Last week I stumbled upon an article by the chief executive of Boston Consulting Group telling twentysomethings how to “accelerate” their careers. Rich Lesser has based his advice on his own splendid, if safe, one — a few years at Procter & Gamble followed by an MBA from Harvard and then 28 years at BCG. Along the way he has spoken to thousands of young people and felt moved to tell them where they were going wrong — and how they could become more like him.
近日我偶然看見(jiàn)一篇由波士頓咨詢集團(tuán)(BCG)首席執(zhí)行官里奇•萊塞(Rich Lesser)寫的文章，講的是20多歲的年輕人該如何“促進(jìn)”自身事業(yè)的發(fā)展。萊塞的建議是基于他自身輝煌（也四平八穩(wěn)）的職業(yè)經(jīng)歷提出的——在寶潔(Procter & Gamble)工作了幾年后，他從哈佛取得了MBA學(xué)位，隨后在BCG工作了28年。一路走來(lái)，他對(duì)無(wú)數(shù)年輕人講過(guò)話，并發(fā)自內(nèi)心地覺(jué)得應(yīng)該告訴他們哪里做得不對(duì)——以及怎樣他們才能變得更像他。
The piece was on LinkedIn months ago but BCG is so taken by Mr Lesser’s insights that it is still trumpeting them on social media. However, when I read the article through to its conclusion — “with self-reflection, focus, and a commitment to investing in yourself and making a difference, you can find the place that is right for you” — boredom gave way to alarm. This was very bad advice indeed and I needed to protect twentysomethings from trying to follow it.
這篇文章發(fā)表在領(lǐng)英(LinkedIn)上已有數(shù)月，但BCG對(duì)萊塞的見(jiàn)解推崇備至，因此至今仍在社交媒體上推送著這篇文章。開始讀這篇文章時(shí)，我原本只是覺(jué)得有些無(wú)聊，然而通篇讀完后，無(wú)聊轉(zhuǎn)為憂慮。文章的結(jié)論是：“憑借自省、專注、努力自我投資、努力帶來(lái)改變，你就能找到適合自己的舞臺(tái)。”這是非常糟糕的建議，我得阻止20多歲的年輕人試圖照他的建議做。
His first tip is to choose “something you find truly energising and satisfying”. This sounds OK, but there are three things wrong with it. It is vapid — no one would recommend a job that was enervating and frustrating. Second, it is unhelpful, as when you are in your twenties it is hard to know if you are going to find a job satisfying until you have tried it. Third, it sets expectations far too high. Even the best jobs are only intermittently energising or satisfying. For a lot of the time they are boring or frustrating or both. The gap between expectation and reality is the biggest problem for millennials, and Mr Lesser ought not to widen it.
他的第一條小建議是，選擇“能真正為你帶來(lái)活力和滿足感的事情”。聽上去不錯(cuò)，但這條建議有三點(diǎn)錯(cuò)誤。首先它空洞乏味——誰(shuí)也不會(huì)推薦一個(gè)讓人喪失活力、感到挫敗的工作。其次它毫無(wú)用處，因?yàn)?0多歲時(shí)，不試一試，很難知道一份工作能不能為自己帶來(lái)滿足感。最后，它把期望值設(shè)得太高。即便的工作也不總是能帶來(lái)活力和滿足感。很多時(shí)候，它們或枯燥乏味，或讓人挫敗，又或兩者兼?zhèn)?。理想和現(xiàn)實(shí)的差距是千禧一代面臨的問(wèn)題，萊塞不應(yīng)將這種差距擴(kuò)大。
Next he suggests going for an employer where you will learn things. “Your twenties are a unique period to build a set of capabilities that will last a lifetime.” No, they are not. No set of capabilities, as he puts it, lasts more than a decade or two apart, possibly, from the ability to form a sentence, add up and get on with people. Skills and experience get out of date.
接著他建議年輕人去一個(gè)能學(xué)到本事的地方工作。“20幾歲是一段獨(dú)特的時(shí)期，此間你掌握的一整套技能將讓你受用一生?！辈?，并非如此。也許除了造句、算數(shù)和與人融洽相處的能力，沒(méi)有“一整套技能”（如他所說(shuō)）可以讓你持續(xù)受用10年或20年。技能和經(jīng)驗(yàn)是會(huì)過(guò)時(shí)的。
His next criterion — can I make a difference? — is more problematic still. Not only is this the wrong thing for 20-year-olds to ask, as no one makes a difference when starting out, it is wrong for people of any age. I am not sure why we have become so hooked on difference-making per se. Surely it all depends what the difference is. The palliative care nurse at the Whittington hospital who nursed my father in the last days of his life made a difference I will never forget. Equally Sir Philip Green made a difference that the pensioners at BHS won’t forget in a hurry either.
