1. Meeting your new boss
1.与老板会面
Don’t say: “I’m available anytime you need me. Here’s my home number, my personal email, my cell, and I’ll be on vacation next week, so here’s how you can reach me at the cabin.”
不能这样说:“只要你需要我,我随时都有空。这是我的家庭电话,我的个人电子邮箱地址,我的手机号码,并且下周我会度假,所以这里有小屋子的联系方式,你也可以找到我。”
Why it’s a problem: It seems like the right thing to do—to be helpful and available. But studies show that an “always on” mentality isn’t conducive to better productivity. Harvard Business School professor Leslie Perlow, in fact, asserts in her TED Talk that the practice can even ultimately damage an organization.
问题出现在哪:这看起来是一件正确的事情——既能提供帮助也能腾出时间。但有许多研究表明,那种‘随时待命’的心理状态无法有助于创造力的提升。同时实际上,哈佛商业学院的教授Leslie Perlow在TED演讲中声称这种实践方法实际上最终还会损害一家机构的利益。
Say instead: “Let’s figure out the best ways for us to communicate if we need to reach each other during an emergency.”
应该这样说:“我们来看看有什么好的方法能让我们在紧急情况下取得良好的沟通联系。”

2. When referring to colleagues
2.当提到同事的时候
Don’t say: “My boyfriend Pedro in IT just fixed my email, it’s working great now!”
不能这样说:“我的IT部门男朋友Pedro刚刚帮我解决了电子邮件的问题,现在运行得非常顺畅!”
Why it’s a problem: Of course it’s not a Don Draper–level offense: You, Pedro and everyone else knows that he’s not actually your boyfriend, but when you refer to him like that, you’re downgrading his professionalism, and your own.
问题出现在哪里:当然这不是唐·德雷柏级别的冒犯。你,Pedro还有其他人都知道他并不是你的男朋友,但当你这么称呼他的时候,你正在降低他的专业性,还有你自己的专业性。Say instead: “Pedro did such an amazing job fixing my email that I’m letting his boss know he’s a rock star.”
应该这么说:“Pedro工作真出色,他把我的电子邮件问题解决了,我要告诉他的老板他真的很棒!”