What it takes to be a great leader | Roselinde Torres | TED

譯者: Marssi Draw 審譯者: Julianne Li

What makes a great leader today?

是什麼造就了當代的卓越領袖？

Many of us carry this image

很多人腦海裡浮現的是

of this all-knowing superhero

無所不知的超人

who stands and commands

立場中立、指揮、

and protects his followers.

保護他的擁護者。

But that's kind of an image from another time,

但那是過去某段時間塑造出的形象，

and what's also outdated

而且領袖培訓計畫

are the leadership development programs

早已過時，

that are based on success models

因為那是出自於 過去世界的成功典範，

for a world that was, not a world that is

而非出自現在的世界，

or that is coming.

或未來的世界。

We conducted a study of 4,000 companies,

我們針對四千家公司做了一項研究，

and we asked them, let's see the effectiveness

我們要求他們，讓我們看看

of your leadership development programs.

貴公司領袖培訓計畫的效益。

Fifty-eight percent of the companies

58% 的公司

cited significant talent gaps

提到重要的領導階級

for critical leadership roles.

有很大的人才斷層。

That means that despite corporate training programs,

那意謂著僅管公司有培訓計畫、

off-sites, assessments, coaching, all of these things,

遠距、評估、訓練，所有的這些事，

more than half the companies

半數以上的公司

had failed to grow enough great leaders.

都沒能培養足夠的領袖。

You may be asking yourself,

你也許會自問

is my company helping me to prepare

我的公司有協助我準備

to be a great 21st-century leader?

成為 21 世紀的傑出領袖嗎？

The odds are, probably not.

很可能是：沒有。

Now, I've spent 25 years of my professional life

至今，我花了 25 年的職業生涯

observing what makes great leaders.

觀察成為傑出領袖的因素。

I've worked inside Fortune 500 companies,

我在財富 500 強公司裡工作，

I've advised over 200 CEOs,

提供超過 200 名執行長建議，

and I've cultivated more leadership pipelines

建立的領導補給線

than you can imagine.

比你想像中的還多。

But a few years ago, I noticed a disturbing trend

但是幾年前，我注意到 一種讓人困擾的趨勢

in leadership preparation.

出現在領袖培訓養成中，

I noticed that, despite all the efforts,

我注意到，即使做了所有的努力，

there were familiar stories that kept resurfacing

類似的故事不斷再次上演

about individuals.

在個人身上。

One story was about Chris,

有一個關於克里斯的故事，

a high-potential, superstar leader

他是有高潛力的巨星形領袖，

who moves to a new unit and fails,

調到新的單位之後卻失敗了，

destroying unrecoverable value.

摧毀無法挽回的價值。

And then there were stories like Sidney, the CEO,

還有一些像是執行長悉妮的故事，

who was so frustrated

悉妮很挫折，

because her company is cited

因為她的公司被表揚為

as a best company for leaders,

擁有最佳領袖的企業，

but only one of the top 50 leaders is equipped

但是 50 名頂尖領袖中， 只有一位有能力

to lead their crucial initiatives.

帶領他們的重要領導會議。

And then there were stories

因此有許多故事

like the senior leadership team

像是生意轟動一時的

of a once-thriving business

資深領導力團隊，

that's surprised by a market shift,

他們訝異於市場轉變，

finds itself having to force the company

讓他們必須強迫將公司規模

to reduce its size in half

縮減為一半，

or go out of business.

或是結束營業。

Now, these recurring stories

而這些一再重覆發生的故事

cause me to ask two questions.

讓我開始思考兩個問題。

Why are the leadership gaps widening

為什麼領袖的斷層會擴大，

when there's so much more investment

即使投資更多

in leadership development?

在培養領導力上？

And what are the great leaders doing

傑出領袖在激勵和培養上的

distinctly different to thrive and grow?

