The Power of Purpose in Business | Ashley M. Grice | TED

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

In 2019,

2019 年，

I took a 9am flight from Atlanta to New York City.

我搭早上九點的班機， 從亞特蘭大飛到紐約市。

I was the first person to board that day.

那天，我是第一個登機的人。

So as I death-gripped my phone to step over that little crack

當我緊緊抓著我的手機， 跨過那條可以看到跑道的裂縫，

that leads to the runway,

I caught a glimpse of the flight attendant.

我瞥見了空服員。

Head in her hand, like this, eyes closed.

手像這樣托著下巴，閉著雙眼。

The moment she heard me, she looked up,

她聽到我時，馬上就抬頭看，

she put a smile on her face and she said, "Good morning."

她露出微笑，說：「早安。」

"This is not your first flight of the day, is it?" I asked.

我問：「這不是你今天 飛的第一趟航程吧？」

"No," she said,

「不，」她說：

"it had been a really early one."

「更早的一班才是。」

I made some silly sleep joke and she laughed,

我說了很蠢的睡眠笑話，她笑了，

and I went to go sit in my seat.

我便去我的位子上坐好。

She couldn't have been more than 25 years old.

她絕對不到二十五歲。

During the flight, we exchanged pleasantries,

航行期間，我們會相互寒暄，

and at one point she came to offer me a snack,

有一回，她提供點心給我，她問我

and she asked me what I was going to New York to do.

我去紐約要做什麼。

I said that I was going to deliver a speech

我說我要去演講，且老實說， 我的時間抓得有點緊。

and that honestly, I was cutting it kind of close.

"No time for lunch?" she asked.

她問：「沒時間吃午餐？」

“No time for lunch,” I said,

我說：「沒時間吃午餐。」 接著拿了一包杏仁果，

and I took a bag of almonds

and I tucked it into the pocket of my backpack.

塞進我背包的口袋裡。

After the flight landed,

飛機降落之後，

I was on my way out of the plane, and she stopped me for a moment,

我正要下飛機，她攔住我 並交給我一個塑膠袋。

and she handed me a plastic bag.

It was about this big and it was weirdly heavy.

大概這麼大，且重得很詭異。

She said, "I know you didn't have a lot of time today, so I packed you this.

她說：「我知道你今天沒什麼 時間，所以我幫你打包了這些。

Good luck."

祝好運。」

That was nice.

挺好的。

So as I'm walking through LaGuardia with my bag and my bag,

當我帶著我的包包和我的包包 穿過拉瓜地亞機場時，

I peer inside

我看向袋子裡面，

and there are about 30 packets of almonds inside that bag.

大約有三十包杏仁果

在那個袋子裡面， 那是一整袋的袋子。

It was a bag of bags.

And when I was in the taxi on the way to the speech,

當我坐計程車前去演講時，

I found this little note tucked inside:

我發現裡面塞了一張紙條：

“Ms. Grice, thank you for coming on

「葛萊斯女士，

謝謝您來搭乘並說些 甜美的話讓我們微笑。

and putting a smile on our faces with your sweet words.

You have been so kind,

您好仁慈，

and we are very lucky to have you as a loyal Delta customer.

有您這樣的忠誠客戶， 我們達美航空很幸運。

Thank you.

謝謝您。

I know you are gluten-free

我知道您不吃麩質，

so here are some almonds for the road!

所以這些杏仁果給您在路上吃！

Thank you for your kindness!

謝謝您的仁慈！

It goes a long way!

很有幫助！

Sarah, Delta flight attendant."

達美空服員莎菈敬上。」

Now reading this, my heart gave a little jolt.

讀這張紙條時，我的心在砰砰跳。

My day job is to help companies excavate and execute their purpose.

我的正職是協助企業發掘

並執行它們的宗旨。

And this little note on this little napkin was purpose in action,

而這段寫在餐巾紙上的留言

即是宗旨的實踐，

specifically that airline’s purpose.

正是那間航空公司的宗旨。

And I know because I had helped to articulate it over 15 years before.

