領導力 - 意外狀況是新常態；韌性是新技能

意外狀況是新常態；韌性是新技能

Surprises Are the New Normal; Resilience Is the New Skill

成功者與失敗者的區別在於，他們如何處理失敗。

我正在進行有關卓越企業與高效能領導人的研究，其中的一個關鍵發現是：沒有人能完全避免碰到困境，潛在的陷阱無處不在，所以真正的技能，是要能脫離困境，以及反彈回來的韌性或復原力（resilience）。

動盪時期會帶來破壞、中斷與挫折，即使是最成功的人也不能避免。頂尖的公司也有猝不及防遭到競爭產品痛擊的時候，而必須急起直追。體育隊伍的常勝軍在比賽時往往成績落後。作家可能遭到幾十次拒絕，才找到一家出版商讓他們聞名於世。一些成功的政客也曾落入窘境，狼狽不堪，卻仍然繼續領導，儘管這種自己造成的創傷更難癒合。

韌性是能夠從笨拙的失誤或徹頭徹尾的錯誤中復原的能力。但是光有彈性是不夠的，你必須從自己的錯誤中學習。具有韌性的人在下列的信心基石上繼續壯大：問責制（表示悔意並承擔責任）、協力合作（支持他人達成共同目標）、主動性（聚焦於積極的步驟並改進）。正如我的書《信心》（Confidence）中概述的，這些因素鞏固了人們、團隊和組織的韌性，他們可能失足跌倒，但會重新贏得勝利。

對於想要超越逆境或捲土重來絕不放棄的人，美國是第二次機會之地（the Land of Second Chances）。前美國駐中國大使洪博培（Jon Huntsman）曾說，重新振作是美國人的優點，在中國廣受讚譽。在世界各地，能夠從天然災害中快速恢復，已日益成為經濟強盛的關鍵。企業家和創新者必須願意失敗，然後再接再厲嘗試。重點不是學習失敗，而是要學會恢復。

跌跌撞撞有時是由於環境因素，這是大多數人無法控制的，包括天氣現象和地緣政治的衝擊。不過，人們雖然可能無法控制較大的問題，但可以控制自己對問題的反應，看是要放棄或另闢蹊徑。歐洲的經濟衰退就是一例。我最近在公開會議和多家企業內向歐洲聽眾談到，即使市場正在萎縮，仍應該要培養自家企業的韌性，以便公司能在經濟持續衰退時支撐得住，並作好準備迎向復甦。德國一家機械公司表現出韌性，在市場對機器的需求減緩時，它增加服務合約，並動員員工找到新的服務機會。一家義大利化妝品公司從裁員的跨國公司網羅人才，並增加和保健與時尚相關的國際行銷活動；新的銷售隨之而來。正如我在《超級公司》（SuperCorp）一書中描述的其他公司，這兩家公司的這些措施來自強烈的目的感，這種目的感吸引成員團結在一起，激勵他們負起責任，協助公司生存及繁榮發展。員工有韌性，因為他們關心在意，這讓公司也具有韌性。

自滿、傲慢和貪婪會排除韌性。謙遜和高尚的目的會強化韌性。真心想要服務的人（而非只想爬上頂峰的自戀者），願意接受較少報酬，把這當成是投資，以取得日後更好的回報。法國前總理雷蒙．巴爾（Raymond Barre）在國家層級的選舉中競選連任落敗後，改而競選層級較低的里昂（Lyon）市長，成為所在地區的英雄。這是艾略特．史畢哲（Eliot Spitzer）正在採取的策略，他曾擔任過州長，後來去競選層級較低的市長。他在召妓醜聞浮上檯面後迅速表示悔意，然後重新參與公眾的對話，談論那些問題，增加了他復出的可能性。

一些觀察家說，女性要東山再起更加困難。不過，來看看瑪莎．史都華（Martha Stewart）。她因內幕交易而入監服刑，表現優雅，並展出悔恨之意，她的優雅表現後來為她保住了大部分的粉絲。更積極的例子是希拉蕊．柯林頓（Hillary Clinton），她在2008年總統選舉敗於歐巴馬（Obama），風度良好（雖然她的一些追隨者表現出輸不起的樣子），並接受了他的提議，出任國務卿。她要問鼎2016年的總統大選，現在的條件甚至更勝從前。從長遠來看，優雅的風度打敗尖酸刻薄的態度。

韌性來自堅毅的性格，來自一組核心的價值觀，那些價值觀激勵人們努力戰勝挫折，重回邁向成功的道路。韌性包括自我控制，並且願意承認自己在挫敗中應負的責任。韌性也會基於群體感而增強：因為對他人有義務，以及獲得志同道合者的支持，而期許自己跌倒後重新振作起來。韌性表現在行動上：新的貢獻，小小的勝利，能夠放下過去、引發對未來興奮之情的目標。

