管理兵法：上前線去！

????我的職業生涯可以用小說《殺死一只知更鳥》（To Kill a Mockingbird）中的一句話來定義：“你永遠無法真正理解一個人，除非你從他的角度考慮問題，除非你鉆進他的身體，設身處地地想問題?！?/p>

????最初在寶潔公司（Proctor & Gamble），我明白了一個道理，如果你希望別人欣賞、購買你的產品與服務，必須從他們的角度來觀察這個世界。這并不代表只要親身使用產品就夠了，而是要了解公司如何將一個概念變成有形的、適于銷售的實物。許多人往往沒想過要花時間去了解員工和團隊成員在概念變成現實的過程中所扮演的角色。

????我們作為消費者曾經無數次聽說、甚至親身經歷過產品與服務發布失敗的情況。有些失敗不可避免。但有些失敗卻讓人不得不產生懷疑。

????比如露露檸檬（Lululemon）最近的透視瑜伽褲災難就是一個例子。這個高端瑜伽服品牌去年宣布大規模召回，因為消費者投訴瑜伽褲的材料太過輕薄。雖然公司聯合創始人其普?威爾森承認產品確實存在設計問題，但令人尷尬的是，他接下來竟然說出了這樣的話：“……坦白說，一些女性的身材確實不適合（我們的瑜伽褲）?！彼脑挷粌H毫無顧忌，而且讓公司失去了大批客戶，導致了一場公關危機。最終的結果是，威爾森下臺，辭去了公司董事會主席的職務。

????而有意思的是，威爾森當初就是在參加瑜伽課之后受到了啟發，才創建了露露檸檬。想象一下，如果威爾森還能像當初創建公司時一樣，積極了解顧客，聽取他們的直接反饋，結果會怎樣？我想，肯定會跟今天的情形截然相反。

????筆者曾在多家公司擔任高管，在每一個職位上，我都會花時間，到“一線”去了解和體驗生活。這樣做不僅能讓我接觸到更多有創意的方法和意外的成功，而且，坦白地說，這個過程非常有意思，更能給人啟迪。

????我在肯德基（KFC International）和塔可鐘（Taco Bell）工作期間在基層工作了幾個禮拜。這種經歷讓我親身體會到，總部一個“簡單”的想法在現實世界中怎么就演變成了一場經營上的混戰。營銷者希望通過增加新產品來制造話題，這是他們的本能。但如果你是一名餐廳管理者，不得不應對越來越多的復雜狀況，就很難始終如一提供出色的客戶服務。我的心得是，菜單上每增加一項內容，同時就必須取消一項內容。之后我一直沿用這個原則。

????我在為稅務服務供應商H&R Block公司工作期間，從去年八月份以來一直在參加專業稅務人員培訓課程，還在十一月份完成了期末考試。這些課程的難度超出了我的預期。有些課程比我在商學院的任何課程難度更高！雖然我負責在美國的所有零售業務，管理著10,000家辦事處，包括1,750家加盟商，但我還是抽出時間，定期在晚上與其他心懷抱負的專業稅務人員一起上課。我希望能參與其中，與其他人接受同樣的培訓。

????從員工的角度來體驗這個世界，價值無法估量。我所學到的經驗包括：

????? 現狀核實 —— 一手經驗可以讓你更明智地決定公司如何出現在客戶面前。這種個性化學習有助于處理一些關鍵的舉措，比如培訓和新產品上市等。團隊組織項目的初衷與執行時的現實情況之間往往存在巨大的差距。有些情況靠報告根本沒辦法掌握。必須去親身體驗，親自感受一個計劃可行與否。

????? 信譽 —— 要在團隊中提升自己的信譽，沒有什么方法比“設身處地、換位思考”更好了。我在H&R Block與專業稅務人員接觸時從一名擁有MBA的“行政人員”，變成了“他們中的一員”。這樣一來，他們就可以暢所欲言，針對我們共同為之奮斗的公司，向我提供誠實且實用的反饋。

