翻译天堂  2016-10-13

The Problem with Being Too Nice

Leaders are placed under a tremendous amount of pressure to be relatable, human and … nice. Many yield to this instinct, because it feels much easier to be liked. Few people want to be the bad guy. But leaders are also expected to make the tough decisions that serve the company or the team’s best interests. Being too nice can be lazy, inefficient, irresponsible, and harmful to individuals and the organization. 领导者们被要求要表现得可靠、人性化……和做好人时，他们有了极大的压力。很多人屈从于这种天性，因为被人喜欢总是更加容易。只有很少一部分人希望成为“坏人”。但是人们也期待领导者们根据公司或团队的利益，做出艰难的决定。为人太过和蔼，对于个人和组织来说，有可能是一种懒惰的表现，同时也是低效、不负责，甚至有害的。

I’ve seen this happen numerous times. A few years ago, a senior staff member of mine made the wrong hire. This can happen to anyone, and the best way to remedy the situation is to address it quickly. Despite my urging to cut the tie, this staff member kept trying to make it work. While I laud the instinct to coach, fast forward two months later, and we were undergoing a rancorous – and unnecessary – transition process. There’s a key lesson here for any leader. Nice is only good when it’s coupled with a rational perspective and the ability to make difficult choices. 我曾经无数次看到过这样的事。几年前，我的一个高级员工用错了一个人。这样的事谁都可能碰到过，而修复问题最好的方法就是很快地进行处理。尽管我不断催促，让他解开这个结，这位高级员工却一直在试图使他的雇员能够胜任。虽然我认可辅导的重要性，但是快进到两个月后，我们经历了这位员工满怀怨恨的过渡期，而这本来是毫无必要的。对于任何领导人来说，这都是非常重要的一课。只有从理性视角出发，拥有做出困难选择的能力，做好人才是一件好事。

Here are a few other other recognizable scenarios where being nice isn’t doing you – or anyone – any favors: 这里还有其它一些常见的场景，告诉我们做好人并不会为你或者任何人带来任何的好处：

Turning to polite deception. You’ve been in these brainstorming meetings – everyone is trying to hack a particular problem, and someone with power raises a ridiculous idea. Instead of people addressing it honestly, brows furrow, heads nod like puppets on strings, and noncommittal murmurs go around. No one feels empowered to gently suggest why that particular idea won’t work. At my company, rejecting polite deception is a big part of how we do business. When something isn’t right, we call each other out on it respectfully, then and there, without delay. Why? It’s not helpful to foster an everyone-gets-a-trophy mentality; you have to earn the honors to get the honors. 关于善意的欺骗。在这些头脑风暴会议中，每个人都试图提出一个特别的问题，而某个有份量的任务提出了一个荒谬的想法。人们不是直接了当地指出，而是皱着眉头，如提线木偶般频频点头，好不表态的窃窃私语声则渐渐蔓延。没有一个人能够有胆量温和指出为什么这个点子行不通。在我所处的公司，拒绝善意的欺骗是我们行事的一个重要部分。如果有人不对，我们会毫不拖延地告诉对方，但是用礼貌和谦恭的方式。为什么这样做呢？强化奖杯人人有份这样的心态是毫无用处的，每个人必须通过努力才能获得荣誉。

The long linger. Sometimes a hire just won’t cut it in a certain role. It might seem easier to keep an employee in place rather than to resolve the mismatch – but it actually is not. Resist the temptation to prolong confrontation, to see if things will get better. It is more of a disservice to let someone flounder, especially when it’s clear that he or she just isn’t hitting the mark. Be kind and communicate clearly, but don’t be nice. Be surgical about it. Make the clean cut. Help the person transition somewhere he or she can succeed. Handling employee issues immediately helps your culture and productivity – over time, you’ll attract employees with similar values and convictions. 关于拖延不说。有时候聘用的人不适合某个岗位。这时候，让这个人呆在现有的岗位上好像比起马上解决这个问题显得会更容易一些。事实上却不是这样的。我们会想让这种冲突晚点发生，看看情况是否会变得更好，要抵挡住这种诱惑。让别人瞎折腾是一种伤害，尤其当你非常清除他或她不可能达成目标的时候。态度和蔼，清晰沟通，但是不要做好人。干脆、快刀斩乱麻，帮助这个人过渡到他或她能够成功的地方。立刻处理员工问题对企业的文化有帮助，还能提高生产力—— 随着时间的过去，你能够吸引到有着相同价值观和信念的员工。

