“When things go right, we talk about it and we learn from it,”Hagen said.“When there’s a fear of failure in an organisation, people lose out on thechance to learn how a problem happened and how to avoid it happening again.”
“当进展顺利时,我们都会相互沟通,并展开学习。”哈根说,“而当一个组织中的员工都害怕失败时,人们就会失去一次学习的机会,无法了解问题的根源,也无法避免同样的情况再次发生。”
It's crucial for managers to learn theright way to take responsibility for a setback, said David Rodnitzky, CEO of 3QDigital, a media company in California. While admitting to the problem, offerup analysis on how it happened, what you’ve learned from it, and how you’ll avoid itfrom now on.
加州媒体公司3Q Digital首席执行官大卫·罗德尼特斯基(David Rodnitzky)表示,对管理者而言,关键是学会通过正确的方式承担失败的责任。承认问题的同时,还要展开有针对性的分析,包括问题发生的原因,可以从中吸取哪些教训,以及今后如何避免类似的事情再次发生。
That kind of analysis will help you survivethe fallout from your superiors or stockholders. As well, admitting to themistake will help you with your subordinates, Rodnitzky said. Blaming yourselffor the mistake, instead of someone on your staff, breeds loyalty.
这样的分析可以帮助你顶住主管或股东的批评。另外,罗德尼特斯基认为,承认错误还可以帮助你与下属相处。主动将错误归咎于自己,而不是自己的手下,可以加强团队的忠诚度。
Good managers will also learn that takingresponsibility doesn’t always include the successes, Rodnitzky said. Whenthings go well, it’s time to give credit to someone else. “There’s an old adageevery manager should live by: accept responsibility and delegate credit,”Rodnitzkysaid.
罗德尼特斯基表示,优秀的管理者还明白一个道理,有了错误应该勇于承担责任,但有了成绩也不能全部归功于自己。当事情进展顺利时,就应该称赞他人。“每个管理者都应该牢记一条格言:承担责任,谦让功绩。”罗德尼特斯基说。
Rejecting your ego
戒除自负
Cristina Mariani-May recently experiencedfirsthand how difficult it was to admit she was wrong.
克里斯蒂娜·马里亚尼-梅(Cristina Mariani-May)最近亲身体会到承认错误有多么困难。
Her family owns New York-based Banfi Wines,which has exported Italian wine worldwide since 1919. Since 1978, it has alsoowned a Tuscan vineyard.
她的家族在纽约经营着班菲红酒公司(Banfi Wines),该公司从1919年就开始向世界各地出口意大利红酒。从1979年以来,他们还在托斯卡纳拥有一个酒庄。
It was her father, John Mariani, who cameup with the idea seven years ago of opening a hotel on their seven-acre Italianproperty. During a meeting in the Montalcino office they share, he suggestedthe company could run the hotel themselves. Mariani-May argued they needed tobring in an expert. Things got heated, and it seemed like there was nocompromise.
她的父亲约翰·马里亚尼(John Mariani)7年前提出了在7英亩的意大利酒庄建设一座酒店。在蒙塔奇诺办公室召开的一次会议上,他建议公司自主经营酒店。马里亚尼-梅则认为应该聘请一名专家来负责经营。双方各不让步,事情似乎没有妥协的余地。
Mariani-May agreed to study the twooptions. Two years later, after checking with other winery owners, she cameback to her father with a difficult answer: He was right.
马里亚尼-梅同意对两种方案展开研究。两年后,在调查了其他酒庄的经营状况后,她带着令其难以接受的答案找到了自己的父亲:他是对的。
“I had to swallow my pride, and I had to admit I was wrong,”Mariani-Mayrecalled. “It wasn’t easy, but once I took credit for making the wrong decision, wecould move on.”
“我必须收敛自己的傲慢,必须承认我错了。”马里亚纳-梅回忆道,“这并不容易,可一旦你承认自己错了,便可以继续向前。”
Five years ago the company opened CastelloBanfi il Borgo, a privately run 14-room hotel on the grounds of a 12th Centurycastle. Since then, Condé Nast Traveler ranked it among the best hotels inItaly, and Fodor's Travel named it one of the 10 best wine country hotels inthe world. It wouldn’t have been possible, Mariani-May said, if she first hadn’t admittedshe made a mistake.
5年前,该公司开设了CastelloBanfi il Borgo,这是一家在12世纪的古堡中经营的私人酒店,共有14个房间。自那以后,《悦游》(CondéNast Traveler)杂志将其评选为意大利最佳酒店,《Fodor's Travel》也将其评选为全球10大葡萄酒乡村酒店之一。马里亚尼-梅表示,如果她当初不承认自己的错误,根本不会有今天的成功。
“That’s one of the assets of good management. Don’t go intoany big project with ego, and be ready to admit when you’ve made amistake.”
“这是优秀的管理者所应具备的一项品质。不要带着自负的心态来从事重大项目,要随时做好承认错误的准备。”