历史资料：日期、报道观点、资质和数据保留原发布语境，不表示当前状态。Historical archive: dates, reported views, qualifications and figures retain their original context and do not represent current status.
在《轶闻杂记》中记录着这样一个故事：有一个村庄经常受到周围山上猴子的侵扰，这些猴子晚上下山来祸害庄稼，偷走树上的果子、田里的稻谷或打烂村子的蓄水缸等。慢慢村民发现，只要抓住猴群中的首领，这群猴子就会散去，在选出新猴王之前就不会来骚扰村庄。于是村民就集中力量捕捉来捣乱猴群中像是猴王的那只猴子，那只猴子的特征通常是体形健硕，年轻力壮，冲在最前面，闹的最凶的那只。可是有一次，猴子又下山来村子捣乱，村民抓住了几只像是猴王的猴子，可是猴子们还是在村子里捣乱，而且他们变得更机警，不再嬉笑打闹，而是目的性很强地寻找食物，一旦得手，马上撤离。出现的时间和频率也不固定，非常隐蔽，很多时候当村民发现猴子来偷东西时，猴子已经满载食物离开了，村民们无计可施。A story recorded in Anecdotes and Miscellaneous Notes tells of a village frequently disturbed by monkeys from the surrounding mountains. At night, the monkeys came down to damage crops, steal fruit from trees and rice from the fields, or smash the village's water-storage jars. Over time, the villagers discovered that capturing the troop's leader would cause the monkeys to disperse, and they would not trouble the village again until they had chosen a new king. The villagers therefore concentrated on catching whichever monkey among the raiders looked like the leader: usually the large, young, strong one that charged ahead and caused the most trouble. On one occasion, however, the monkeys returned and the villagers caught several that looked like leaders, yet the raids continued. The monkeys had also become more alert. Instead of playing and fighting among themselves, they searched for food with a clear purpose and withdrew as soon as they found it. Their visits came at irregular times and intervals and were very secretive. Often, by the time the villagers noticed the theft, the monkeys had already left laden with food. The villagers were at a loss.
村里一个樵夫进山砍柴的时候，无意中发现了这群猴子，它们围在一只瘦小的猴子身边，这只小猴子在指挥着它们搬运食物，井井有条，而这只猴子从没有在村庄里出现过。原来，这只瘦小的猴子正是猴群的新首领，它虽然瘦小，而且也不亲自去偷食物，但是它安排的计划和制定的规矩却让猴子们很少被逮到，得到的食物也更多，群猴因此拥护它做猴王。One day, a village woodcutter happened upon the troop while gathering firewood in the mountains. The monkeys were gathered around a small, thin monkey that was directing them to move food in an orderly manner. This monkey had never appeared in the village. It turned out to be the troop's new leader. Although it was small and did not steal food itself, its plans and rules meant that the monkeys were rarely caught and brought back more food. The troop therefore supported it as their king.
企业管理三原则Three Principles of Business Management
一个优秀的企业管理者应该做的事情有很多，但是，企业管理者正因为需要做的事情太多，往往深陷其中，迷失在繁杂的事物里，结果是做的越多，效率越低。笔者认为，在纷繁复杂的管理工作中，企业管理者只要把握管理工作的三个原则，就可以从企业经营的繁杂事务中跳脱出来，从容管理。这三个原则分别为：不做不该做的事、不做不重要的大事、做好重要的小事。A good business manager has many things to do. Yet it is precisely this multitude of responsibilities that often traps managers in a mass of complicated affairs, leaving them less efficient the more they do. In my view, managers can step out of the complexities of running a business and manage with composure if they grasp three principles: do not do things that are not yours to do; do not undertake large but unimportant tasks; and do important small tasks well.
不做不该做的事Do Not Do Things That Are Not Yours to Do
在中国的企业中，尤其是中小企业中，许多企业领导者由于企业刚刚起步，为了节约成本，很多事情都亲自去做，一人多能，一人多职，即使公司慢慢发展壮大，不再需要自己去做很多事情，却还是习惯于事必躬亲，觉得谁做事都不放心。在事业起步初期可以这样，但是企业管理者一直都事事亲力亲为，那样企业将做不大，做不强。In Chinese companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, many leaders personally handle numerous tasks to save costs when the business is starting out, performing many functions and holding several positions. Even as the company grows and no longer needs them to do so much themselves, they remain accustomed to handling everything personally and cannot feel at ease entrusting work to anyone else. This may be acceptable in the early stages, but a business cannot grow large and strong if its managers continue to do everything themselves.
