根據科技媒體Recode對優步科技公司混亂現狀的深入調查，最難以應對的方面似乎是聯合創始人，前CEO特拉維斯·卡蘭尼克對公司日常事務的干預。這篇報道稱，卡蘭尼克表示，他打算“效仿史蒂夫·喬布斯?！北娝苤?，這位蘋果公司聯合創始人也曾經被他的公司掃地出門，但喬布斯最終王者歸來，并且在第二個CEO任期斬獲驚人成就。

卡蘭尼克或許很欣賞喬布斯，但他并沒有遵循偶像的路徑。相反，鑒于他目前的參與，卡蘭尼克應該告訴人們他打算“效仿舒爾茨”。2000年，在沒有任何壓力的情況下，霍華德·舒爾茨正式卸任星巴克CEO一職。8年后，為“拯救”這家陷于困境的咖啡公司，他再度出山。事實上，舒爾茨從未真正遠離。即使舒爾茨刻意缺席一些會議，但他仍然擔任董事長，每天堅持上班，更不用說他還是事與愿違的星巴克快速擴張戰略的設計師。

在短期內，卡蘭尼克或許覺得效仿舒爾茨是第一要務。但事實上，他應該明智地遵循喬布斯昔日的路徑。真誠地建議卡蘭尼克采取以下步驟：

1. 走開

如果有必要的話，你應該義無反顧地離開，永不回頭。但要想回歸，你首先得離開。不同于卸任CEO時聲譽正隆，公司業務蒸蒸日上的舒爾茨，卡蘭尼克被廣泛視為優步當下困境的重要組成部分。因此，他目前的參與也被視為有百害而無一利的不當干預，他需要跟公司一刀兩斷。

對于卡蘭尼克來說，這將是非常困難的。這不僅僅是因為他過于癡迷優步日常運營的細節，更重要的原因是，他仍然是董事會成員，并且控制著大部分有投票權的股份。然而，如果他沒有跟公司保持距離，并且允許新任CEO真正操盤，卡蘭尼克將永遠不會接到回歸“邀請函”。如果他繼續插手，他將被視為新管理團隊的一大障礙，一旦優步未來出現任何經營失敗，他將難辭其咎。

卡蘭尼克也應該明白，他的參與將繼續受到嚴苛審查。不同于舒爾茨（他的“垂簾聽政”基本上未被外界發現），卡蘭尼克生活在科技世界的魚缸里，鑒于優步最近發生，以及即將發生的多起不幸的離職事件，他的每一次互動都將迅速外泄。

所以，卡蘭尼克應該像他此前計劃的那樣，明智地給自己放幾個月假期，然后以一位普通董事的身份回歸公司，專注于治理而不是日常運營。

2. 填補最大的短板

當初離開蘋果時，喬布斯還不夠穩健。但他確實演變成為一位更具戰略意識的商人。在他的首個CEO時期，這項技能被廣泛視為他的一大短板。

現如今，卡蘭尼克的缺點比其他任何商界領袖（白宮目前的主人除外）的不足之處都更加為人所知。簡單說來，卡蘭尼克的缺陷是，在優步的起步階段，他極具攻擊性的管理風格曾經發揮過至關重要的作用，但對于現在這樣一家價值700億美元的全球性公司來說，這種管理風格是有毒性的。

卡拉尼克現在必須真正地反思，他想從自身的失敗經歷中學到多少東西。他也必須撫心自問，他是否真的能夠改變自己的個性。假裝成為一位禪宗大師，是不可信的。另一方面，學會如何把無窮無盡的干勁轉換為更好的領導行為，將更加令人信服。

3. 在別處收獲成功

喬布斯受邀重返蘋果的一大原因是，他在皮克斯動畫工作室獲得的巨大成功讓人們想起他早期上演的神奇魔法?？ɡ峥说某晒Σ恍枰l生在科技世界，甚至沒必要發生在商業領域，因為慈善或社會領域的成功將更加令人印象深刻。

4. 耐心等待

就像喬布斯曾經的經歷一樣，優步不會邀請卡蘭尼克回歸（哪怕是一個改過自新的卡蘭尼克2.0版），除非該公司陷入真正的絕境。

是的，當舒爾茨回歸的時候，星巴克的問題并沒有那么糟糕。但舒爾茨根本不忍心看到他的公司出現任何問題。此外，作為一位極具影響力的董事長，他幾乎可以任意選擇回歸時間。相較之下，卡蘭尼克在優步并沒有那樣大的影響力，至少現在沒有。

卡蘭尼克要想回歸，其繼任者最終必須陷入流沙之中——類似于約翰·斯卡利在沒有喬布斯的蘋果公司遭遇的麻煩?？紤]到優步當前的挑戰，這種悲慘命運的發生幾率是蠻大的。上任伊始，新任CEO可能會做出一些有助于改善優步盈利能力，以及它與全世界關系的改變，但最終，他或她很可能陷入岌岌可危的境地。

即使如此，卡蘭尼克必須抵抗過早地出面拯救“寶寶”的內心沖動。相反，他需要耐心等待真正的邀請。

5. 面向未來，而不是重走老路

倘若被邀請回歸，卡蘭尼克需要立即著手啟動一項明確的計劃——就像喬布斯和舒爾茨在回歸早期所做的那樣?？ㄌm尼克將面臨一個非常短的時間窗口來證明，他正在重新帶回昔日的勇氣，但這種勇氣并不包含致命的毒素。他絕對不能簡單地恢復昔日的老辦法，而必須攜一項清晰的策略，真正地向前邁進，就好像他完全是優步的一張新面孔似的。

