Yet, especially in the case of large, well-established businesses, retained earnings, goodwill, momentum and market share are far more influential factors than whoever claims to be captain of the ship.
不过,尤其对于老牌的大型企业而言,留存利润、商誉、增长势头和市场份额等因素,都比谁当“船长”重要得多。
  
One company I know fired its chief executive two years ago, and has since been run by an ad hoc committee of senior staff. Progress during the period has been spectacular, in spite of having to compete in a tough sector and a patchy track record in the past.
我认识的一家公司两年前解雇了它的首席执行官,且自那时起,一个由高级职员组成的特别委员会一直管理着该公司。尽管该公司必须在一个艰难的行业进行竞争,且过去的记录也差强人意,但它在这段时期内取得了惊人的进步。
  
Of course, defined leadership is preferable to a confused structure, but the potential for one man or woman to make that much impact on a corporate outcome is wildly exaggerated. Nevertheless, such a belief suits our prejudice of how management actually works - and it suits the leadership class, as well as the headhunters and pay consultants.
当然,对于一个混乱的结构而言,明确界定的领导更为可取,但人们过分夸大了一个男人或一个女人对企业业绩产生巨大影响力的潜力。然而,这种信念迎合了我们对管理层作用的偏见,也迎合了领袖阶层、猎头和薪酬咨询师的利益。
  
We know the best businesses have talent in depth. It is as if there are always two companies: there is the artificial, external impression with a spotlight on a single hero, and then there is the true picture, where dozens or hundreds of key people do the work that matters.
我们知道,最好的企业拥有深度的人才结构。似乎总存在着两个企业:一个是人为的、外界的印象,一名英雄人物占尽了所有光鲜;另一个是真实的图景,数十或数百位核心人员在做着重要的工作。
  
The finest leaders I have dealt with possess three qualities above all else: skill as a listener, skill as a delegator and skill as a motivator. These traits require a degree of modesty scarce among those ambitious enough to clamber to the top.
我所接触过的最好的领导拥有三个最为重要的特质:善于倾听、善于下放权力、善于鼓舞员工。这些品质需要一定程度的谦逊,而这在那些野心勃勃、一心往上爬的人中很是少见。
  
Such thrusting figures often possess considerable egos and want to maximise personal glory. By contrast, wise bosses know that progress is rarely achieved through noisy triumphs, like imagined events in fiction, but through unflashy, incremental steps that take time and a team effort. This runs counter to the desire for headlines and simplistic answers and our thirst for personalities. The reality is that a consistent 5 per cent annual growth rate still doubles the size of a company every 14 years and is likely to create a much sounder enterprise than a more frantic display.
这些盛气凌人的人物往往相当自负,且极其重视个人荣耀。相反,明智的老板知道,进步很少通过喧嚣的胜利(就像小说中想象的事件)取得,而是由不起眼的一个个小进步汇聚而成,需要时间和团队的努力。这与我们对头条新闻、简单化答案以及明星式老总的渴望相悖。现实是,保持5%的年增长率,仍能使企业每14年扩大一倍,而且有可能营造一家更健全的企业,而不仅仅是一场狂欢。
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