英文版本,请见下方。
这一系列,专家会介绍如何在动荡期和发展期做一位领导。阅读这些帖子,发表你的看法(正文请包含 #HowILead)
所有领导都能学会的重要技能之一是知道何时该果断,何时又该退一步,把握全局之后再做重大决定。
不论是动荡时期、快速发展期还是危机时刻,要做的决定一定比平时多,能用的时间又比平时少。快刀斩乱麻实在是很有诱惑力。身为领导,一定要沉着冷静、胸有成竹、掌控局势,让团队、顾客都知道你的决策。
但是,这并不意味着在了解全部事实之前就匆忙下结论。最近我读到一个故事,讲企业家Stephen Covey的经验:先试着理解,再试着被理解。他讲了一个很暖的故事,讲小女孩有两个苹果。妈妈进来了,也想要一个。小女孩看看妈妈,把每个苹果都咬了一口。妈妈很失望,觉得女儿很自私。结果小女孩把其中一个苹果递给她,说:“给,妈妈,这个比较甜。”即便我们以为已经对资本资料都了如指掌,考虑过已知情况的方方面面,真相也有可能令人大吃一惊。这就是生活的激动人心之处——自以为了解的时候,总有新的未知。
这也是为什么延缓决策在工作中这么有用。有很多次我都忍不住想速战速决,但还是耐着性子,等待形势变得更加明了。推迟也可能让你错失良机。想起一个例子,我之前就是花了太长时间考虑,结果没买到Trivial Pursuit的游戏版权。但是,每个错失的开头,背后都可能省去了好些麻烦。
渐渐的,人们过度依赖数据,将之作为判断方法。基本资料非常有用,决策过程不能全凭数据分析。广告界权威David Ogilvy如此总结主管们在判断时对数据的依赖:“他们太依赖研究了,就像酒鬼遇到路灯杆一样,靠在上面而非用来照明。”
有一个重要的决策环节经常被忽视,那就是深思熟虑。在看了数据、跟专家对话、分析了所有角度之后,花些时间再把事情清清楚楚想一遍。散个步,找个阴凉地,或者简简单单坐着思考一阵。做决定时不要无意义地拖延——也不要急急忙忙。把握好平衡,你更容易做出正确的决定。
The Value of Delaying JudgementIn this series, professionals explain how to lead in times of turmoil or growth. Read the posts, then write your own (use #HowILead in the body of your post).
One of the most important skills any leader can learn is when to be decisive, and when to take a step back and look at the wider picture before making the big calls.
In times of turmoil, excitement, rapid growth, or crisis, there will be more decisions to make than usual and less time to make them. There will also be an almost irresistible temptation to make these decisions as quickly as possible. A leader must be calm, confident in his choices, visible to his team and their customers, and in control of the situation.
However, this doesn’t mean rushing in and jumping to rash conclusions before knowing all the facts. I recently read a story about the businessman Stephen Covey’s lasting lesson: seek first to understand, then to be understood. He tells the sweet tale of a little girl holding two apples. Her mother comes in and asks her for one of the apples. The girl looks up at her mum and takes a bite of one apple, then the other. The mum looks disappointed at her daughter’s selfishness. Then the little girl gives one of her bitten apples to her mum, and says: “Mummy, here you are. This is the sweeter one.”
Even when we think we know all of the facts and figures, and have viewed every angle of a given scenario, the truth about a situation can be a big surprise. This is one of the things that makes life so exciting — just when we think we understand something, we learn something new.
This is why delaying judgement can be so useful in business. There have been many occasions when I have been tempted to make a snap decision and decided to wait until I can see the whole picture more clearly. These delays can mean missing the odd opportunity. One example that springs to mind is taking too long to decide to buy the rights to a new game called Trivial Pursuit. But for every missed opening, there have been several averted disasters.
There is a growing overreliance on using statistics as an alternative to using judgement. While facts and figures are extremely useful, data analysis shouldn’t solely drive every decision. The advertising guru David Ogilvy summed executives’ reliance on statistics over judgement: “They are coming to rely too much on research, and they use it as a drunkard uses a lamp post for support, rather than for illumination.”
One vital component of decision-making that is often overlooked is quiet contemplation. After looking at all the stats, speaking to all the experts and analysing all of the angles, then take some time to yourself to think things through clearly. Take a walk, find a shady spot, or simply sit and think for a while. Don’t delay unnecessarily — but don’t rush either. Get that balance right, and you are far more likely to make the right call. (责任编辑:职场达人) |