我知道，

因為我曾在十五年前 協助他們闡述這項宗旨。

In 2003, purpose was just one element

2003 年，達美航空進行一次很大的

of a much larger strategic transformation that Delta Airlines undertook.

策略性轉變，而宗旨 只是其中的一個元素。

It was a company still reeling from the aftereffects of 9/11

當時該公司還因為 九一一的餘波而很不穩定，

and one looking for a North Star to guide them through

在尋找一顆北極星來引導他們渡過

would eventually become Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

後來的破產法第十一章。

But in 2019,

但，2019 年的

for a flight attendant who was maybe in elementary school

這位空服員，在該公司 宗旨被闡述出來時

at the time that purpose was articulated,

可能還在讀小學，對她來說，

it was some almonds for a hungry customer.

就只是提供一些杏仁果 給飢餓的客人。

It may be that Sarah never saw that purpose line we articulated,

也許，

莎菈從來沒有看過我們用來 闡述宗旨的句子，但無所謂，

but no matter, she didn't need to,

她不需要看過，

because purpose was alive and well at Delta.

因為這個宗旨就好好地 活在達美航空裡。

It had become muscle memory.

它已經成了肌肉記憶。

It had become cultural norm.

它已經成了文化中的常模。

Now let me be clear in what I'm talking about here,

讓我澄清一下我的意思， 我在說的是將宗旨嵌入。

I'm talking about embedding purpose.

I'm not talking about your mission,

我不是在談你的使命，

which is what you do every day,

那是你每天做的事，

or your vision, which is where you are headed.

也不是談遠景， 那是你要努力的目標。

Both mission and vision are important corporate drivers,

使命和遠景都是企業背後 重要的驅動因子，

but they play a different role in purpose.

但它們扮演的角色與宗旨不同。

And mission and vision will change with changes in leadership,

下列因素改變都可能會造成 使命和遠景改變：領導階層、

corporate contacts, competitive landscape, merger and acquisition.

企業聯絡窗口、競爭格局、

合併和收購。

They are important, but they are also temporal.

使命與遠景很重要， 但都是暫時性的。

In my experience,

根據我的經驗，它們能持續的 時間大概是三到五年。

they often have a time horizon of, say, three to five years.

But purpose is your "why."

但宗旨是你的「為什麼」。

It is found at the intersection of who you are at your very best

它是這兩者的交集：最好的你，

and the role in the world that you are meant to play.

及你在這世界上注定要扮演的角色。

It comes from your ethos.

它來自你的道德觀。 它和你的熱望連結在一起。

It is married to your aspiration,

and because it is ethotic, it is also timeless.

而因為它和道德觀有關， 所以它也不會受時間影響。

Now, there are plenty of data out there to say

外面有大量的資料指出，

that well-embedded purpose across organizations brings immense value.

若能把宗旨妥善地嵌入到組織 各處，就能帶來極大的價值。

Studies that will link well-embedded purpose

研究也發現妥善嵌入宗旨 和下列現象有關聯：

to elevated total shareholder return over 10 years,

十年後股東總回報提升、

increased employee engagement, retention,

員工投入增加、留任，

even higher levels of productivity.

甚至還有生產力提高。

Because of all this data,

因為所有這些資料， 我工作上很少會遇到

it is rare in my work that a CEO will come to me and say,

會有執行長來問我

"Ashley, what is purpose" or "Why do I need to do it?"

「艾許利，宗旨是什麼」 或「我為何需要它？」

Instead, what they will ask is "When I have my purpose,

他們會問我的是 「當我有了我的宗旨時，

how do I embed it across my organization so well

我要如何把它妥善地 嵌入到我的組織各處，

that it brings the most value,

為我帶來最大的價值，

that it becomes muscle memory?"

讓它成為肌肉記憶？」

As I've been doing this work for almost 20 years at this point,

因為我做這份工作至今已經快 二十年了，我有現成的答案。

I have a ready answer.

First, I tell them it needs to be authentic.

