When Leaders Struggle with Collaboration合作有障礙，領導須自省

羅恩·卡魯奇　路易斯·貝拉斯克斯/文　王強/譯

A client of Luis’s， let’s call him Charlie， a senior executive reporting directly to the CEO， was recently given feedback that despite his outstanding performance， his colleagues struggled to work with him. Charlie’s drive to deliver results， his no-nonsense approach to offering his viewpoints， and the intensity with which he approached most everything made him appear unnecessarily competitive， despite that being the furthest thing from his intent. As a result， without realizing it， Charlie lost the trust of some of his most critical stakeholders： his peers.

路易斯的一位客戶，姑且叫他查理吧，他是首席執(zhí)行官直屬的高級主管，最近收到了一個反饋信息：盡管他工作表現出色，同事卻很難與他合作。查理對工作業(yè)績的追求，他提出自己觀點時直截了當的做法，以及他對幾乎每件事的認真投入，都讓他顯得有點過于爭強好勝，盡管這與他的意圖相去甚遠。結果，查理在不知不覺中失去了一些最關鍵的利益相關者——他同事們的信任。

It’s not uncommon for talented leaders to find collaboration unnatural. After all， rugged individualism set them apart and propelled their careers. And for many， that same focus on distinguishing themselves later becomes their demise.

有才華的領導者在工作中有時會發(fā)現與人合作不太順暢，這并不罕見。畢竟，堅韌的個人主義使他們卓爾不群，并使他們的事業(yè)蒸蒸日上。而對許多人來說，后來導致他們失敗的，同樣也是這種使他們出類拔萃的專注力。

Most of an enterprise’s competitive value is created and delivered at organ- izational “seams，” where functions come together to form capabilities （think marketing， consumer analytics， and R&D， together developing innovation capability）. That requires leaders of those functions to collaborate across the silos1 to deliver that value.

一個企業(yè)的大多數競爭價值都是在組織機構的“接縫”處創(chuàng)造和實現的，在那里，各種職能匯聚在一起形成能力（想想市場營銷、消費者數據分析和研發(fā)，它們共同形成創(chuàng)新能力）。這就要求這些相互獨立的職能部門的領導者跨部門協(xié)作，以實現上述價值。

If you’re a leader who struggles to collaborate with your peers， you first need to understand why that is， then work to develop that skill.

如果你是一個難以與同事合作的領導者，你首先需要搞清楚為什么會這樣，然后努力培養(yǎng)這種合作的技能。

Why collaboration doesn’t come easy？

為什么合作沒那么容易？

It’s critical to reflect on why collaboration doesn’t come naturally to you. Here are some common reasons we’ve seen among leaders we’ve worked with.

為什么合作對你來說不是一件自然而然的事？要反思一下，這一點很重要。以下是我們在曾經合作過的領導者身上看到的一些常見原因。

You’re competitive and fear being overshadowed2.

你爭強好勝，害怕被人搶風頭。

You’ve likely enjoyed a track record of winning and being the best. Nevertheless， the notion of sharing the spotlight3 with others makes you anxious. Perhaps your sense of identity and success has been reinforced by years of individual achievement.

過去，你可能一直取勝，總是拔尖。然而現在，想到要與他人分享榮譽就會讓你焦慮。也許，多年來個人取得的輝煌成就加強了你的自我認同感和成功意識。

Still， it’s essential to realize that at higher organizational altitudes， success is achieved through integrated efforts. Pay close attention when you fear that others might outshine you or that your contribution won’t be distinguished. Understanding the inner narrative telling you that your uniqueness will be blunted4 is the first step to changing it. At this level of the organization， you must believe that your contribution will be amplified if it’s blended with others’ contributions.

然而，你必須認識到，在更高的組織層面，成功是通過協(xié)同努力實現的。當你擔心別人可能比自己更出色或者自己的貢獻不會很突出時，要密切關注這種情緒。你內心對此的解讀是，你的獨特性會被削弱。理解這一點，是改變這種心態(tài)的第一步。在組織的這個層級，你必須相信，你的貢獻如果融合了其他人的貢獻，其效力會被放大。

You’ve relied heavily on hierarchy to get things done.

