘅人工同獎金

It's not the numbers.

其實並唔係因為錢嘅問題

It's that they have violated the very definition of leadership.

而係因為佢哋違背做領導嘅原義

They have violated this deep-seated social contract.

佢哋違反呢一條根深蒂固喺社會嘅原則

We know that they allowed their people

佢哋容許職員犧牲自己 去維護佢哋嘅利益

to be sacrificed so they could protect their own interests,

or worse, they sacrificed their people

更甚者，佢哋犧牲其他人 去維護佢哋自己嘅利益

to protect their own interests.

唔係錢嘅問題

This is what so offends us, not the numbers.

而係佢哋做出嚟嘅嘢好睇唔過眼

Would anybody be offended if we gave

如果我哋俾甘地一千五百萬美元嘅獎金

a $150 million bonus to Gandhi?

有冇人覺得被冒犯嗎？

How about a $250 million bonus to Mother Teresa?

如果二億五千萬美元獎金俾咗德蘭修女

Do we have an issue with that? None at all.

我哋對於嗰樣嘅做法會有意見嗎？

唔會

None at all.

Great leaders would never sacrifice

真正嘅領袖絕唔會犧牲他人去換取金錢

the people to save the numbers.

They would sooner sacrifice the numbers

相反，佢哋總係犧牲金錢去幫其他人

to save the people.

Bob Chapman, who runs

Bob Chapman，喺美國中西部

a large manufacturing company in the Midwest

經營一家大型製造商叫做 Barry-Wehmiller

called Barry-Wehmiller,

喺 2008 年，由於經濟危機 佢受影響得好深

in 2008 was hit very hard by the recession,

and they lost 30 percent of their orders overnight.

一夜之間，佢哋損失咗 30% 嘅訂單

Now in a large manufacturing company,

呢樣對於大型嘅製造商嚟講 係好大嘅損失

this is a big deal,

and they could no longer afford their labor pool.

佢哋唔能夠再養咁多嘅員工

They needed to save 10 million dollars,

公司需要減少一千萬美元嘅開支

so, like so many companies today,

所以好以好多其他公司一樣

the board got together and discussed layoffs.

董事開會傾裁員

And Bob refused.

但係，Bob Chapman 拒絕

You see, Bob doesn't believe in head counts.

可以睇到，佢唔講錢

Bob believes in heart counts,

佢係講人情呢樣嘢

and it's much more difficult to simply reduce

相比起開源節流，拋棄感情要難得多

the heart count.

And so they came up with a furlough program.

於是乎佢提出咗一個休假嘅計畫

Every employee, from secretary to CEO,

每一個員工，由秘書到首席執行官

was required to take four weeks of unpaid vacation.

都被要求放四星期無薪假期

They could take it any time they wanted,

員工可以喺任何時間放咗呢個假去

and they did not have to take it consecutively.

而且唔需要連續咁放

But it was how Bob announced the program

而 Bob Chapman 公佈呢樣嘢 至係更加重要

that mattered so much.

He said, it's better that we should all suffer a little

佢同大家講

「我哋每個人損失少少， 總好過只係某啲人失去好多」

than any of us should have to suffer a lot,

and morale went up.

佢呢番話公司士氣上升

They saved 20 million dollars,

佢哋省咗二千萬美元

and most importantly, as would be expected,

但更重要嘅係，金額超出咗佢哋預期

when the people feel safe and protected by the leadership in the organization,

當員工因為組織嘅領導 而覺得安全同有保障之後

the natural reaction is to trust and cooperate.

自然反應就係信任同合作

And quite spontaneously, nobody expected,

冇人估到，大家都自發地調配呢啲假期

people started trading with each other.

Those who could afford it more

等錢用嘅員工 會同冇咁等錢用嘅員工賣假期

would trade with those who could afford it less.

People would take five weeks

有啲員工就有五個星期嘅無薪假期

so that somebody else only had to take three.

而其他員工就放三星期嘅無薪假期

領導其實係一種個人選擇 而唔係一種等級

Leadership is a choice. It is not a rank.

I know many people at the seniormost

我知道好多人 喺組織裏面坐最高級嘅職位

levels of organizations

who are absolutely not leaders.

但係佢哋唔係真正嘅領袖

They are authorities, and we do what they say

佢哋只係有權威

我哋下屬只係按佢哋嘅要求做嘢

because they have authority over us,

因為佢哋對我哋有權力

but we would not follow them.

但係我哋唔會跟隨佢哋

And I know many people

我仲知道好多人

who are at the bottoms of organizations

佢哋係屬於組織嘅底層

who have no authority

佢哋冇權力

and they are absolutely leaders,

但係佢哋絕對係領袖

and this is because they have chosen to look after

噉係因為

佢哋選擇去照顧佢哋身邊嘅人

the person to the left of them,

and they have chosen to look after

the person to the right of them.

This is what a leader is.

呢個至係真正嘅領導

I heard a story

我聽過一個關於海軍嘅故事

of some Marines

who were out in theater,

呢個並唔係電影裏面嘅情節

and as is the Marine custom,

而係海軍歷嚟嘅傳統

the officer ate last,

長官會最後一個食飯

and he let his men eat first,

佢俾部下食先

and when they were done,

而當佢哋嘅部下吃完之後

there was no food left for him.

冇曬嘢食

And when they went back out in the field,

但係當佢哋返到自己崗位時

his men brought him some of their food

佢嘅部下便會帶一啲食物俾佢

so that he may eat,

because that's what happens.

呢個就係佢哋嘅傳統

We call them leaders because they go first.

我哋稱長官做領袖 係因為佢哋總係會行頭、甘願冒險

We call them leaders because they take the risk

before anybody else does.

We call them leaders because they will choose

係因為佢哋選擇犧牲自己，保護其他人

to sacrifice so that their people

may be safe and protected

and so their people may gain,

and when we do, the natural response

當領袖噉樣做，人最自然嘅反應

is that our people will sacrifice for us.

就係願意為領袖犧牲自己

They will give us their blood and sweat and tears

佢哋願意為實現佢哋領袖嘅夢想 而流血汗、流眼淚

to see that their leader's vision comes to life,

and when we ask them, "Why would you do that?

而當佢哋被問到點解會噉樣做時 點解要流血汗、流眼淚

Why would you give your blood and sweat and tears

for that person?" they all say the same thing:

佢哋會不約而同咁回答：

"Because they would have done it for me."

因為，佢哋都咁樣為我哋做

And isn't that the organization

唔通噉嘅組織 唔係我哋想留喺度做嘢嘅地方嗎？

we would all like to work in?

Thank you very much.

多謝

Thank you. (Applause)

多謝

（掌聲）

Thank you. (Applause)

多謝