How to Be a Team Player — Without Burning Out | The Way We Work, a TED series

Collaborative work is everything we do to come up with big new ideas

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

只要我們和他人合作， 想出重要的新點子，

and make plans to bring them to life with other people.

並訂計畫將之實現， 就稱為協作工作。

The modern workplace is set up with so many ways to foster collaboration:

現代的工作場所在設計上 就有許多方式可以促成協作：

meetings and brainstorming sessions,

會議、腦力激盪時間、 視訊會議、Slack 頻道、

Zooms and Slack channels, email, instant messaging,

email、即時訊息，有好多 工具能協助我們密切合作。

so many tools to help us work closely together.

And aspects of this are great,

這些看起來都很棒，

but we're doing more collaborative work than ever before,

但我們現在所做的 協作工作比以往更多，

and the problem is it's overloading us.

問題在於，它讓我們負荷過重。

[The Way We Work]

〔我們的工作之道〕

From launching a new product to creating a vaccine,

從推出新產品到創造疫苗，

almost every endeavor we do at work requires working with others

幾乎我們在工作上努力做的 每件事都需要和他人合作

towards a common goal.

去完成共同的目標。

And collaboration is a great thing.

協作很棒，它能幫助我們 把工作做得更好且更聰明。

It can help us work better and smarter.

它能幫助我們想出我們 靠自己不可能想出來的點子。

It can help us come up with ideas we never would have had on our own.

And it can make us happier than executing tasks alone.

它也能讓我們變得比獨自 執行工作任務時更快樂。

但在過去十年間， 協作工作增加了 50%。

But collaborative work has risen 50 percent over the past decade.

It's now taking up to 85 percent of most people's workweeks.

現在，多數人一週的工作時間 有 85% 被協作工作佔據。

And those numbers from my research were pre-pandemic.

這些數字來自我的研究， 那是疫情前的數字。

Studies show that people are working five to eight hours more a week now,

研究顯示，現在大家的每週 工作時數增加了五到八小時，

從一大早就開始協作，一直到很晚。

with collaborations drifting earlier into the morning

and later into the evening.

當我加入這項研究時，我 100% 深信敵人來自外部。

When I came into this research,

I was 100 percent convinced the enemy was external.

It was emails, time zones and demanding clients, to name just a few.

問題來自 email、時區， 要求高的客戶，及很多別的。

But after hundreds of interviews,

但做了數百場訪談後， 我發現即使可以選擇不參與，

I've discovered that even when given a choice not to participate,

people are taking on more collaborative work than ever before.

大家扛的協作工作還是比以往多。

We’re just too eager to jump in to collaborations that burn up our time

我們太急於跳入耗費我們 大量時間的合作當中，

and that might actually run better without 20 people in the fray.

且可能若沒有二十個人 吵個不停反而還會更順利。

About 50 percent of the collaboration overload problem starts

合作負荷過重的問題約有一半始於

with the beliefs we have about ourselves and what it means to be a good colleague

我們對自己的信念，

以及什麼叫做「當個 好同事和有生產力的人」。

and a productive person.

These beliefs are hard to change,

這些信念很難改，但如果 我們更仔細去檢視它們，

but if we examine them more closely,

it can allow us to make stronger choices about what we do at work

就能讓我們針對工作時 要做什麼、和誰一起做，

and who we do it with.

做出更強而有力的選擇。

There are many triggers that spark our desire to say yes so often.

許多因素會促使我們 常常想要說「好」。

But today I want to focus on the top three:

但今天我想要把焦點放在前三名：

the desire to help others,

想幫助他人的慾望、

the need for accomplishment and fear.

對成就感的需求，以及恐懼。

The first trigger is the desire to help.

第一個觸發因素 是想幫助他人的慾望。

And the desire to help others is a positive, constructive thing

想幫助他人的慾望 是很正面也很有建設性的，

and an important factor in success.

也是成功的重要因素。

It fulfills a deep need to be useful

它能滿足想要有用處的深度需求 也能鞏固我們的好隊友身分。

and bolster our identity as a good teammate,

But it's also one of the most significant drivers of overload.

但它同時也是負荷過重的 重要促成因素之一。

The more you're helpful, the more people ask for your help.

你越有用處，大家越會向你求助。

The problem is that you get so bogged down in helping

問題是你會忙著助人，讓你 無法去達成你自己的目標。

that it prevents you from meeting your own goals.

And over time you become a bottleneck, slowing others down.

久而久之你就成了障礙， 拖慢別人的速度。

And this is all coming from a good place,

這一切都出自善意， 想幫助別人的慾望。

the desire to help.

The second trigger's the need for accomplishment.

第二個觸發因素是對成就感的需求。

Our drive to achieve is another admirable trait critical to success

想要有所成的動力， 也是極佳的特質，

對成功及在工作場所的 生產力都很重要。

and productivity in the workplace.

And it also feels good,

且感覺也很好，

一天或一週當中的小小成就 能讓我們大大滿足。

as little wins throughout the day and week give us a burst of satisfaction.

The issue is that the cycle can get addictive.

問題在於這個循環是會上癮的。

它會導致你只想 為他人解決更多小問題，

It leads you to solve more and more small problems for other people

and avoid the bigger, thornier ones critical to your own success.

避開比較重大、棘手，卻對 你自身成功很關鍵的問題。

This is my trigger.

這是我的罩門。

If I see a five-minute window,

如果我發現有五分鐘空檔，

I will inevitably try to jam 60 minutes of these little fixes into it

我必定會試著塞進六十分鐘 這種解決小事的工作，

and completely ignore the three hours of coordination I need to do

且完全忽視那三小時的必要協調，

但協調才能讓我的團隊 進入狀況幫我完成目標。

to get my team on board with what I'm up to.