Don’t be a doormat. When you’re too nice – to suppliers who can’t deliver on time, to colleagues who don’t do their work, to customers who refuse to pay – you’re actually letting others take advantage of you and your business. When you’re overly generous with your allowances for others, you create a fertile atmosphere for contempt to spread. Imagine the reactions of your most talented, focused, and motivated employees as they watch lackluster coworkers get pass after pass. Anger and resentment take root, morale plummets, and turnover starts to go up, up, up. Think of how loyal customers will react if they see how easy it is for others to take advantage of your services. Your reputation will surely suffer. These problems become more difficult to solve as they pile up. You don’t need to be severe to be respected, but you do need to hold your organization to certain standards — and you must be firm about people meeting them. Setting rules will help you when decisive action is needed. No more delays, no demurring, no debating. 不要成为摆设。如果你是个“好人”，供应商可能不会准时较好，同事可能不会认真工作，客户可能拒绝付款——事实上，你在允许别人利用你和你的公司。如果你支付奖金过于慷慨，你就在公司里培养了一种氛围，让互相蔑视得以蔓延。想象一下你最有才、最专注、最受激励的员工，当他们看到自己所得被那些资质平平的同事超越时，会是什么反应；愤怒和厌恶生根了，士气大跌了，而人员的流动率也开始不断地上升，上升，再上升。想想看那些最忠诚的顾客，如果他们看到别人这么容易就可以从你的服务中占到便宜，他们会做何反应；你的名声毫无疑问会受损。这些问题堆积起来，会越发难以解决。你不需要非常严厉才能获得尊重，但是你需要在你的组织里设立某种标准——而且，对于要求人们遵守这些标准，你必须要非常坚决。制定规则在需要做出决定性行动的时候能够帮到你，不再有拖延，没有反对，无需争辩。

Failing the introspection test. Are you too nice to yourself? Introspection is a powerful leadership tool, but we often forget to use it. When you ask yourself what behaviors hold you and your team back, you can recalibrate your leadership style for the better. When you give employees the space to give you the hard truths, without fear of repercussion, you’ll get valuable perspective and make a giant leap forward in maturing as a leader. 缺乏自省。你是否对自己也太好了呢？自省是一个非常有力的管理工具，但是我们常常忘了使用。如果你能问一问自己，哪些行为限制了你和你的团队发展，你可以不断校正你的领导风格，获得更好的成效。当你给予员工空间，可以毫不畏惧地告诉你难以接受的真相，你就可以得到有价值的观点，同时，作为一个成熟的领导者，这也是一个巨大的跨越。

Of course, this doesn’t mean managers get a free pass to be disrespectful, cruel, or a bully in the workplace. There’s a world of difference between being an effective leader with high expectations and dealing with problem after problem caused by milquetoast management. Beware of confusing being nice – or being liked – with being a good leader. 当然，这并不意味着经理人就有了免费的通行证，可以在工作场合表现得无礼失敬、冷酷无情或有意欺凌。在成为受拥戴的高效领导者和处理由于谨小慎微的管理而带来的一个又一个问题之间，是有着天壤之别的。可要担心，做好人，或被人喜欢，不等于成为好的领导者。

Michael Fertik is a repeat Internet entrepreneur and CEO with experience in technology and law. He founded Reputation.com in 2006. You can follow him on Twitter at@michaelfertik.