拋開迷思，尋找真正的商業領袖
|
????看著美國日益衰落的競爭力和疲軟的就業市場，人們不禁會問：“我們需要的商業領袖都在哪兒？” ????但我們不妨停下來認真思考幾個問題：我們缺乏的究竟是領導力還是對領導力的正確定義？也許，我們尋找領導力的方向從一開始就發生了偏差。 ????權力、影響力與領導力之間有著千絲萬縷的聯系。而許多人依然在用一種過時的眼光看待權力。他們認為，誰控制了最多的人力和財力，誰就擁有強大的權力：等級成了領導力和權力的代名詞。 ????但事實并非如此。雖然董事會在公司等級中高高在上，但它所起的作用通常微乎其微。而董事會成員常常感覺自己沒有享有權力，無法根據自己的意愿對公司進行改革。 ????許多CEO也是如此。有些CEO缺乏安全感，通常需要進行自我激勵。而有些CEO之所以能夠爬上高位，只是因為他們認為這是他們的“宿命”——他們就像演員一樣嚴格遵照劇本行事，完全失去了真正的自我。 ????他們的軟弱無力通常表現在許多方面：大發脾氣；解決難題時總是拈輕怕重；忽視重要問題，逃避責任等等。 ????展示最高尚的自我才是體現領導力的真正所在：真正重要的并不是對人力或財富的支配權，而是表達出真正的自我。當然，許多大公司的CEO確實是強有力的、高效的領袖，但這與他們的等級沒有太大的關系。通常情況下，等級并不等同于權力。 ????我們都曾經與這樣的人共事：在公司里，他們并不屬于高高在上的階層，但卻擁有巨大的影響力，即便有時是負面的影響。他們也許會利用權力的消極一面，試圖使優秀的行動方案陷入停滯，而且往往都能夠得逞。他們可能隱居幕后，甚至會暗中破壞團隊的努力。 ????然而，也有些人在默默努力，為公司的良性發展發揮著巨大的作用。這些領導者就在你的周圍 —— 可能就是你自己。他們默默無聞，甚至無人能識。 ????《愛喬布斯——改變世界的方法》（The Steve Jobs Way: iLeadership for a New Generation）一書的作者杰伊?艾略特曾在蘋果公司（Apple）擔任高級副總裁，是喬布斯的親密戰友，近期他對筆者表示，他從喬布斯身上學到的最偉大的領導力課程就是：做自己。 ????顯然，全世界對領導力和權力的理解都存在偏差，所以“做自己”并不容易。我們正在經歷的經濟危機之所以持續惡化，很大程度上正是由于那些真正的領導者無法掌握資本，致使他們的創見無法實現。 ????但掌握資本或者控制他人都不應該與真正的領導力相混淆。這種理念之所以能夠被人們所重視，一定程度上得歸功于普渡大學區域發展中心（Purdue Center for Regional Development）經濟政策顧問艾迪?莫里森以及其他人的不懈努力。佛羅里達州的空間集中發展項目、亞利桑那州的太陽能集中發展項目，以及密歇根州的Holland-Zee行動計劃等都顯示出同一特點：許多領導人不論身處什么等級，都在努力為所在的社區建立穩定的經濟。 ????他們的權力并非來自等級或頭銜，而是來自他們的智慧和毅力。這種模式類似于以群體面貌出現的福特或愛迪生，一旦得到機會，這種模式將會把我們帶入更美好的經濟時代。這種領導力模式與已退休的杰克?查恩將軍的想法不謀而合。他曾在多家公司董事會任職，并曾擔任美國空軍戰略司令部（Strategic Air Command）領導人。他認為，具有人格魅力的人數不勝數，但一個人能否成為偉大領袖的關鍵卻在于智慧。 ????除了集體努力，我們也發現，很多人也開始接受新的領導力定義；有些人正在有意識地避開等級，開創屬于自己的想法，這其中既有年輕人，也不乏資深的職場人士。 ????如果我們依然迷信傳統的領導力與權力定義，我們的經濟根本不可能好轉，等待我們的將依然是失望和沮喪。我們將錯失就在我們身邊的領導者，我們自己也會錯誤地追求一些虛幻的頭銜，而不是真正有實際影響和意義的崗位。希望我們不要在等到付出代價之后才能幡然醒悟。 ????本文作者愛麗諾?布洛斯罕為董事會咨詢公司價值聯盟與公司治理聯盟（The Value Alliance and Corporate Governance Alliance，http://thevaluealliance.com）CEO。 ????譯者：阿龍/汪皓 |
????As we look at declining U.S. competitiveness and stalled job creation, it's all too understandable to ask, "Where are the business leaders we need?" ????But if we stop to think about it, is it leadership that is lacking? Or is it our definition of leadership that is lacking? Maybe we are simply looking for leadership in the wrong places. ????Power, influence and leadership are all tied to each other. And many people view power from an outdated perspective. That older perspective argues that whoever controls the most people and the most dollars is powerful: Rank spells leadership and power. ????But this is not true. Corporate boards, which sit at the top of a company's hierarchy, often act anemically. And board members often feel they do not have power to make the changes they'd like to make. ????So too with many CEOs. Some are insecure, in need of an ego massage. Others have made it to the "top" because they felt they were "supposed to" -- they were following a script and lost their true sense of self. ????Their powerlessness shows up in many ways: throwing tantrums, taking the easy route when addressing difficult problems, ignoring major issues, and failing to act responsibly. ????Real leadership is the courage to act from your highest and noblest self: it is not