哪些作為顯然不同？

One of the things that I did,

我做的其中一件事，

I was so consumed by these questions

我很著迷於這些問題，

and also frustrated by those stories,

但這些故事也讓我深感挫折，

that I left my job

因此我離職了，

so that I could study this full time,

如此一來我就能全心研究，

and I took a year to travel

而且我花了一年時間走訪

to different parts of the world

世界各地，

to learn about effective and ineffective

了解有效與無效的

leadership practices in companies,

領導力實踐，在企業、

countries and nonprofit organizations.

國家和非營利組織之中。

And so I did things like travel to South Africa,

因此我也去探訪了南非，

where I had an opportunity to understand

在那裡我就有機會能了解

how Nelson Mandela was ahead of his time

曼德拉過去如何

in anticipating and navigating

預期和探索

his political, social and economic context.

他的政治、社會和經濟脈絡。

I also met a number of nonprofit leaders

我也和一些非營利組織的領袖見面，

who, despite very limited financial resources,

儘管他們擁有的經濟資源很有限，

were making a huge impact in the world,

對世界仍造成很大的影響，

often bringing together seeming adversaries.

也經常將看似敵對的人們聚在一起。

And I spent countless hours in presidential libraries

我花了無數時間在各個總統的圖書館，

trying to understand how the environment

試圖了解環境是如何

had shaped the leaders,

引導、改變領袖，

the moves that they made,

他們採取的舉動，

and then the impact of those moves

以及那些舉動

beyond their tenure.

在他們任期之後的影響。

And then, when I returned to work full time,

之後當我回到全職工作，

in this role, I joined with wonderful colleagues

在這個職務上，我加入許多優秀的同事，

who were also interested in these questions.

他們對這些問題也很好奇。

Now, from all this, I distilled

從這之中，我分析出

the characteristics of leaders who are thriving

活躍領袖的特質，

and what they do differently,

以及他們做了什麼不同的事，

and then I also distilled

後來我也分析了

the preparation practices that enable people

能促使人們發展潛力的

to grow to their potential.

預先準備。

I want to share some of those with you now.

我想和大家分享一部分。

("What makes a great leader in the 21st century?")

（「是什麼造就了 21 世紀的卓越領袖？」）

In a 21st-century world, which is more global,

21 世紀的世界更為國際化、

digitally enabled and transparent,

數位化，且透明化，

with faster speeds of information flow and innovation,

以更快的資訊流通和革新速度，

and where nothing big gets done

所有的大事要完成都必須

without some kind of a complex matrix,

有某種複雜的矩陣，

relying on traditional development practices

仰賴傳統發展的實務操作

will stunt your growth as a leader.

將會阻礙身為領袖的你。

In fact, traditional assessments

事實上，傳統的評估

like narrow 360 surveys or outdated performance criteria

像是縮減 360 度調查， 或是過時的執行標準

will give you false positives,

會讓你有錯誤的實例，

lulling you into thinking that you are more prepared

讓你誤以為自己比實際上

than you really are.

準備得更好。

Leadership in the 21st century is defined

21 世紀的領導力以三個問題

and evidenced by three questions.

來定義與證明。

Where are you looking

你期待自己

to anticipate the next change

下一個商業模式或人生的轉變

to your business model or your life?

在哪裡？

The answer to this question is on your calendar.

這個問題的答案在你的日曆上。

Who are you spending time with? On what topics?

你都花時間和誰在一起？做什麼事？

Where are you traveling? What are you reading?

你去哪裡旅行？你讀什麼？

And then how are you distilling this

你怎麼把這個濃縮成

into understanding potential discontinuities,

了解潛在的不連續性，

and then making a decision to do something

然後決定馬上做一件事

right now so that you're prepared and ready?

讓你能準備就緒？

There's a leadership team that does a practice

有一組領導力團體做了一個練習，

where they bring together each member

他們聚集每一位成員，

collecting, here are trends that impact me,

這裡有一些趨勢影響我，

here are trends that impact another team member,

有一些趨勢影響另一位組員，

and they share these,

他們分享這些，

and then make decisions, to course-correct a strategy

然後做一些決定，修改某項策略的方向，

or to anticipate a new move.