首先，我會告訴他們， 宗旨必須是真實的。

Purpose that is rooted in your ethos,

它必須要深植在你的道德觀中，

distinctive to your brand,

是你的品牌獨有的，

meaningful to all of your stakeholders

你所有的股東都認為它很有意義，

and consistent with your values

和你的價值觀一致，

is authentic.

那就是真實的。

Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, the CEO of Optus,

凱莉‧拜爾‧羅斯馬林 是奧普特斯的執行長，

a Sydney, Australia-based telecommunications company,

這是一家位在澳洲雪黎的電信公司，

can speak to her company’s purpose --

當她說到她公司的宗旨——

powering optimism with options -- with conviction,

用不同選項讓樂觀更強大—— 她能說得很讓人信服，

because it is authentic.

因為這宗旨是真實的。

Optus is, by its very nature, a challenger brand,

奧普特斯這個品牌 在本質上是挑戰者，

and it is a brand synonymous with a brand platform of positivity

且這個品牌也等同於 是一個正向品牌平台，

since options breed action

因為選擇能促成行動， 而樂觀能帶來希望。

and optimism breeds hope.

How they pull their internal relations together

他們將內部的關係 和外部與客戶的連結

with their external reach-out to customers

做了相當有一致性的整合，

is very consistent and incredibly authentic.

相當有真實感。

Now on the other end of the authenticity scale,

在真實性尺度的另一端，

I once worked with a CEO

有一名曾和我合作的執行長非常希望

who really wanted purpose to be about environmental sustainability.

設定和環境永續有關的宗旨。

"That is great," I said,

「那很棒，」我說：

"except for your company struggles to even recycle in your offices.

「可是你的公司連辦公室內的 回收都很難做到。

I know, I've been there."

我知道，我有這經驗。」

While they admire the aspiration,

雖然他們很欣賞這樣的熱望， 如果我們提出的宗旨標語

if we had come up with a purpose line

that was solely about environmental sustainability,

僅僅談到

環境永續性，那根本 就是「到院前就死亡」。

it would have been dead on arrival.

Specifically with employees.

特別是對員工而言。

Secondly, I tell CEOs that they must be critical

第二，我告訴執行長， 他們得要很吹毛求疵地

in excavating purpose from the inside out.

從內向外去發掘出宗旨。

Purpose is uncomfortable.

宗旨是不舒服的。

It should be,

本當如此，

because you are introducing a tension between idealism and realism:

因為你是在帶出理想 和現實之間的緊繃狀況：

who you really want to be and who you are capable of being,

你想要成為怎樣的人， 和你能成為怎樣的人，

today and in the future,

現今和未來，以能力 和道德觀為依據。

based on competencies and ethos.

And purpose can be particularly discomforting

宗旨有可能相當讓人不舒服， 因為一旦你有了宗旨，

because even once you have it,

it takes a while to implement it.

還要花時間去導入它。事實上，

In fact, you may set your purpose once

你可能只要設定一次宗旨， 卻要用整個職涯

and spend your entire career living up to it.

去實踐。

Now, purpose is particularly uncomfortable for companies

有些公司會覺得宗旨特別不舒服，

who are on a forced evolution of change,

因為它們被迫改變以求進展，

companies in industries like oil and gas, for example,

比如，石油及天然氣 產業的公司就是如此，

or for companies who maybe have bad behaviors they need to leave behind.

或者，有些公司是得要 改正一些不良行為。

Finally, I tell CEOs that purpose must apply

最後，我會告訴執行長， 宗旨必須要套用到

to the whole of the organization.

整個組織上。

Purpose is not a CEO vanity project.

宗旨並不是執行長的虛榮心計畫。

Sure, it may help cement the legacy of the CEO

的確，宗旨可能可以協助

主導闡述宗旨的那位 執行長鞏固其遺產，

who is in charge at the time it's articulated,

but it's not about them,

但重點不是執行長， 重點不是他或她。

it’s not about him or her.

It’s about the value the company brings.

重點是公司帶來的價值。

It is about the role in the world that it’s meant to play.