还有一些企业管理者是擅长某个领域的专家，觉得谁做都不如自己做得好，虽然事实上可能真的是这样，但是导致的结果就是，自己成了一个技术专家、销售精英或公关高手，单单不是一个好的企业管理者。比如一些技术出身的领导者，多把精力都投在了专业工作上，而忽视了自己的真正工作是管理企业，要做一位统帅，而非一名可以独当一面的大将。Other business managers are experts in a particular field and feel that nobody can do the work as well as they can. That may indeed be true, but the result is that they become technical experts, outstanding salespeople, or public-relations specialists, while failing to become good business managers. For example, some leaders with technical backgrounds devote most of their energy to specialist work and overlook their real responsibility: managing the company. They should be commanders-in-chief, rather than generals capable of leading a single front.
开篇的小故事让我们知道，一个管理者可以不会其它技能，但是必须要能够做好自己的本职工作--做好一个管理者。对于一个企业管理者，或是任何一名员工，用心专注地做好自己工作的内容，就是他最该做的事，反之，就是失职。以“微软”创始人比尔?盖茨为例，大家都知道，他是卓越的计算机领域天才，但当他做经营的时候，就全力投入公司运营和管理，彻底放下技术方面的工作，当他搞技术研发的时候，又彻底离开管理岗位，另委派他人管理，结果证明他的做法是正确的，这让他做什么工作都能全心，全力投入，结果就很出色。相对的，苹果电脑公司的乔布斯曾经在担任当家人的时候既做管理，也抓营销From EMKT.com.cn，同时又过问技术研发工作，虽然他是一个比比尔?盖茨更优秀的软件设计师，但是因为他不能专注于自己该做的工作，结果两面都没做好，因此曾被苹果公司罢免，请出了自己一手开创的苹果电脑公司。The opening story shows us that a manager may lack other skills but must be able to perform the essential duties of the position: to be a good manager. For a business manager, or any employee, concentrating wholeheartedly on doing one's own work well is the foremost obligation; failing to do so is a dereliction of duty. Consider Microsoft founder Bill Gates. Everyone knows he is an outstanding computing genius, but when engaged in business management, he devoted himself entirely to the company's operations and management and put technical work completely aside. When undertaking technical research and development, he left his management post entirely and appointed someone else to manage. The results proved this approach correct: it enabled him to devote all his attention and energy to whichever job he was doing and achieve excellent results. By contrast, when Steve Jobs headed Apple Computer, he handled management and marketing, From EMKT.com.cn, while also involving himself in technical research and development. Although he was a better software designer than Bill Gates, his failure to concentrate on the work he should have been doing meant that he did neither side well. He was consequently dismissed by Apple and shown the door of the company he had founded himself.
孔子在《论语》中讲：“在其位，谋其政；不在其位，不谋其政”，指的就是不去做不该做的事，这样一来也就有时间和精力去做该做的事，该做的事也就容易做好。很多企业管理者不明白这个道理，以为做得越多就等于工作效率越高。但是事实确是--对于一个司机而言，除专注地操作方向盘以外，做其他任何事情，即使做的再好，也是失职。Confucius says in the Analects, 'When occupying a position, attend to its affairs; when not occupying that position, do not concern yourself with its affairs.' This means not doing things that are not yours to do, thereby leaving time and energy for the things you should do and making it easier to do them well. Many business managers do not understand this and assume that doing more means working more efficiently. In reality, for a driver, doing anything other than concentrating on steering the vehicle is a dereliction of duty, however well that other task is performed.
有一个形象的比喻可以说明这个问题：古时候的房子都会有很多房柱来支撑房子的顶棚。一个人觉得这么多房柱在屋子中很碍眼，影响美观，于是就将屋子中的房柱雕刻成盘龙、走兽等形状，有的房柱掏空后在上面摆放花盆古董等，可谓是巧夺天工。到其家中的客人无不赞赏，主人非常得意，可是不到一年，房子就垮塌了，房子的主人被压死在倒塌的房屋里。A vivid analogy illustrates the point. In ancient times, houses had many pillars supporting their roofs. One man thought all the pillars in his house were an eyesore, so he carved them into coiling dragons, animals, and other shapes. He hollowed out some of them to hold flowerpots and antiques. The workmanship was exquisite. Every visitor admired it, and the owner was very proud. Yet within a year, the house collapsed, killing its owner beneath the ruins.