或是期待新的措施。

Great leaders are not head-down.

傑出的領袖不會低頭。

They see around corners,

他們會到處去看，

shaping their future, not just reacting to it.

塑造他們的未來， 而不只是對未來做出反應。

The second question is,

第二個問題是，

what is the diversity measure

你個人和專業財產保管人網絡的

of your personal and professional stakeholder network?

多元化程度？

You know, we hear often about good ol' boy networks

我們常聽到精英分子圈 (good ol' boy)，

and they're certainly alive and well in many institutions.

他們真的存在，而且在 某些機構活得好好的。

But to some extent, we all have a network

但是在某種程度上， 我們都有一種人際網絡，

of people that we're comfortable with.

處在那之中能讓我們感到自在。

So this question is about your capacity

因此這個問題是關於

to develop relationships with people

你和那些與自己非常不同的人

that are very different than you.

發展人際關係的能力。

And those differences can be biological,

那些差異可以是生理、

physical, functional, political, cultural, socioeconomic.

身體、職務、政治、文化 和社會經濟等各個方面上。

And yet, despite all these differences,

然而，儘管有這一切的差異，

they connect with you

他們仍與你連繫，

and they trust you enough

他們信任你到能夠

to cooperate with you

與你合作

in achieving a shared goal.

達成共同目標。

Great leaders understand

傑出的領袖了解

that having a more diverse network

有更多元的網絡

is a source of pattern identification

意謂著擁有 在更高層模式識別的資源，

at greater levels and also of solutions,

以及解決方式的資源，

because you have people that are thinking

因為你擁有

differently than you are.

和你抱持不同想法的朋友。

Third question: are you courageous enough

第三個問題是：你是否夠勇敢

to abandon a practice that has made you successful in the past?

能拋棄過去曾讓你成功的習慣？

There's an expression: Go along to get along.

有種說法是：隨遇而安，逆來順受。

But if you follow this advice,

但是如果你跟隨這項建議，

chances are as a leader,

身為一名領袖你可能

you're going to keep doing what's familiar and comfortable.

只打算做你熟悉和自在的工作。

Great leaders dare to be different.

傑出領袖勇於與眾不同。

They don't just talk about risk-taking,

他們不只是談冒險，

they actually do it.

他們真的去冒險。

And one of the leaders shared with me the fact that

其中一名領袖與我分享，

the most impactful development comes

最有影響力的發展來自於

when you are able to build the emotional stamina

當你能建立情緒耐力

to withstand people telling you that your new idea

來抵抗別人告訴你，你的新想法

is naïve or reckless or just plain stupid.

很天真、魯莽，或就是非常蠢。

Now interestingly, the people who will join you

有趣的是，會參與你的人們

are not your usual suspects in your network.

往往不是你在網絡中所預期的人。

They're often people that think differently

他們通常是有不同想法的人，

and therefore are willing to join you

因此他們願意與你一起

in taking a courageous leap.

勇敢地跳一大步。

And it's a leap, not a step.

是跳一大步，而不只是跨一小步。

More than traditional leadership programs,

更勝於傳統領導力課程的是，

answering these three questions

回答這三個問題

will determine your effectiveness

能決定你是否

as a 21st-century leader.

能成為真正的 21 世紀領袖。

So what makes a great leader in the 21st century?

因此，是什麼造就了 21 世紀的卓越領袖？

I've met many, and they stand out.

我已見過許多，而且他們十分傑出。

They are women and men

他們可能是男是女，

who are preparing themselves

他們為自己做好準備，

not for the comfortable predictability of yesterday

不是為了舒適、可預測的昨日，

but also for the realities of today

而是為了現實的今日，

and all of those unknown possibilities of tomorrow.

以及那些所有充滿未知可能的明日。

Thank you.

謝謝！

(Applause)

（掌聲）