Whether you’ve just started training your first hire or you’ve been managing scores of people for decades, you’re in the position of being a leader. And if there’s one aspect of leadership that holds true regardless of staff size or industry, it’s that being one isn’t for the thin-skinned or the faint of heart.

無論是開始培訓剛錄用的首名員工，還是已管理很多人數(shù)十載了，你都處在一個領(lǐng)導者的位置上。無論在何種行業(yè)，無論公司員工多少，作為領(lǐng)導者你必須：不要太敏感或者太心軟。

So much of your job isn’t about hitting goals, but rather about being rooted in reality, constantly striving to bring perspective and empathy to whatever situations you encounter. Sometimes, finding the right words can be the biggest challenge of your day. But other times, you’re overthinking it and it’s as simple as saying these six tiny sentences:

你工作的很多內(nèi)容都不是關(guān)于如何實現(xiàn)目標的，而是植根于實際并持續(xù)努力，以便在遇到任何情形都有主見并能換位思考。有時，找到合適的表達詞匯可能是你一天中最大的挑戰(zhàn)。但更多時候，你可能多慮了，只需要簡單的6句話就行：

1. “Don’t sweat it”

1. “別擔心”

Your brand new hire accidentally sent out the typo-riddled draft of an email to your customers. The inbox is inundated with complaints. You have two choices right now: Tell your direct report how much he’s messed up or look him in the eyes and say, “Don’t sweat it.” After all, it was clearly a mistake, and he let you know as soon as it happened (if that’s not the case, then, obviously another tactic’s needed).

你的一名新雇員不小心發(fā)送了滿是錯誤的郵件草稿給了客戶。收件箱里充滿了抱怨?，F(xiàn)在有兩個選擇：告訴他你感覺他有多糟糕的真實想法，或者看著他的眼睛說：“別擔心。”畢竟，這是一個明顯的錯誤，只要發(fā)生了他就會讓你知道(如果他不讓你知道，那么顯然你需要用其他策略)。

Why it matters

為什么重要

A great manager knows that it’s a waste of time to wallow and worry about a past we can’t change. And unless this person’s a repeat mistake-maker (or, as mentioned above, not really aware or bothered by the error), it isn’t productive or beneficial to the company to turn up the heat and risk even more mishaps because this person’s now paralyzed with fear, afraid to take any next steps.

優(yōu)秀的管理者都知道，沉迷于或者擔心不可改變的過去是在浪費時間。除非同樣的錯誤這人屢犯(或者像前面提到的，一點也不在意或者也不受錯誤困擾)，為這件事大動干戈對公司來講沒有任何益處。而且還冒著有更多錯誤的風險，因為他會因恐懼而不敢再采取任何行動。

2. “What was learned?”

2. “學到了什么?”

We’ve all been there. And hindsight is indeed 20/20. So why not use this as a learning lesson by asking your entire team what this incident had to offer in the way of teachable moments?

我們都經(jīng)歷過這樣的事情，人人都是事后諸葛亮。為什么不通過詢問團隊該事件的教育意義，從而將其作為一個學習的好機會呢?

Why it matters

為什么重要

True leaders know that failure’s just an opportunity to learn and do better. And if you aren’t failing, you aren’t trying. Progress over perfection is key to growth and to success, both for individuals as well as corporations. And as leaders, it’s really our responsibility to mentor and teach our staff how to learn from mistakes, rather than to fear them.

真正的領(lǐng)導者知道，失敗是學習和提高的好機會。如果不失敗，你就不會去嘗試。對公司和個人都一樣，過程比結(jié)果對公司發(fā)展和成功更關(guān)鍵。作為領(lǐng)導者，教導和引導員工從錯誤中學習是我們的責任，而不是恐嚇他們。

3. “Speak your mind”

3. “說你所想”

You may not always like or agree with what they have to say, but you’re far better off with a team who’s unafraid to speak up, instead of a bunch of “yes” men and women. Empowering individuals to speak their minds helps to ensure you’re at far less risk of turning into the Emperor With No Clothes.

你不可能一直喜歡或者同意他們所說的，但你最好是在一個敢于說實話的團隊中，而不是在一堆只會說“是”的男人和女人中間。說出他們想法的強有力的個體會避免你成為“皇帝的新衣”中的皇帝。

Why it matters

為什么重要

A confident leader knows that questions are good and that great ideas aren’t tied into titles, position, or even tenure. Admitting that you don’t have all the answers is scary, but doing so offers up so much more—not only in getting the best end product, but in getting the team to feel that they are an important part of the process (which, bonus, leads to more ownership and accountability).