这个故事说明，每个人，每一样东西，都有其自身的工作与作用，比如房柱，它的工作就是撑起房子，而非是工艺品、摆放物品的架台。做了分外的工作，必然影响到了本职工作，若本职工作失职，所作的其它工作也就失去了意义。企业管理者就像房子的梁柱，作用是撑起一家企业，带领大家走一条正确的路，其它的事情交给别人去做，如果非要去做其它的事情，那也许说明你并不适合去做一个管理者，那样倒不如去做一个技术总监或生产总监之类擅长的职务，让善于管理的人去管理企业。在西方，这样的管理思想很成熟，而在中国，则很少有企业主能认识到这个问题，多认为老板就必然是企业管理者。This story shows that every person and every object has a particular job and function. A pillar's job, for example, is to support a house, not to serve as a work of art or a display stand. Taking on work outside one's duties inevitably affects one's proper work, and if that work is neglected, everything else loses its meaning. Business managers are like a building's beams and pillars: their role is to support the enterprise and lead everyone along the right path, leaving other work to others. If you insist on doing those other things, perhaps you are not suited to management. It may be better to take a position that matches your strengths, such as technical director or production director, and let people skilled at management run the company. This management philosophy is well developed in the West, whereas few Chinese business owners recognize the issue, and most assume that the owner must also be the manager.
宋徽宗赵佶也许是中国最有才气的皇帝，其对北宋时期的绘画艺术、文化发展都起到了很大的倡导和推动作用。琴棋书画、诗词歌赋，无不精通，还自创了“瘦金体”书法，一生的诗词字画作品无数。在艺术领域及其他很多方面都称得上成绩斐然，但是，遗憾的是他单单没有做好自己的本职工作--治理天下。结果只顾着做别的事，把自己最该做的治理国家的头等大事交给了蔡京、童贯等祸国奸臣，导致朝野上下穷奢极欲，大肆兴建楼台殿阁，滥增捐税，以致山河日下。全国各地起义不断，宋江、晁盖、方腊都是此时出现的乱世豪杰。外有金兵入侵，内有起义不断，而京城却一片歌舞升平，赵佶甚至不知道江山社稷已经朝不保夕。宣和七年，金兵南下，赵佶无奈，传位与赵桓，自称太上皇。靖康二年被金兵所俘，后死于五国城。Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji, may have been China's most artistically gifted emperor. He did much to promote painting and cultural development during the Northern Song. He mastered music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and song, created the 'Slender Gold' style of calligraphy, and produced countless poems, calligraphic works, and paintings throughout his life. His achievements in art and many other fields were remarkable. Unfortunately, the one job he failed to do well was his own: governing the realm. Preoccupied with other pursuits, he entrusted the most important duty that was rightfully his, governing the country, to treacherous officials such as Cai Jing and Tong Guan. This led to extravagance throughout the court and country, large-scale construction of towers and palaces, and excessive new levies and taxes, while the nation declined. Uprisings broke out across the country; Song Jiang, Chao Gai, and Fang La were all figures who emerged in those troubled times. With Jin forces invading from outside and rebellions continuing within, the capital nevertheless carried on singing and dancing as though all were peaceful. Zhao Ji did not even realize that the dynasty was in imminent danger. In the seventh year of Xuanhe, Jin forces advanced south. Left with no alternative, Zhao Ji abdicated in favor of Zhao Huan and took the title of retired emperor. He was captured by Jin troops in the second year of Jingkang and later died in Wuguocheng, the City of Five Kingdoms.
说的严苛一点，一个人没能做好该做的事，其它都等于零。因此，一个领导者要转变观念，自己先从事必躬亲中跳出来，而后也不要以这样的标准去要求下属，因为无论是企业管理者还是一般员工，只有专注于本职工作才能有最佳劳动产出。To put it harshly, if someone fails to do the work that is theirs to do, everything else counts for nothing. Leaders must therefore change their thinking, first freeing themselves from the habit of doing everything personally and then avoiding imposing the same standard on subordinates. Whether a business manager or an ordinary employee, one achieves the best results only by concentrating on one's proper work.
现代社会经常提到复合型人才，一人多能，甚至是一人多职。但是笔者认为，多能和多职的前提是，这些技能、工作之间要能够相互促进，相互提高，这样可以去做。我个人喜欢画画，就发现，画画的同时可以研习书法，因为两者可以相互促进。两份或多份工作之间如果不能融通、相互促进的话，还是应该去专注做好一件事。专注于本职工作才可能成就卓越，就像我们从没看过一个文学泰斗同时也是一名奥运会冠军一样。Modern society often talks about versatile talent: one person with many skills, or even several jobs. In my view, however, multiple skills and jobs make sense only when they reinforce and improve one another. I enjoy painting and have found that calligraphy can be studied alongside it because the two practices support one another. If two or more jobs cannot connect with and reinforce one another, it is better to concentrate on doing one thing well. Excellence is possible only through concentration on one's own work, just as we have never seen a great literary master who was also an Olympic champion.
