When Leaders Struggle with Collaboration合作有障碍，领导须自省

罗恩·卡鲁奇　路易斯·贝拉斯克斯/文　王强/译

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.

路易斯的一位客户，姑且叫他查理吧，他是首席执行官直属的高级主管，最近收到了一个反馈信息：尽管他工作表现出色，同事却很难与他合作。查理对工作业绩的追求，他提出自己观点时直截了当的做法，以及他对几乎每件事的认真投入，都让他显得有点过于争强好胜，尽管这与他的意图相去甚远。结果，查理在不知不觉中失去了一些最关键的利益相关者——他同事们的信任。

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.

有才華的领导者在工作中有时会发现与人合作不太顺畅，这并不罕见。毕竟，坚韧的个人主义使他们卓尔不群，并使他们的事业蒸蒸日上。而对许多人来说，后来导致他们失败的，同样也是这种使他们出类拔萃的专注力。

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.

一个企业的大多数竞争价值都是在组织机构的“接缝”处创造和实现的，在那里，各种职能汇聚在一起形成能力（想想市场营销、消费者数据分析和研发，它们共同形成创新能力）。这就要求这些相互独立的职能部门的领导者跨部门协作，以实现上述价值。

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.

如果你是一个难以与同事合作的领导者，你首先需要搞清楚为什么会这样，然后努力培养这种合作的技能。

Why collaboration doesn’t come easy？

为什么合作没那么容易？

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.

为什么合作对你来说不是一件自然而然的事？要反思一下，这一点很重要。以下是我们在曾经合作过的领导者身上看到的一些常见原因。

You’re competitive and fear being overshadowed2.

你争强好胜，害怕被人抢风头。

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.

过去，你可能一直取胜，总是拔尖。然而现在，想到要与他人分享荣誉就会让你焦虑。也许，多年来个人取得的辉煌成就加强了你的自我认同感和成功意识。

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，你必须认识到，在更高的组织层面，成功是通过协同努力实现的。当你担心别人可能比自己更出色或者自己的贡献不会很突出时，要密切关注这种情绪。你内心对此的解读是，你的独特性会被削弱。理解这一点，是改变这种心态的第一步。在组织的这个层级，你必须相信，你的贡献如果融合了其他人的贡献，其效力会被放大。

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

你严重依赖等级制来完成工作。

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.

也许你之前在自己独立运行的部门工作，一直靠指挥其他人成事，才有了自己曾经的那些成果。又或许你是在一种推崇等级制和服从权威的文化中获得职业成长的。

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.

要认识到，在组织的这个层级，对你的同事产生影响是至关重要的，这与你对直接下属拥有的职位权威非常不同。你必须少些指手画脚，多些好奇心，多和同事沟通。

You have a hard time trusting.

你很难信任别人。

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.

你相信對细节的关注是你的优势，而且你在过去把任务委派给别人的时候，曾有过不好的结果，这导致你现在格外小心。你害怕不确定性，想要确保你的决定是有理有据的。以马里奥为例，他是一位成功的律师，负责为公司审查和完成价值数百万美元的重要合同。不幸的是，作为一个具有强烈控制欲的人，他竟把一些微不足道的小事看成是不能通融的问题。马里奥几乎在任何事情上都无法信任他人，其深层原因是：“如果我放任不管，他们就会利用我。”在马里奥学会挑战这种假设之前，这种假设一直是他观察他人的视角。鉴于你的职位关系大局，对可能出现的问题表现敏感是可以理解的。然而，健康的怀疑态度和恶意的假设之间是有区别的。当你认为对方的动机不良时，你就会发出强烈的不信任信号。

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.

合作是一套復杂的技能和品质。它结合了积极倾听、管理冲突、共同解决问题、自我调节、保持谦逊、表露好奇和关怀他人等行为。对于某些行为，你知道自己缺乏足够的技能或训练，把它们详细地列一个清单出来。你可以采取措施提升合作技能，并和那些曾经难以与你合作的人重新建立失去的信任。

First， adopt the mindset of a collabor-ator.

首先，树立一个合作者的心态。

Be open to change and new ideas.

对新变化、新思想持开放态度。

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.

接受新的观点是具备同理心和同情心的先决条件。问几个问题来挑战一下你自己的观点，同时也澄清一下对方的观点。这样做会发出一个强烈的信号，表明你关注对方的观点。

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.

让自己置身于这样一个环境中：在这里，靠你深厚的专业知识树立不了多少威信，你“必须和其他人一样”。让自己身处一个与他人相互依赖的地方，这样会帮助你感受到公平竞争是什么样子。例如，你可以在工作之余加入一个团队或俱乐部——一个兴趣小组或一个你喜欢的某项运动的当地体育社团。每次参加活动，都写下自己的感受和学习情况，留意让你感到开心和感觉不舒服的地方。

Become someone others can rely on.

成为别人可以依靠的人。

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.

无论你是谁，你要成功，就需要别人的帮助，而别人也需要你。要通过深化利益相关者的关系来承认这种相互依赖性。找出你所依赖的关键角色和那些依赖你的人，花时间和他们在一起。建立并维持相互信任的关系是可持续合作的基础。

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

然后，采取行动加速提升你乐于合作的声誉。

Share the spotlight and give credit.

分享聚光灯并赞美对方。

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.

当舞台的灯光照到你身上时，特意想办法把舞台让给别人，这会让新的人才显露在新的观众面前，并建立起这个人的自信心和自豪感。此外，这也会让别人见识到你不是一个独占风头的领导者。

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.

這样做也有利于你的组织。员工更频繁地共享高光时刻可以让团队更加稳定，员工多多合作也会让组织更有发展。

Ask for advice.

征求意见建议。

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.

遇到困难需要帮助时，去找你的一个关键利益相关者，请他给点意见。这样能展现自身的不足和谦逊，也能表明你知道自己需要别人的帮助。如果你和某个人难以破冰，一个简单的建立信任的方法就是请他提建议。之后，让对方知道你是如何采用他的建议的。同事相信你真的需要他们，就更有可能公开寻求你的帮助并支持你的想法。

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领导者，请振作起来。你能做到，即使做起来感觉别扭。在当今这个高度互联的世界上，孤狼越来越不合时宜。如今，包容、谦逊、以他人为导向的领导者被认为最可信和最有影响力。有效地合作是成为具有持久影响力领导者并保持这种影响力的关键。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）

1 silo 独立运行的系统（或流程、部门等）。  2 overshadow使显得逊色。  3 spotlight 媒体和公众的注意。

4 blunt使减弱；使降低效应。  5 report（某个主管的）下属。

6 ascribe sth to sb/sth认为……具有（某种特点）。  7 orientation兴趣；取向；目标。

8 cede割让；让予。

9 hog贪心攫取。  10 the limelight公众注意的中心。  11 retention维持；保留。