????? 洞察力 —— 通過從員工和顧客的角度看待問題，你就能借此獲得洞察力，從而讓你能夠提出更明智的問題，找到更好的答案，最終，與員工和客戶建立起更密切的關系。而這會創造更多機會，用可靠有效的方式成功地對一款產品、一項服務或一個品牌進行創新和擴展。

????所以，每次接受新的職務，或面對新的商業挑戰時，我都會記住從合作伙伴的立場來看待問題。這樣做從來沒有讓我失望過，總是能給我帶來意想不到的驚喜。（財富中文網）

????本文作者基普?奈特是H&R Block公司美國零售業務總裁。

????譯者：劉進龍/汪皓

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????What has defined much of my career is a line from the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird: "You never really know a man until you understand things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

????In my early days at Proctor & Gamble (PG), I was taught if you want people to appreciate and buy your products and services, you need to look at the world through their eyes. That doesn't mean just using products yourself. It means understanding the process of how your company takes a concept and transforms it into a tangible, marketable entity. What many people overlook is taking the time to understand the role employees and team members play in making those concepts come to life.

????There have been countless misfires in product and service launches we've all either read about or personally experienced as consumers. Some have been inevitable. Some, however, you have to wonder.

????Recall, Lululemon's recent see-through yoga pants debacle; the upscale yogawear brand last year issued a recall after receiving complaints that the material was too thin. Co-founder, Chip Wilson, acknowledged there was a design issue, but embarrassingly went on to say that "... quite frankly some women's bodies just actually don't work for (our pants)." His comments were not only insensitive, but they also alienated a significant customer base, created a public relations disaster and ultimately resulted in Wilson stepping down as chairman.

????What's interesting is that Wilson was inspired to create Lululemon (LULU) after attending yoga classes. Imagine if Wilson had applied the same motivation to learning more about whom all of his patrons were and to hearing firsthand their feedback as he did in developing his company? I suspect the outcome would have been vastly different.

????I have been an executive at several companies, and at each of these, I spent time learning about and experiencing life "in the trenches." Not only did it open my eyes to creative approaches and unforeseen successes, but quite frankly, it was fun and enlightening.

????At KFC International as well as Taco Bell (YUM), I worked the line for several weeks. This experience made me appreciate how a "simple" idea at HQ could turn into an operational mess in the real world. Marketers have a natural tendency to want to create news by adding new products. But if you're the restaurant manager having to deal with more and more complexity, it makes it that much tougher to deliver consistently great customer service. That led to a personal insight that for every new item that goes on a menu, something needs to come off. And I've applied that principle numerous times since.

????At H&R Block (HRB), I started taking classes last August to become a tax professional and finished my final exam in November. The classes were tougher than I expected. Some of the classes were harder than any class I took in business school! Even though I am responsible for all of the retail operations in the United States, 10,000 offices including 1,750 franchisees, I took the time to attend the regular classes at night with the other aspiring tax pros. I wanted to get the same training and to participate with everyone else.

????Experiencing the world through the eyes and feet of your employees is invaluable. The lessons that I learned included:

????? Reality Check - First-hand experience makes you smarter about how companies are really coming across to clients. This personal learning will enhance how you approach critical initiatives such as training and new product rollouts. There is often a huge gap between what was originally intended by the team that put these programs together vs. the reality of what it's like when implemented. This is something you can't read in a report. You've got to experience it in person and feel it in your gut on whether it's working or not.

????? Credibility - There is no better route to enhance your credibility with the people on your teams than "walking a mile in their shoes." With our Tax Pros at H&R Block, I went from just another "suit" with an MBA to being "one of them," which in turn freed them to give me honest and practical feedback on the business we were building together.

????? Insights - You ask smarter questions, get better answers, and in the end, stay better connected to employees and customers from the insights you gain by experiencing the world through their eyes. This creates more opportunity to successfully innovate and extend a product, a service, or a brand in ways that is credible and effective.

????So whenever I get into a new role or new business challenge, I remember the power of seeing the world through my business partner's eye. Without fail, I am always pleasantly surprised how powerful the results can be when you do this.

????Kip Knight is president of U.S. retail operations at H&R Block.