dominion over people or dollars but expressing who you are that matters. Certainly, there are large company CEOs that are powerful, effective leaders, but it is not their rank that makes them so. Rank is often not synonymous with power. ????We have all worked with colleagues who have tremendous influence, even if it is negative, despite the fact that they do not sit anywhere high up in the company's hierarchy. They can work on the negative side of power, trying to -- and succeeding -- in stalling any good initiative that comes along. They may work in the background and may even undermine our own efforts. ????But then there are also others who work silently and make big differences for the good. These leaders sit beside you -- they may even be you. And no one has heard of them or really knows. ????Jay Elliot, author of The Steve Jobs Way: iLeadership for a New Generation, who worked closely with Jobs at Apple (AAPL) as a senior vice president, recently told me that the greatest leadership lesson he learned from Jobs was to be yourself. ????"Being yourself" can be far from easy in a world that clings to an obviously failing notion of leadership and power. And the current economic crisis that we face today persists in part because those who are real leaders often do not have access to capital to fund their innovative ideas. ????But access to capital or perceived control over people should never be confused with real leadership. Some of this has come to the forefront through the efforts of Ed Morrison, economic policy advisor at the Purdue Center for Regional Development, and others. Projects like the space cluster in Florida, the solar cluster in Arizona, and the Holland-Zee initiatives in Michigan show that some leaders, irrespective of rank, are coming together to build economic stability for their communities. ????Their power does not come from rank or title but from intellect and perseverance. That model is more like that of a Ford or an Edison on a collective scale, and that is the model that will, if given a chance, see us through to better economic times. This leadership model resonates with retired General Jack Chain, who sat on a number of corporate boards and, at one time, headed the Strategic Air Command. He said that while you can find many people with great personalities, intellect is what makes for a great leader. ????In addition to the collective efforts, we can also witness individuals embracing a new definition of leadership; young and old making the conscious choice to eschew rank and strike out on their own. ????If we look to the inherited definitions of leadership and power, we will continue to be disappointed and frustrated with our failure to fix the economy. We will miss the leaders in our midst and may ourselves mistakenly aspire to some position rather than a true place of influence and meaning. Let's hope that we won't have to learn this lesson the hard way. ????Eleanor Bloxham is CEO of The Value Alliance and Corporate Governance Alliance (http://thevaluealliance.com), a board advisory firm. |