你嚴重依賴等級制來完成工作。

Perhaps you’ve operated in your own functional silo and have been successful in directing the work of others toward the results you’ve achieved. Or perhaps you grew up professionally in a culture that prizes hierarchy and deference to authority.

也許你之前在自己獨立運行的部門工作，一直靠指揮其他人成事，才有了自己曾經的那些成果。又或許你是在一種推崇等級制和服從權威的文化中獲得職業(yè)成長的。

Recognize that at this level of the organization， influencing your peers is critical and very different from the positional authority you hold over your dir-ect reports5. You must be less directive， and more curious and conversational.

要認識到，在組織的這個層級，對你的同事產生影響是至關重要的，這與你對直接下屬擁有的職位權威非常不同。你必須少些指手畫腳，多些好奇心，多和同事溝通。

You have a hard time trusting.

你很難信任別人。

You believe that attention to detail is your strength， and you’ve had some unfavorable outcomes in the past when delegating to others， which leads you to be extra careful now. You fear uncertainty and want to make sure your decisions are on solid ground. Take the example of Mario; a successful lawyer tasked with reviewing and closing critical contracts worth millions for the company. Unfortunately， as someone who felt a strong need for control， he managed to turn trivial issues into deal-breaking problems. Underlying Mario’s inability to trust others with much of anything was a deeper narrative： “People will take advantage of me if I let them.” Until he learned to challenge it， this assumption was the lens through which Mario saw others. Given the high stakes of your role， it’s understandable to be sensitized to what might go wrong. However， there is a difference between having healthy skepticism and assuming bad intentions. When you ascribe6 ill motives， you send a strong message of mistrust.

你相信對細節(jié)的關注是你的優(yōu)勢，而且你在過去把任務委派給別人的時候，曾有過不好的結果，這導致你現在格外小心。你害怕不確定性，想要確保你的決定是有理有據的。以馬里奧為例，他是一位成功的律師，負責為公司審查和完成價值數百萬美元的重要合同。不幸的是，作為一個具有強烈控制欲的人，他竟把一些微不足道的小事看成是不能通融的問題。馬里奧幾乎在任何事情上都無法信任他人，其深層原因是：“如果我放任不管，他們就會利用我。”在馬里奧學會挑戰(zhàn)這種假設之前，這種假設一直是他觀察他人的視角。鑒于你的職位關系大局，對可能出現的問題表現敏感是可以理解的。然而，健康的懷疑態(tài)度和惡意的假設之間是有區(qū)別的。當你認為對方的動機不良時，你就會發(fā)出強烈的不信任信號。

Collaboration is a complex set of skills and attributes. It combines active listening， managing conflict， shared problem solving， self-regulation， humility， curiosity， and a caring orientation7 toward others. Make a careful inventory of behaviors for which you know you lack sufficient skill or orientation. You can take steps to develop your collabor-ation skills and rebuild lost trust with others who’ve struggled to work with you.

合作是一套復雜的技能和品質。它結合了積極傾聽、管理沖突、共同解決問題、自我調節(jié)、保持謙遜、表露好奇和關懷他人等行為。對于某些行為，你知道自己缺乏足夠的技能或訓練，把它們詳細地列一個清單出來。你可以采取措施提升合作技能，并和那些曾經難以與你合作的人重新建立失去的信任。

First， adopt the mindset of a collabor-ator.

首先，樹立一個合作者的心態(tài)。

Be open to change and new ideas.

對新變化、新思想持開放態(tài)度。

Taking new perspectives is a prerequisite to empathy and compassion. Ask questions to challenge your point of view and clarify the other person’s. Doing so sends a strong signal that you care about their perspective.

接受新的觀點是具備同理心和同情心的先決條件。問幾個問題來挑戰(zhàn)一下你自己的觀點，同時也澄清一下對方的觀點。這樣做會發(fā)出一個強烈的信號，表明你關注對方的觀點。

Value others equally.

平等地看待他人。

Put yourself in an environment where your deep expertise has minimal credibility and you “have to be like everyone else.” Putting yourself in a place of mutual interdependence will help you feel what it’s like to be on a level playing field. For example， you could join a team or club outside of work—a hobby group or a local recreation league for a sport you play. As you do so， journal about what you’re feeling and learning. Note places where you’re enjoying yourself and places where you feel uncomfortable.