他的下一條準(zhǔn)則——我能帶來(lái)改變嗎？——更有問(wèn)題。這不僅不是20多歲的人應(yīng)該提出的問(wèn)題（因?yàn)闆](méi)有人在起步階段就能帶來(lái)改變），任何年齡段的人都不應(yīng)問(wèn)這個(gè)問(wèn)題。我不確定我們何以變得如此癡迷于帶來(lái)改變本身。毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)應(yīng)該看具體是什么樣的改變。在我父親最后的時(shí)日里為他提供安寧護(hù)理(palliative care)的惠廷頓醫(yī)院(Whittington hospital)護(hù)士帶來(lái)的改變，我將終生銘記。同樣，菲利浦•格林爵士(Sir Philip Green)帶來(lái)的改變，英國(guó)百貨公司BHS的養(yǎng)老金領(lǐng)取者們也不會(huì)輕易忘記。
For most wage slaves it is hard to say what difference we make, but that does not render our jobs pointless. Do management consultants make a difference? Do I? It all depends on your starting point. I imagine today I will make a minor difference to Mr Lesser — though perhaps not a positive one.
對(duì)大多數(shù)工薪族而言，很難說(shuō)我們帶來(lái)什么改變，但那并不表示我們的工作毫無(wú)意義。管理顧問(wèn)們帶來(lái)什么改變嗎？我?guī)?lái)什么改變嗎？這完全取決于你從哪里算起。我想今天我將為萊塞帶來(lái)些許改變——雖然可能不是正面的改變。
His final question is the worst of all: can I find balance? The answer to this is no, as there is no such thing as balance. Instead all workers have a choice: working all the time, or not working all the time. It would be better if the CEO of one of the grandest management consultancies in the world told 20-year-olds that he ran a sweat shop for the elite and that working there would mean having to cancel all dates, all birthday parties and all fun outings at a moment’s notice.
他最后的那個(gè)問(wèn)題最糟：我能找到平衡嗎？答案是不能，因?yàn)椴淮嬖谒^的平衡。相反所有打工者都有一個(gè)選擇：要么一直工作，要么一直不工作。作為全球的管理咨詢公司之一的首席執(zhí)行官，萊塞若能這樣告訴20多歲的年輕人也許更好：BCG是一家血汗工廠，只不過(guò)在里面賣命的是精英人士；在那里工作意味著一聲令下，你就不得不馬上取消所有安排，不管是約會(huì)、生日派對(duì)、還是外出游玩的計(jì)劃。
Like Mr Lesser, I have had a safe, unimaginative sort of career involving just two employers: JPMorgan and the Financial Times. But since my day, and since Mr Lesser’s, two big things have changed. For us, the corporate life was more or less compulsory if you were interested in business; now it is optional as there are start-ups instead. Some people are suited to life in big corporations, others less so. It is hard to know until you try it, so my advice is to take a corporate job early on to find out how much you (dis)like it.
像萊塞一樣，我的職業(yè)生涯安穩(wěn)、乏味，只經(jīng)歷過(guò)兩任雇主：摩根大通(JPMorgan)和英國(guó)《金融時(shí)報(bào)》（簡(jiǎn)稱FT）。不過(guò)與我那年代以及萊塞那年代相比，當(dāng)今時(shí)代發(fā)生了兩個(gè)重大改變。對(duì)我們來(lái)說(shuō)，如果對(duì)商業(yè)感興趣，或許就必須選擇職場(chǎng)生活；如今則不然，因?yàn)槟阋部梢赃x擇去創(chuàng)業(yè)。一些人適合在大企業(yè)工作，其他人則未必。你不親自試試就很難知道，所以我的建議是早一點(diǎn)兒找份公司里的工作，再搞清楚你有多喜歡（或不喜歡）它。
The second change is that working life is now so long, there is no hurry to get it right first time — which leads to my second point. If you take a few bad turns, it does not matter.
第二個(gè)改變是如今工作生涯非常長(zhǎng)，不必急于一開始就找對(duì)工作——由此引出我的第二條建議。走些彎路，也不要緊。
In deciding to go for P&G and then BCG Mr Lesser drew up spreadsheets — only in the end to go with his heart. I did no such thing. I went for JPMorgan and later for the FT because they were the only companies offering me a job. It seemed a great reason to pick them then. It is still a great reason today.