And then I end up overwhelmed six weeks out,

六週後我終於無法承受，

again, all from a good place of trying to get something positive done.

同樣的，全都是出自好意， 想完成正面的事情。

The third trigger is fear.

第三是恐懼。

Fear is a major driver of overload today that takes several forms.

恐懼是現今負荷過重的 主因之一，有許多形式。

The fear of missing out on better projects,

怕錯失了更好的專案計畫、 更好的同事、更好的機會，

better colleagues, better opportunities,

can become a persistent, nagging problem that never lets you rest.

這種恐懼可能成為持久惱人的 問題，讓你永遠無法休息。

You feel a frantic need to be a part of things,

你會覺得非常需要參與事情，

worrying that it'll be your last opportunity.

擔心那會是你的最後一次機會。

The fear of losing control is just as bad.

害怕失去掌控的恐懼也一樣糟。

It makes you reluctant to delegate or connect the people around you,

它會讓你不願授權出去 或和你身邊的人連結，

sentencing you to a life of doing everything yourself.

讓你注定一輩子都要凡事自己來。

And the fear of what others will say is powerful, too.

害怕別人會講話的恐懼也很強大。

Your knee-jerk response becomes to say yes early and often,

你的膝反射就變成 太常且太快就說「好」，

so everyone can see how responsive you are.

人人都知道你多麼有反應。

不幸的是，這些恐懼

Unfortunately, these fears drive unproductive choices

會促成沒生產力的選擇， 並導致我們步入現在的倦怠。

and lead us into burnout today.

Chances are you recognize yourself in one or more of these triggers.

很可能你也很熟悉上述 觸發因素當中的一個或數個。

And since I gave you three triggers, how about three ways to deal with them?

既然我提了三個觸發因素， 有沒有三種因應方式？

第一：學習很自在地說「不」。

Number one, learn to get comfortable saying no.

別讓你自己相信

Don't let yourself fall into the belief

that you don't have power in situations where your help is requested.

在別人要求你協助的情況下 你無法掌握局勢。

切記，你不是只能回答好或不好。

Remember that your answer doesn't have to be a binary yes or no.

如果老闆或同事對你提出請求，

If you get a request from a boss or a colleague,

chances are they have no idea what obligations you're juggling.

很可能他們並不知道 你現在在忙著完成哪些義務。

Be clear about what projects or deadlines you have ahead.

清楚說明你後頭有哪些 專案計畫或截止時限。

Ask them to help you prioritize.

請他們協助你排優先順序。

And if you just don't have the bandwidth,

如果你的頻寬就是不夠了，

ask the person if you can show them how to do the task they're asking

問對方，你能否教他們做 他們請你做的事，

or discuss if there's a different way to accomplish their goals.

或討論是否有其他方式 來完成他們的目標。

At the end of the day, every yes means saying no to something else.

到頭來，答應一件事 就表示等於對別的事說不。

遇到真正對你重要的事再答應。

Save your yeses for when they really matter to you.

Number two, remember, you can delegate.

第二：別忘了你可以授權出去。

Opting out of a request can actually help others become more self-reliant.

拒絕請求其實可以 協助他人變得更自主。

I’ve found that the most efficient collaborators get their sense of worth

我發現，最有效益的合作者 找到自我價值的方式

not from always giving input and being involved

不是一直付出投入並去參與，

but from developing others and positioning them to grow, too.

而是協助他人發展， 讓他們也能成長。

Draw a line between tasks that really do require you

劃清界線，分出 真的需要你做的工作任務

and lower-risk ones that you can delegate without concern.

及你可以不用擔心就授權 出去的低風險工作任務。

Look for moments when you can give partial direction, empower someone

找適當時機提供部分指導， 讓別人有能力去做，

and then step out of the way.

接著就退開。

And celebrate other's wins.

讚頌別人的成功。

Don't succumb to the temptation

別忍不住去指出 你會用什麼不同的做法。

to point out how you would have done it differently.

Number three, be intentional in crafting your work life.

第三：要刻意去打造你的工作生活。

高效能人才有策略頭腦， 知道他們的目標，

High performers are strategic in knowing their goals

and identifying what they can and should take on.

並辨識出他們能／ 應該接下什麼工作。

They think about their priorities not only for the week ahead

他們在排優先順序時 不僅考量接下來一週，

後續的兩、三個月也會納入考量。

but on a two-to-three month time horizon too.

So when a collaboration surfaces,

所以，當協作機會浮現時，要確保

make sure you're not making an emotional decision based on a false belief.

你沒有根據錯的信念 做出情緒性的決定。

Ask yourself, how does it align with my goals?

問自己：這和我的目標有何關聯？

How much time and energy will it take each week?

每週會需要花多少時間和精力？

結果會有什麼益處？

And what are the upsides of the outcome?

要最重視的協作機會 是你本身想要做這項工作、

Try to maximize those collaborations where you want to do the work,

它對你的目標有助益， 且你最做它的最佳人選。

it contributes to your goals and you're the best person to do it.

The crazy thing about collaboration overload is that it feels good

關於協作，很瘋狂的是

它感覺很棒，直到感覺不棒了。

right up until it doesn't.

All it takes is one thing too many to start a downward spiral.

只要超載一根稻草， 就會開始向下的旋渦。

Remember, you're the only one who knows all your goals and obligations

切記，只有你自己知道 你所有的目標和義務，

and that you often have more choice than you think.

且通常你的選擇比你認為的還多。