笔者曾经在一本杂志上看过这样一篇文章：文章的作者因为工作需要，经常到美国印第安纳州的一家医院去，他注意到了医院里一男一女两个工作态度截然不同的实习医生，，男医生每天上班不会迟到，也不会早到，与自己工作无关的事情置之不理，如有病人来求助，和自己无关的事他就会笑眯眯的说：“请你去找护士，这不是医生的职责”。而另一位女实习医生则非常热心，除了本职工作外，她还帮助小患者量体重，喂他们吃饭，帮患者制定食谱，推送病人去拍X光片等等。每天都会忙到很晚才下班。I once read a magazine article whose author frequently visited a hospital in Indiana in the United States for work. He noticed two medical interns, a man and a woman, with completely different attitudes toward their jobs. The man arrived neither late nor early each day and paid no attention to matters outside his work. If a patient sought help with something beyond his duties, he would smile and say, 'Please ask a nurse; that is not a doctor's responsibility.' The woman, by contrast, was exceptionally helpful. Besides her own work, she weighed young patients, fed them, helped plan patients' diets, wheeled them to X-ray examinations, and so on. She remained busy until late every day.
医学院每年期末都要评选5名最佳实习医生，文章的作者以为，那位勤劳肯干的女医生一定会上榜，可公布榜单后，却没有这位女实习医生，那位男医生却赫然上榜。文章作者去问院长，这样亲和热心，负责任的医生怎么没有入选，院长说：“她落选的原因就是她负责过头了，因为，医生的职责就是为病人看病，一个人的精力是有限的，如果什么事情都做，必然会手忙脚乱，疲惫不堪。其它事情不一定能做好，本职工作也注定会做不好，即使其它事情都能做好，但是医生的职责是为病人看病，喂患者吃饭有护理员去做，帮助病人量体温，是护士的工作，推送病人去检查，是运送员的职责，医生的职责则就是为病人正确的诊断与治疗，每个人做好自己的本职工作，才是优秀的前提。她非常有爱心，那是另一回事儿，但是此次评选的是最优秀实习医生，她是不合格的”。At the end of each academic year, the medical school selected its five best interns. The article's author assumed that the hardworking woman would certainly be chosen. When the list was published, however, her name was absent, while the man's was prominently included. The author asked the hospital director why such a warm, helpful, and responsible doctor had not been selected. The director replied, 'She was not selected precisely because she took on too much responsibility. A doctor's duty is to treat patients. A person's energy is limited, and anyone who does everything will inevitably become overwhelmed and exhausted. They may fail at those other tasks and are bound to perform their own work poorly. Even if they can do everything else well, a doctor's responsibility is still to treat patients. Care assistants feed patients, nurses take their temperatures, and transport staff take them to examinations. Doctors are responsible for accurate diagnosis and treatment. Doing one's own job well is the prerequisite for excellence. She is very caring, but that is a separate matter. This selection is for the best medical interns, and she does not qualify.'
这就是美国的文化，和中国截然不同，中国受传统文化影响，对于一个工作中的多面手往往是给予肯定的，但是却忽视了，这个人拿出大量时间做不属于自己该做的工作，虽然值得嘉奖，但是他的本职工作却因此受到了影响，我们却很少注意，虽然可能他们的本职工作已经完成，但是，相信如果他们把全部精力都投在自己应该做的事情上，他们会做得更出色。这也是中国不乏优秀人才，却缺少卓越人才的一个重要原因。This is American culture, quite different from China's. Influenced by traditional culture, China tends to praise people who can turn their hand to everything at work. Yet we overlook the fact that although their spending so much time on duties outside their role may deserve commendation, their own work is affected. We rarely notice this. They may have completed their assigned work, but surely they would have done it better had they devoted all their energy to what they should have been doing. This is also an important reason why China has no shortage of good talent but lacks exceptional talent.