在做出去寶潔及后來(lái)去BCG的決定過(guò)程中，萊塞繪制了電子表格——只是他到頭來(lái)還是聽從了內(nèi)心的選擇。我沒(méi)做過(guò)這種事。我去摩根大通和后來(lái)去FT是因?yàn)橹挥兴鼈冧浻昧宋?。之所以選擇它們，當(dāng)時(shí)這似乎是很重要的原因?，F(xiàn)在依然如此。
近日我偶然看見(jiàn)一篇由波士頓咨詢集團(tuán)(BCG)首席執(zhí)行官里奇•萊塞(Rich Lesser)寫的文章，講的是20多歲的年輕人該如何“促進(jìn)”自身事業(yè)的發(fā)展。萊塞的建議是基于他自身輝煌（也四平八穩(wěn)）的職業(yè)經(jīng)歷提出的——在寶潔(Procter & Gamble)工作了幾年后，他從哈佛取得了MBA學(xué)位，隨后在BCG工作了28年。一路走來(lái)，他對(duì)無(wú)數(shù)年輕人講過(guò)話，并發(fā)自內(nèi)心地覺(jué)得應(yīng)該告訴他們哪里做得不對(duì)——以及怎樣他們才能變得更像他。
The piece was on LinkedIn months ago but BCG is so taken by Mr Lesser’s insights that it is still trumpeting them on social media. However, when I read the article through to its conclusion — “with self-reflection, focus, and a commitment to investing in yourself and making a difference, you can find the place that is right for you” — boredom gave way to alarm. This was very bad advice indeed and I needed to protect twentysomethings from trying to follow it.
這篇文章發(fā)表在領(lǐng)英(LinkedIn)上已有數(shù)月，但BCG對(duì)萊塞的見(jiàn)解推崇備至，因此至今仍在社交媒體上推送著這篇文章。開始讀這篇文章時(shí)，我原本只是覺(jué)得有些無(wú)聊，然而通篇讀完后，無(wú)聊轉(zhuǎn)為憂慮。文章的結(jié)論是：“憑借自省、專注、努力自我投資、努力帶來(lái)改變，你就能找到適合自己的舞臺(tái)。”這是非常糟糕的建議，我得阻止20多歲的年輕人試圖照他的建議做。
His first tip is to choose “something you find truly energising and satisfying”. This sounds OK, but there are three things wrong with it. It is vapid — no one would recommend a job that was enervating and frustrating. Second, it is unhelpful, as when you are in your twenties it is hard to know if you are going to find a job satisfying until you have tried it. Third, it sets expectations far too high. Even the best jobs are only intermittently energising or satisfying. For a lot of the time they are boring or frustrating or both. The gap between expectation and reality is the biggest problem for millennials, and Mr Lesser ought not to widen it.
他的第一條小建議是，選擇“能真正為你帶來(lái)活力和滿足感的事情”。聽上去不錯(cuò)，但這條建議有三點(diǎn)錯(cuò)誤。首先它空洞乏味——誰(shuí)也不會(huì)推薦一個(gè)讓人喪失活力、感到挫敗的工作。其次它毫無(wú)用處，因?yàn)?0多歲時(shí)，不試一試，很難知道一份工作能不能為自己帶來(lái)滿足感。最后，它把期望值設(shè)得太高。即便的工作也不總是能帶來(lái)活力和滿足感。很多時(shí)候，它們或枯燥乏味，或讓人挫敗，又或兩者兼?zhèn)?。理想和現(xiàn)實(shí)的差距是千禧一代面臨的問(wèn)題，萊塞不應(yīng)將這種差距擴(kuò)大。
Next he suggests going for an employer where you will learn things. “Your twenties are a unique period to build a set of capabilities that will last a lifetime.” No, they are not. No set of capabilities, as he puts it, lasts more than a decade or two apart, possibly, from the ability to form a sentence, add up and get on with people. Skills and experience get out of date.
接著他建議年輕人去一個(gè)能學(xué)到本事的地方工作。“20幾歲是一段獨(dú)特的時(shí)期，此間你掌握的一整套技能將讓你受用一生?！辈?，并非如此。也許除了造句、算數(shù)和與人融洽相處的能力，沒(méi)有“一整套技能”（如他所說(shuō)）可以讓你持續(xù)受用10年或20年。技能和經(jīng)驗(yàn)是會(huì)過(guò)時(shí)的。
His next criterion — can I make a difference? — is more problematic still. Not only is this the wrong thing for 20-year-olds to ask, as no one makes a difference when starting out, it is wrong for people of any age. I am not sure why we have become so hooked on difference-making per se. Surely it all depends what the difference is. The palliative care nurse at the Whittington hospital who nursed my father in the last days of his life made a difference I will never forget. Equally Sir Philip Green made a difference that the pensioners at BHS won’t forget in a hurry either.