重點是公司在世界上 注定要扮演的角色。

Now purpose at the C-suite level should be a unifying construct

高層主管層級的宗旨應該 是個帶來一致性的構面，

that brings together mission and vision

整合使命和遠景，

and influences your strategic agenda.

並影響你策略構想。

It should help CEOs think about how they redefine metrics for success,

它應該能協助執行長思考 要如何重新定義成功的標準、

what types of topics they may want to speak with analysts about,

要和分析師談哪些類型的主題，或，

or maybe most importantly,

也許最重要的，董事會該如何 要求他們這些經理負起責任。

how the board ought to hold them accountable as managers.

Purpose at the middle-management level

在中層主管階級的宗旨， 重點在於非常必要的清楚度，

is about much needed clarity and authority.

以及權威性。

The middle-management layer of any organization

任何組織的中階主管層 通常都是最難推動的人，

is often the most difficult to motivate

because they have so many different stakeholders to please.

因為他們要取悅的 利害關係人太多了。

But by bringing clarity

但若能用宗旨導向的期望 和防護欄來提高清楚度，

with purpose-driven expectations and guardrails,

it allows middle managers to understand which battles to pick

就能讓中階主管了解 該挑哪場仗來打，

and that the micro decisions they make on a daily basis

以及他們每天所做的微小決策 也能影響整個公司。

affect the company [as] a whole.

Finally, front-line employee purpose helps employees at that level ensure

最後，

前線員工層級的宗旨能協助 該層級的員工一定會被看見。

that they are seen.

When purpose is excavated and executed top floor to shop floor,

如果從最高層一直到

基層員工都能發掘、執行宗旨，

those on the shop floor understand that their work matters

基層員工能知道 他們的工作有重要性，

and how it adds up to the overall value for the company.

且積沙成塔也能對 公司的價值有所貢獻。

Well-embedded front-line purpose is the tenet behind that legendary story

妥善嵌入的前線宗旨 也是某些故事背後的信條，

比如約翰‧F‧甘迺迪 和太空總署工友

of John F. Kennedy and the NASA janitor

1962 年的傳奇故事。

back in 1962.

You know, the one where JFK supposedly asked the janitor,

該故事是說，據說甘迺迪問工友：

"What do you do for NASA?"

「你為太空總署做什麼？」

And the janitor said,

工友說：

"I'm putting a man on the moon."

「我把一個人送上月球。」

In this story, the janitor understood that his role was to prepare the building

在這個故事中，工友知道 他的角色是要將大樓整理好，

for the engineers who were going to come in and crank on the math.

讓工程師能來這裡好好算數學。

But he also understood the importance of that role

但他也了解那個角色的重要性，

to the overall vision and objectives of NASA.

會影響到太空總署的 整體遠景和目標。

That janitor understood his role in the universe,

可以說，那名工友知道 他在宇宙中扮演的角色。

so to speak.

有好多代表性的企業故事 都始於酒巾的背面。

So many iconic business stories begin on the back of a cocktail napkin.

But it wasn't just this napkin or even the nuts

但那天讓我停下來思考的原因 不只是那張餐紙巾或甚至核果。

that caused me pause that day.

It was the sentiment behind it.

還有它背後的感情。

It was the idea if you execute purpose across culture

還有這樣的想法：如果你能 把宗旨實踐到整個文化中、

and strategy and brand consistently for years,

策略中，和品牌中， 年復一年持續地做，

it does become muscle memory.

它確實會變成肌肉記憶。

It becomes a cultural norm.

它會變成文化的常模。

And it is that norm that encourages an employee to make a gift,

那樣的常模，

會鼓勵員工付出，

which becomes a story

形成故事，

which then a very loyal customer tells to the world.

而非常忠誠的客人會將 這些故事告訴全世界。

So since I am here, Sarah,

既然我在這裡，莎菈，

thank you for your kind words that day,

謝謝你那天仁慈的留言，

and for the almonds.

還有那些杏仁果。

You helped make it a great day

你讓那天變得更好，

because you were right,

因為你是對的，

I was hungry.

我確實餓了。

Thank you.

謝謝你。

(Applause)

（掌聲）