从人力资源角度来讲，一人多职如果安排的不够科学，不仅不会降低企业的成本，反倒会降低工作质量与效率，增加人力成本。看看现在工厂的流水线作业我们就会清楚，每个流程只专注于做好自己的一块，这样才能做好，效率也最高。试想一下，如果工厂里的工人每人都独立完成一件商品的所有制造过程，那样设备成本、人力成本将会提高数倍，其它工作岗位的效率原理也是相同的。笔者以为，一人多职某种程度来讲就是管理科学的倒退。可能很多中小企业管理者会说，我们企业规模有限，并不用每个环节都设置专人。如果是这样，那我到建议你们把这些自己专人去做成本高，兼职去做质量又无法保证的工作外包出去，这样成本即使不能比一人多职时低，但是质量和效率却一定会大大提高。From a human-resources perspective, assigning several jobs to one person without a sound arrangement will not reduce business costs. Instead, it lowers quality and efficiency and increases labor costs. Modern factory assembly lines make this clear: each stage concentrates on its own part, producing good work with the greatest efficiency. Imagine every factory worker independently completing every manufacturing step for an entire product. Equipment and labor costs would multiply several times over. The same principle of efficiency applies to other jobs. In my view, assigning one person multiple roles is, to some extent, a step backward in management science. Many managers of small and medium-sized businesses may say that their companies are too small to assign a dedicated person to every function. In that case, I suggest outsourcing work that is too costly to assign to a dedicated employee but whose quality cannot be assured when done as an additional duty. Even if costs are no lower than under a multiple-role arrangement, quality and efficiency will certainly improve greatly.
《吕氏春秋?士容》中记载了这样一件事：一个人想买一只最好的狗，于是他的邻居为他挑选了一只强壮凶猛的猎狗。这个人觉得，既然是最好的狗，又花了这么多钱，它就应该什么都会，那样才算得上是最好的狗。于是，他让这只猎狗去捉家里的老鼠，可是无论他怎么训练这只猎狗，它都不去捉老鼠。后来他求教一个善于识别狗的人，想知道这到底是不是一只好狗。这个人告诉他：“这是一只难得的好狗，它想捕捉的是獐、麋、猪、鹿这类野兽，而不是老鼠。如果你想让它捉老鼠的话，就得把它的后腿拴起来”。于是，这个邻居把狗的后腿拴住，慢慢的这只狗真的捉起老鼠来了，但是，时间久了，这之猎狗再也不会捕捉野兽了。The 'Shi Rong' chapter of Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals records the following story. A man wanted to buy the best possible dog, so his neighbor selected a strong, fierce hunting hound for him. The man thought that since this was the best dog and had cost so much money, it ought to be able to do everything; only then would it deserve to be called the best. He therefore set it to catching mice in his home. No matter how he trained it, however, the hound would not catch mice. He eventually consulted someone skilled in judging dogs to learn whether it really was a good one. The expert told him, 'This is an exceptionally fine dog. It wants to hunt wild animals such as water deer, milu deer, boar, and deer, not mice. If you want it to catch mice, you must tie up its hind legs.' The neighbor therefore tied the dog's hind legs. Gradually it really did begin catching mice, but in time the hound lost its ability to hunt wild animals altogether.
在我们的企业管理活动中又何尝不是这样呢？在让员工一人多能，一人多职的同时，看似多做了很多工作，殊不知却扼杀了多少某个方面的专才，也不知少产出了多少专业的成果。因此，对于一个管理者而言，只有深谙“不在其位不谋其政”的精髓，自己才能做好管理工作，下属也才能把工作做好。Is our business management any different? Making employees perform many functions and hold several jobs appears to get more work done, but who knows how much specialist talent this destroys, or how many professional achievements it prevents? Only by thoroughly understanding the principle of 'not concerning oneself with the affairs of a position one does not hold' can managers manage well and enable their subordinates to do their work well.
不做不重要的大事Do Not Undertake Large but Unimportant Tasks
一个动物园的管理员发现园中的袋鼠从笼子里跑出来了，于是动物园开会讨论，一致认为是笼子的高度过低。于是，他们将笼子的高度由原来的10米加高到20米。结果第二天他们发现袋鼠还是会跑到外面来，于是他们又决定再将高度加高到30米。 但是，第二天依然有袋鼠跑到外面，最后，管理员们开始考虑砌围墙及张网等措施。但是，他们在做这些看似重要的大事的时候却忽视了，袋鼠们跑出来的原因其实是因为笼子门上的锁坏了而已。A zookeeper discovered that the kangaroos had escaped from their enclosure. At a meeting, the zoo staff unanimously concluded that the enclosure was too low, so they raised it from 10 meters to 20 meters. The following day, the kangaroos were outside again, so they decided to increase the height to 30 meters. Yet the next day, kangaroos still escaped. Finally, the keepers began considering walls, nets, and other measures. While undertaking these seemingly important major tasks, they overlooked the fact that the kangaroos were escaping simply because the lock on the enclosure gate was broken.