潛在的困難潛伏在各個角落，無論是來自意想不到的環境變動，或個人的缺點與錯誤。無論來源為何，重要的是我們如何對付它們。當意外狀況是新常態時，韌性是新技能。（侯秀琴譯）

羅莎貝絲．肯特（Rosabeth Moss Kanter）

哈佛商學院教授，並擔任哈佛先進領導計畫（Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative）主席暨主任。她曾多次為《哈佛商業評論》撰文，最近的一篇是〈反敗為勝領導力〉（Leadership and the Psychology of Turnarounds，刊於《哈佛商業評論》全球繁體中文版2014年8月號）。她最新出版的書籍為《動起來：讓美國基礎建設重回領先地位》（MOVE: Putting America’s Infrastructure Back in the Lead）。

Surprises Are the New Normal; Resilience Is the New Skill

Rosabeth Moss Kanter

The difference between winners and losers is how they handle losing.

That’s a key finding from my ongoing research on great companies and effective leaders: no one can completely avoid troubles and potential pitfalls are everywhere, so the real skill is the resilience to climb out of the hole and bounce back.

Volatile times bring disruptions, interruptions, and setbacks, even for the most successful among us. Companies at the top of the heap still have times when they are blindsided by a competing product and must play catch-up. Sports teams that win regularly are often behind during the game. Writers can face dozens of rejections before finding a publisher that puts them on the map. Some successful politicians get caught with their pants down (so to speak) and still go on to lead, although such self-inflicted wounds are harder to heal.

Resilience is the ability to recover from fumbles or outright mistakes and bounce back. But flexibility alone is not enough. You have to learn from your errors. Those with resilience build on the cornerstones of confidence — accountability (taking responsibility and showing remorse), collaboration (supporting others in reaching a common goal), and initiative (focusing on positive steps and improvements). As outlined in my book Confidence, these factors underpin the resilience of people, teams, and organizations that can stumble but resume winning.

For anyone who wants to get beyond adversity or start over rather than give up, America is the Land of Second Chances. According to Jon Huntsman, former US Ambassador to China, getting back on our feet is an American strength widely admired in China. And everywhere, rapid recovery from natural disasters is increasingly a key to a robust economy. Entrepreneurs and innovators must be willing to fail and try again. The point isn’t to learn to fail, it is to learn to bounce back.

Some stumbles are due to circumstances outside of most people’s control, including weather events and geopolitical shocks. But while people might not control the larger problem, they control their reactions to it — whether to give up or find a new path. Recession in Europe is an example. I recently spoke to European audiences at public conferences and within companies about cultivating resilience in their businesses even when markets are shrinking, so that they hold their own as recession continues and are well-positioned for recovery. A German machinery company showed resilience by growing its service contracts when demand for machines slowed, and it mobilized employees to find new service possibilities. An Italian cosmetics firm grabbed talent from job-shedding multinationals and increased its international marketing tied to both health and fashion; new sales followed. In both companies, like others described in my book SuperCorp, such initiatives were made possible by a strong sense of purpose that drew members together and motivated them to take responsibility to help the companies survive and thrive. Employees were resilient because they cared, and that made the companies resilient.

Complacency, arrogance, and greed crowd out resilience. Humility and a noble purpose fuel it. Those with an authentic desire to serve, not just narcissism about wanting to be at the top, are willing to settle for less as an investment in better things later. Raymond Barre, former Premier of France, after being defeated for reelection at the national level, ran for a lesser office as Mayor of Lyon and became a hero of his region. That’s the strategy Eliot Spitzer is taking by running for a lesser city office after having been governor of a state. He showed remorse quickly when scandal surfaced and then reentered the public conversation talking about the issues, increasing his comeback prospects.

Some observers say it is harder for women to stage comebacks. Still, consider Martha Stewart. She served prison time for insider trading rather graciously, showing remorse, and that graciousness restored much of her fan base afterward. In a more positive vein, Hillary Clinton was not a sore loser to President Obama in 2008 (though some of her followers were) and accepted his offer to become his Secretary of State. She’s now perhaps even better-positioned for a 2016 Presidential run. In the long term, graciousness beats sour grapes.

Resilience draws from strength of character, from a core set of values that motivate efforts to overcome the setback and resume walking the path to success. It involves self-control and willingness to acknowledge one’s own role in defeat. Resilience also thrives on a sense of community — the desire to pick oneself up because of an obligation to others and because of support from others who want the same thing. Resilience is manifested in actions — a new contribution, a small win, a goal that takes attention off of the past and creates excitement about the future.

Potential troubles lurk around every corner, whether they stem from unexpected environmental jolts or individual flaws and mistakes. Whatever the source, what matters is how we deal with them. When surprises are the new normal, resilience is the new skill.