他的下一條準(zhǔn)則——我能帶來(lái)改變嗎？——更有問(wèn)題。這不僅不是20多歲的人應(yīng)該提出的問(wèn)題（因?yàn)闆](méi)有人在起步階段就能帶來(lái)改變），任何年齡段的人都不應(yīng)問(wèn)這個(gè)問(wèn)題。我不確定我們何以變得如此癡迷于帶來(lái)改變本身。毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)應(yīng)該看具體是什么樣的改變。在我父親最后的時(shí)日里為他提供安寧護(hù)理(palliative care)的惠廷頓醫(yī)院(Whittington hospital)護(hù)士帶來(lái)的改變，我將終生銘記。同樣，菲利浦•格林爵士(Sir Philip Green)帶來(lái)的改變，英國(guó)百貨公司BHS的養(yǎng)老金領(lǐng)取者們也不會(huì)輕易忘記。
For most wage slaves it is hard to say what difference we make, but that does not render our jobs pointless. Do management consultants make a difference? Do I? It all depends on your starting point. I imagine today I will make a minor difference to Mr Lesser — though perhaps not a positive one.
對(duì)大多數(shù)工薪族而言，很難說(shuō)我們帶來(lái)什么改變，但那并不表示我們的工作毫無(wú)意義。管理顧問(wèn)們帶來(lái)什么改變嗎？我?guī)?lái)什么改變嗎？這完全取決于你從哪里算起。我想今天我將為萊塞帶來(lái)些許改變——雖然可能不是正面的改變。
His final question is the worst of all: can I find balance? The answer to this is no, as there is no such thing as balance. Instead all workers have a choice: working all the time, or not working all the time. It would be better if the CEO of one of the grandest management consultancies in the world told 20-year-olds that he ran a sweat shop for the elite and that working there would mean having to cancel all dates, all birthday parties and all fun outings at a moment’s notice.
他最后的那個(gè)問(wèn)題最糟：我能找到平衡嗎？答案是不能，因?yàn)椴淮嬖谒^的平衡。相反所有打工者都有一個(gè)選擇：要么一直工作，要么一直不工作。作為全球的管理咨詢公司之一的首席執(zhí)行官，萊塞若能這樣告訴20多歲的年輕人也許更好：BCG是一家血汗工廠，只不過(guò)在里面賣命的是精英人士；在那里工作意味著一聲令下，你就不得不馬上取消所有安排，不管是約會(huì)、生日派對(duì)、還是外出游玩的計(jì)劃。
Like Mr Lesser, I have had a safe, unimaginative sort of career involving just two employers: JPMorgan and the Financial Times. But since my day, and since Mr Lesser’s, two big things have changed. For us, the corporate life was more or less compulsory if you were interested in business; now it is optional as there are start-ups instead. Some people are suited to life in big corporations, others less so. It is hard to know until you try it, so my advice is to take a corporate job early on to find out how much you (dis)like it.
像萊塞一樣，我的職業(yè)生涯安穩(wěn)、乏味，只經(jīng)歷過(guò)兩任雇主：摩根大通(JPMorgan)和英國(guó)《金融時(shí)報(bào)》（簡(jiǎn)稱FT）。不過(guò)與我那年代以及萊塞那年代相比，當(dāng)今時(shí)代發(fā)生了兩個(gè)重大改變。對(duì)我們來(lái)說(shuō)，如果對(duì)商業(yè)感興趣，或許就必須選擇職場(chǎng)生活；如今則不然，因?yàn)槟阋部梢赃x擇去創(chuàng)業(yè)。一些人適合在大企業(yè)工作，其他人則未必。你不親自試試就很難知道，所以我的建議是早一點(diǎn)兒找份公司里的工作，再搞清楚你有多喜歡（或不喜歡）它。
The second change is that working life is now so long, there is no hurry to get it right first time — which leads to my second point. If you take a few bad turns, it does not matter.
第二個(gè)改變是如今工作生涯非常長(zhǎng)，不必急于一開始就找對(duì)工作——由此引出我的第二條建議。走些彎路，也不要緊。
In deciding to go for P&G and then BCG Mr Lesser drew up spreadsheets — only in the end to go with his heart. I did no such thing. I went for JPMorgan and later for the FT because they were the only companies offering me a job. It seemed a great reason to pick them then. It is still a great reason today.
在做出去寶潔及后來(lái)去BCG的決定過(guò)程中，萊塞繪制了電子表格——只是他到頭來(lái)還是聽從了內(nèi)心的選擇。我沒(méi)做過(guò)這種事。我去摩根大通和后來(lái)去FT是因?yàn)橹挥兴鼈冧浻昧宋?。之所以選擇它們，當(dāng)時(shí)這似乎是很重要的原因?，F(xiàn)在依然如此。