在管理中，有些时候事情其实很简单，但是我们忽略了没有去做，而是去做那些看起来很大的，很重要，却没用的事。因此，一个企业管理者面对每天纷繁复杂的事物，要有辨别能力，不去做那些看似重要的却并非重要的大事，这样才有精力去做好该做的事。In management, the actual task is sometimes very simple, but we neglect it and instead undertake things that appear large and important yet serve no purpose. Faced with complex daily affairs, business managers therefore need discernment. They must avoid major undertakings that seem important but are not, leaving themselves the energy to do the work that matters.
我认识一位企业家，很多大事他都不过问，只过问3件事：财务状况、产品质量、市场反馈。仅仅如此，更多的时间是去旅游和打球，但是其企业发展的非常好，非常快。其实，这位企业家是没有被纷繁的企业管理事物和市场乱象所迷惑，抓住经营的几个关键点，这样企业就不会有大的偏差，而后把更多的时间放在关乎企业生死存亡的大事上，也因此才能够跳出这个局，保持思维的客观、冷静，视野的敏锐与高远。I know an entrepreneur who leaves many major matters alone and concerns himself with only three things: finances, product quality, and market feedback. That is all. He spends more time traveling and playing ball games, yet his business develops very well and very quickly. In fact, he has not been distracted by the complexities of business management or market confusion. He grasps a few critical points in running the company so that it does not go seriously off course, and then devotes more time to major issues affecting its survival. This also allows him to step outside the situation, remain objective and calm in his thinking, and maintain a sharp, far-reaching perspective.
不做不重要的大事和去做重要的小事一样，是一种透过事物表象抓住其本质的能力，同时也可以看出一个管理者在取舍面前的气度与格局，思想的睿智与深刻。Avoiding large but unimportant tasks, like attending to important small tasks, requires the ability to see through appearances to the essence of things. It also reveals a manager's breadth of mind and outlook when making choices, as well as the wisdom and depth of their thinking.
汉宣帝时期的名相丙吉经常在民间巡视，一次寻访时看见有人聚众打架，他头都不抬，匆匆走过，当看到路上拉车的牛在吐舌头喘粗气，却急忙走过去查看。随从非常不解，就问丙吉，为什么有人聚众打架这样的大事你不过问，一头牛异样你却这么关心呢？丙吉回答：“有人打架看似大事，但是有巡城的专人会去处理，不会有更大的危害，而牲畜异常，往往预示着两个潜伏在小问题背后的大问题：1、牛生病了，动物生病可能意味着有大的瘟疫要流行2、牛喘粗气，可能也意味着他们感知到了未来的天气，今年可能会大旱。几个人打架和瘟疫肆虐、粮食减产绝收，你说哪个是大事呢？”。Bing Ji, a renowned chancellor under Emperor Xuan of Han, often traveled among the people. On one such visit, he saw a group fighting but hurried past without even looking up. When he noticed an ox pulling a cart with its tongue out and breathing heavily, however, he rushed over to investigate. His attendants were puzzled and asked why he ignored something as serious as a group brawl but cared so much about an ox behaving unusually. Bing Ji replied, 'A fight may appear to be a major matter, but designated city patrol officers will deal with it, preventing greater harm. Unusual livestock behavior, however, often points to two major issues hidden behind a small problem. First, the ox may be ill, and animal illness can mean a major epidemic is on its way. Second, its heavy breathing may mean that it senses the weather to come and that there could be a severe drought this year. Which would you call a major matter: a few people fighting, or a raging epidemic and reduced harvests or total crop failure?'
不愧为一代名相，他分得清楚什么是看似重要却并不重要的大事，什么是看似不重要却非常重要的小事。在如今的企业管理工作中，每天纷繁复杂的事物太多，如果我们不能有效辨别过滤这些让人眼花缭乱的大事小事，又怎么有更多的精力去做好该做的事呢？He deserved his reputation as a great chancellor: he could distinguish large matters that appeared important but were not from small matters that appeared unimportant but were vital. Today's business management involves so many complicated matters every day. Unless we can effectively distinguish and filter this bewildering array of major and minor affairs, how can we have more energy for the work we should be doing?