讓自己置身于這樣一個環(huán)境中：在這里，靠你深厚的專業(yè)知識樹立不了多少威信，你“必須和其他人一樣”。讓自己身處一個與他人相互依賴的地方，這樣會幫助你感受到公平競爭是什么樣子。例如，你可以在工作之余加入一個團隊或俱樂部——一個興趣小組或一個你喜歡的某項運動的當地體育社團。每次參加活動，都寫下自己的感受和學習情況，留意讓你感到開心和感覺不舒服的地方。

Become someone others can rely on.

成為別人可以依靠的人。

No matter who you are， you still need others to succeed， and others need you. Acknowledge that interdependency by deepening stakeholder relationships. Identify critical players you rely on and those who depend on you. Spend time with them. Building and maintaining trusting relationships is the foundation of sustainable collaboration.

無論你是誰，你要成功，就需要別人的幫助，而別人也需要你。要通過深化利益相關者的關系來承認這種相互依賴性。找出你所依賴的關鍵角色和那些依賴你的人，花時間和他們在一起。建立并維持相互信任的關系是可持續(xù)合作的基礎。

Then， take actions to accelerate your reputation as a team player.

然后，采取行動加速提升你樂于合作的聲譽。

Share the spotlight and give credit.

分享聚光燈并贊美對方。

Find ways to purposefully cede8 the stage to someone else when it’s shining on you. This exposes new talent to new audiences and builds that person’s confidence and sense of pride. In addition， this helps others experience you as a leader who doesn’t hog9 the limelight10.

當舞臺的燈光照到你身上時，特意想辦法把舞臺讓給別人，這會讓新的人才顯露在新的觀眾面前，并建立起這個人的自信心和自豪感。此外，這也會讓別人見識到你不是一個獨占風頭的領導者。

Doing this also benefits your organization. Teams that share the spotlight with each other more frequently have greater retention11， and their organ-izations have higher growth because they collaborate more.

這樣做也有利于你的組織。員工更頻繁地共享高光時刻可以讓團隊更加穩(wěn)定，員工多多合作也會讓組織更有發(fā)展。

Ask for advice.

征求意見建議。

Approach one of your key stakeholders with a challenge you need help with. This models vulnerability， demonstrates humility， and shows that you understand you need others. If you’re struggling with a particular individual， an easy way to build trust is by asking them for advice. Later， let them know how you applied it. Colleagues who believe you genuinely need them are more likely to seek your help and support your ideas in public settings.

遇到困難需要幫助時，去找你的一個關鍵利益相關者，請他給點意見。這樣能展現自身的不足和謙遜，也能表明你知道自己需要別人的幫助。如果你和某個人難以破冰，一個簡單的建立信任的方法就是請他提建議。之后，讓對方知道你是如何采用他的建議的。同事相信你真的需要他們，就更有可能公開尋求你的幫助并支持你的想法。

Take heart if you’re a leader needing to strengthen your collaboration. You can do it， even if it feels like an unnatural act. In today’s hyper-connected world， lone wolves are becoming a thing of the past. Today， inclusive， humble， and other-oriented leaders are seen as the most credible and influential. Effectively collaborating is key to becoming and remaining a leader of lasting impact.

如果你是一位有待提高合作能力的領導者，請振作起來。你能做到，即使做起來感覺別扭。在當今這個高度互聯的世界上，孤狼越來越不合時宜。如今，包容、謙遜、以他人為導向的領導者被認為最可信和最有影響力。有效地合作是成為具有持久影響力領導者并保持這種影響力的關鍵。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者）

1 silo 獨立運行的系統(tǒng)（或流程、部門等）。? 2 overshadow使顯得遜色。? 3 spotlight 媒體和公眾的注意。

4 blunt使減弱；使降低效應。? 5 report（某個主管的）下屬。

6 ascribe sth to sb/sth認為……具有（某種特點）。? 7 orientation興趣；取向；目標。

8 cede割讓；讓予。

9 hog貪心攫取。? 10 the limelight公眾注意的中心。? 11 retention維持；保留。