卡蘭尼克必須想明白，回歸CEO一職是否真正值得。對于卡蘭尼克來說，被拿來跟蘋果對比似乎特別夢幻，但他應該記得，喬布斯的回歸故事包含許多黑暗，令人心腸寸斷，有可能淹沒一位不那么癡迷的狂熱分子的章節。

事實上，他需要記住，如果卡蘭尼克回歸的必要性從來沒有浮現，作為股東的卡蘭尼克將變得更加富有。（財富中文網）

譯者：Kevin

According to Recode’s deep dive into to the chaotic current state of Uber, the messiest aspect appears to be the meddling of co-founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick. The story reports Kalanick saying that he’s “Steve Jobs-ing it,” referring to the Apple co-founder who was also pushed out as CEO of his company, but returned for a much more successful second run.

Kalanick may love Jobs, but he’s not following his idol’s path at all. Instead, given his current involvement, Kalanick should tell people that he’s “Schultz-ing it.” While Howard Schultz officially relinquished the CEO job at Starbucks in 2000 (under no pressure), and then returned to that role eight years later to “rescue” the languishing coffee company, he never really stepped that far away. Even though Schultz excluded himself from some meetings, he remained chairman and an everyday presence at Starbucks, not to mention the architect of the rapid expansion strategy that backfired on the company.

Schultz-ing it might feel essential to Kalanick in the short term. But he would be wise to instead follow Jobs’s actual path. Here are the steps Kalanick should take:

1. Go away

If you need to, curse over your shoulder as you depart. But to return, you first have to leave. Unlike Schultz, who relinquished the CEO role when he enjoyed a sterling reputation and Starbucks was clicking, Kalanick is perceived a big part of Uber’s problems. Consequently, his ongoing involvement is viewed as counter-productive meddling, and he needs to make a clean break.

This will be difficult for Kalanick, not only because of his obsession with the details of Uber, but even more so because he remains on the board and controls the majority of voting shares. But Kalanick will never be truly “invited” back if he doesn’t distance himself, and allow the incoming CEO to truly run things. If he stays entangled, Kalanick will be viewed simply as an impediment to the new management team and a part of any future failings.

Kalanick should also understand that his involvement will continue to be heavily scrutinized. Unlike Schultz, whose shadow managing went largely undetected, Kalanick lives in the tech world fishbowl and his every interaction will quickly leak, given all the recent and impending unhappy departures at Uber.

So Kalanick would be wise to take several months leave as he had originally planned, before returning to function simply as a regular board member, focused on governance and not operational management.

2. Fill your biggest gaps

Jobs did not mellow while he was away from Apple. But he did become a much more strategic businessman, a skill that was perceived as missing in his initial tenure.

Kalanick’s flaws are now better known than those of any other business leader not currently occupying the White House. The sound bite summary of his deficiencies is that his hyper-aggressiveness was essential to the startup but is now toxic for a $70 billion global company.

Kalanick must now give genuine thought to how much he wants to learn from his specific failings. He also must be honest with himself about how much he actually can change his fundamental personality. To pretend to become a Zen master would be inauthentic. Learning how to channel his intense drive into better leadership behaviors, on the other hand, would be far more credible.

3. Succeed at something else

One of the big reasons Jobs was invited back to Apple was that his success with Pixar reminded people of his early magic. Kalanick’s success doesn’t need to happen in tech or even business, as victory in the philanthropic or societal realm would be even more impressive.

4. Be patient

Just as it was with Jobs, Uber will not ask Kalanick back—even a reformed Kalanick 2.0—unless things get really desperate.

Yes, the problems at Starbucks were not that bad when Schultz returned. But Schultz simply couldn’t endure seeing his company sputter, and his position as a highly influential board chair allowed him to basically ask himself back. Kalanick does not enjoy that same influence at Uber, at least right now.

For Kalanick to return, his successor must ultimately become mired in quicksand, similar to John Sculley’s struggles at the Jobs-less Apple. Given Uber’s current challenges, the potential of such a dire fate is strong. The incoming CEO will likely make some initial changes that will improve Uber’s profitability and relationships around the world, but ultimately the potential for cratering is high.

Even so, Kalanick must begin resisting his urges to rescue his baby too early, and instead wait for a genuine invitation.

5. Bring the future, not the past

If invited back, Kalanick will need to hit the ground immediately with a clear plan, something Jobs and Schultz each did on their early days after returning. Kalanick will have a very short window to prove that he’s bringing back the boldness, but without the toxins. His plan must not simply revert to his old approach, but must actually move forward with a clear-eyed strategy, as if he were completely new to Uber.

Kalanick must decide if coming back as CEO would be actually be worth it. While the Apple analogue might seem especially dreamy to Kalanick, he should remember that the Jobs comeback story had plenty of dark, harrowing chapters that would have overwhelmed a less obsessive zealot.

In fact, he needs to remember that Kalanick-the-shareholder will be much wealthier if the need never arises for the return of Kalanick-the-CEO.