做好重要的小事Do Important Small Tasks Well
春秋时期，魏文侯曾经问神医扁鹊：“听说你们家兄弟三人，都精于医术，那么谁的医术最好呢？”扁鹊答道：“大哥的医术最好，二哥其次，我的医术在三个人当中是最差的”，魏王不解，因为当时扁鹊的医术在各国几乎无人不知，而他的两位哥哥则几乎无人知晓。扁鹊解释说：“大哥治病是在病情发作之前，那时候病人还不觉得身体有大病，大哥开出药方，只要一两副药，就能铲除病根，但是病人并不知道一场大病已经在萌芽期被治愈，这使得他的医术难以被人认可，所以没有名气，只是在我们家中，大哥被推崇备至，因为我们知道他的医术最高超。我的二哥治病，擅长在病人病情初起之时发现并诊治，药到病除。但是，因为此时症状还不严重，给病人的感觉不像是大病，这使得人们都认为二哥只是擅长治疗小病的医生。而我治病，往往是在病人病情十分严重之时，即将病入膏肓，痛苦万分的时候。此时，我给他们把病治好，他们觉得我医术最高，所以我名闻天下。但是，真正高明的医术是在病人的病情刚刚有发作的苗头时就将其铲除”。During the Spring and Autumn period, Marquis Wen of Wei once asked the renowned physician Bian Que, 'I hear that all three brothers in your family are skilled in medicine. Which of you is the best?' Bian Que replied, 'My eldest brother is the best, my second brother comes next, and I am the least skilled of the three.' The ruler of Wei was puzzled, because Bian Que's medical skill was known almost everywhere across the states, while his two brothers were virtually unknown. Bian Que explained, 'My eldest brother treats illness before it develops. The patient does not yet feel seriously ill. My brother prescribes medicine, and one or two doses eliminate the root of the disease. The patient does not realize that a major illness has been cured in its earliest stages, so his skill is hard for people to recognize and he has no fame. Only within our family is he held in the highest esteem, because we know that his medical skill is the greatest. My second brother excels at detecting and treating illness at its onset, curing it as soon as the medicine is taken. But because the symptoms are not yet severe, patients do not feel that they have a serious disease, and people regard him as merely a doctor skilled at treating minor ailments. I, however, often treat patients when their condition is already very serious, they are close to being beyond cure, and they are suffering terribly. When I cure them at that stage, they think my skill is supreme, so my name is known throughout the land. Truly superior medicine, however, removes illness as soon as there is the first sign that it may develop.'
这个历史故事给我们今天的企业管理工作带来很多启示，我们往往对企业中能够力挽狂澜，救企业于危难的“救火队长”们非常器重。但是，虽然他们有功劳，可企业需要更多的应该是能够防微杜渐，善于把问题消弭与小处的人才。对于管理者本身，更要善于防患于未然，提前洞悉事物发展，发现小问题背后的大隐患，将其消弭与无形。因为，很多看似很小的问题却可能导致极严重的后果，而任何一个大问题的起因都是很细小，不为人察觉，同时也是很好消除的，只是我们很少注意到，这种能力比起在企业面临巨大危机时逆转危局的能力还重要。因为，与其救企业于危难，不如不令企业陷于危难。This historical story offers many lessons for business management today. We often place great value on the 'fire chiefs' who can reverse a desperate situation and save a company from danger. They certainly deserve credit, but businesses have an even greater need for people who prevent problems from growing and are skilled at eliminating them while they are small. Managers themselves must be especially adept at preventing trouble, anticipating developments, detecting major hidden risks behind small problems, and removing them before they take shape. Many apparently small problems can have extremely serious consequences. Every major problem starts with something tiny, unnoticed, and easy to eliminate, but we seldom pay attention. This ability is even more important than the ability to reverse a major corporate crisis, because preventing a company from falling into danger is better than rescuing it once it is there.
1986年挑战者号太空梭发生了爆炸，问题就是出在一个非常小的O型环零件上，发射前检测时发现这个零件周围的温度和要求的温度略有差异，但这并没有引起重视，挑战者号依然准时发射，当升空后73秒发生了爆炸。In 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded because of a very small component, an O-ring. Prelaunch checks found that the temperature around this component differed slightly from the required temperature, but the discrepancy received insufficient attention. Challenger launched on schedule and exploded 73 seconds after liftoff.
1994年英特尔公司忽视了奔腾处理器中一个运算90亿次才会遇到1次的运算错误，这个错误每个使用者每27000年才会遇到一次。但这个小错误却使英特尔公司不仅失去了IBM这个大客户，同时损失了几千万美元，更严重的是产生了消费者的信任危机。为了扭转这个错误带来的不良影响所付出的代价更是巨大。In 1994, Intel overlooked a calculation error in its Pentium processor that occurred only once in 9 billion calculations, or once every 27,000 years for each user. Yet this small error cost Intel not only the major customer IBM but also tens of millions of dollars. More seriously, it created a crisis of consumer confidence. The price of reversing the damage caused by the error was greater still.
工厂中一个小的零件出现问题没有及时更换导致整台机器瘫痪，继而影响整条生产线的事情经常发生；现在汽车厂商频频召回大量问题汽车，其实问题都很小，如果当初能够仔细检查一下，就可以避免几千万，甚至几亿元的损失；一个商品包装盒上个别位置颜色模糊或漏印、错印等，本是很小的问题，却可能使顾客联想到该产品有质量问题或低等品的印象。It is common for a small defective factory component that is not replaced promptly to disable an entire machine and then affect the whole production line. Car manufacturers now frequently recall large numbers of defective vehicles. The problems themselves are often small; careful inspection at the outset could have avoided losses of tens or even hundreds of millions of yuan. Blurred colors, missing printing, or incorrect printing in isolated areas of a product's packaging may be minor issues in themselves, yet they can leave customers with the impression that the product is defective or of low quality.
麦当劳有一任执行官就只着眼大处，却忽视了很多重要的小问题--其只顾快速在全球扩张、开店，却忽视了店面环境的整洁与服务人员的服务质量等细节问题，使麦当劳顾客的满意度一度降到食品行业的最后一名，品牌价值也由最高时全球排名第七而一落千丈，更使销售大幅下滑，并被迫关闭了多家门店。最后新执行官接任后，将这些看似细小的问题全部解决掉，麦当劳就又恢复了生机，重又成为了快餐界的霸主。One McDonald's executive focused only on the big picture while overlooking many important small matters. Intent on rapid worldwide expansion and opening restaurants, he neglected details such as restaurant cleanliness and staff service quality. McDonald's customer satisfaction once fell to the bottom of the food industry, its brand value plummeted from a peak ranking of seventh in the world, sales dropped sharply, and many outlets were forced to close. After a new executive took over and resolved these seemingly minor issues, McDonald's regained its vitality and once again became the leader of the fast-food industry.
我们中国人多有英雄主义情结，且历来如此。在中国古代，一任贤能的官员把当地治理的路不拾遗，夜不闭户，却也只是圆满地做到卸任，而其卸任后，当地开始大乱，新任官员被罢免，当出现了继任者，扭转危局，使当地再现升平景象的时候，则会被朝廷认为是大才，继而提拔重用。其实，那些善于致太平的人其功绩与能力远超过善于治乱的人。在今天，我们很多企业管理者也都很推崇甚至效仿那些做“大事”的人，殊不知，那些终日风平浪静，没有大事发生的企业，管理者看似在做小事，却能使企业健康发展的领导者才是无为而治的高手，他们不是没能力处理大事，而是他们把大问题都解决在了发生之前。Many Chinese people have a fascination with heroes, and this has long been the case. In ancient China, a capable official might govern an area so well that nobody picked up lost property and doors could remain unlocked at night, yet merely complete his term and retire. After his departure, the area might descend into disorder and the next official be dismissed. When a successor then reversed the crisis and restored peace, the court would recognize him as a great talent and promote him to important posts. In fact, those skilled at creating peace have achievements and abilities far surpassing those skilled at suppressing disorder. Today, many business managers admire and even imitate people who undertake 'great things.' They fail to realize that the true masters of effortless governance are the leaders of companies where life remains calm and no major incidents occur: managers who seem to be doing small things but enable their businesses to develop healthily. It is not that they lack the ability to deal with major matters; they have resolved the major problems before they arise.
何为称职的管理者What Makes a Competent Manager?
优秀的企业管理者不一定要做出什么经天纬地的大事，在管理工作中，平凡不等于平庸，不平凡也不等于卓越。企业需要的不是大起大落，惊涛骇浪，而是平稳发展与健康持久。只要我们能透过事物表象看清大小事务后面的本质，而后做自己该做的事，就是一个优秀的管理者。（摘自机电在线）An excellent business manager need not accomplish some earth-shaking feat. In management, ordinary does not mean mediocre, and extraordinary does not necessarily mean excellent. What a business needs is steady development and lasting health, rather than dramatic ups and downs and stormy upheavals. If we can see through appearances to the essence behind matters large and small, and then do the work that is ours to do, we are good managers. (Excerpted from Jidian Online.)