一個自信的領(lǐng)導者知道，問題是好的，頭銜、職位甚至是終身職位都不能代表好的想法。承認自己沒有答案會讓人恐慌，但這樣做會帶來更多好處，不止是好的產(chǎn)品，還會使團隊感覺到他們是這個過程中重要組成部分(從而帶來更多的主人翁意識和責任)。

4. “I support you”

4.“ 我支持你”

I have a paperweight that reads, “What would you do if you knew you would not fail?” Think about it. What might your team do differently if they knew they wouldn’t fail, or if they knew that even if they did, you, the boss, had their backs? Too often it seems that when the sh*t hits the fan, everybody ducks for cover and the finger pointing blame games begin. How much more proactive would we all be if accountability and responsibility were shared and we never felt alone?

我有個鎮(zhèn)紙上寫道：“如果知道你不會失敗，你會做什么?”想一想。如果你的團隊知道不會失敗，他們做起來會和現(xiàn)在有什么不同?或者如果他們知道即使失敗了，作為老板的你也會得到他們的支持?多數(shù)情況是，當問題暴露，每個人都想找掩護，互相指責的游戲就開始了。如果都盡職盡責，我們就不會感到孤單，那我們將會有多主動?

Why it matters

為什么重要

Brave leaders are the ones who embody all the characteristics of the heroes we idolize in books. They are the ones with the magic wands and the shiny swords who in the heat of battle lead the charge and protect their subjects. Managers can accomplish much of the same by saying that “the buck stops here” and meaning it. Aside from the courage that doing so instills in everyone, a fierce loyalty builds as a result, and these two things have the power to build brands and boost bottom lines like nothing else.

勇敢的領(lǐng)導者擁有我們崇拜的書本上英雄們的特質(zhì)。他們是那些揮舞著魔杖和利劍在激烈的戰(zhàn)斗中帶領(lǐng)著團隊沖鋒和保護他們目標的人。敢說“事情到此為止”的領(lǐng)導能取得更大的成就。說這些的時候，勇氣會在團隊每一個人中萌發(fā)，你會因此獲得更大的忠誠。這兩個東西的能量足可以建立品牌和提高底線。

5. “Just say no”

5. 說“不”即可

How many of us have hundreds of to-dos in the queue? How many of us fantasize of saying “no” the next time we’re asked to take on a new project? Well, guess what? Your team’s wondering the same of you. So the question is why don’t we “just say no?”

我們何曾想過，有多少人有幾百件事還沒完成?我們何曾想過，在下次接到新任務(wù)的時候敢于說“不”?你的隊伍和你想法是一樣的。那么問題是，我們?yōu)槭裁床徽f“不”呢?

Because it takes confidence to do so. But for inspiration, we need not look far: Apple’s former CEO Steve Jobs famously said: “…I'm actually as proud of the things we haven't done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.”

因為那需要勇氣。但關(guān)于激情，我們不需要看得太遠：蘋果前CEO斯提芬喬布斯的名言：“我對沒有做的事和做過的事感到一樣自豪。創(chuàng)新就是對1000件事說不。”

“No” is a very powerful word and a tool to use to make sure we’re staying the course and not getting side-tracked by every shiny new opportunity that comes our way.

“不”是一個有力的詞匯，并且是一個確保我們不偏離軌道的詞匯，是不被路邊的每一個新機會所干擾的工具。

Why it matters

為什么重要

A good boss has to have the confidence to believe in her ability to make the right decisions for what will be priority for all to follow. That same person has to be comfortable with letting go of thousands of other opportunities, even if later on one of those not chosen turns out to be one that should’ve been. We can’t do it all. And smart people know that when we try to do it all, we most often only succeed in diffusing our power to do anything well. And that is when we become mediocre and less than successful.

一個優(yōu)秀的老板，對自己做正確決策的能力充滿自信，知道什么是首要的任務(wù)。同樣，優(yōu)秀的領(lǐng)導者也不會拘泥于錯失機會這件事情上，即使后來發(fā)現(xiàn)其中某一個是不值得放棄的。不是我們所有的人都有這個境界。睿智的人知道，當我們試圖面面俱到時，我們最成功的就是把我們的能力稀釋了。這就是為什么我們變得平庸且很少成功。

6. “I don’t know”

6. “我不知道”

Of all the three little words that I have put to use throughout my own career, “I don’t know” seems to be the phrase that surprises and delights everyone. I’ve been told by my own CEO that one of the reasons she chose to hire me was because during my interview I actually confessed that I didn’t know the answer to a question—but that I would do the necessary research to find out.

在我職業(yè)生涯用到的包含3個單詞的語句中，“我不知道”可能是最使每個人吃驚和高興的句子了。我的CEO告訴我，她錄用我的一個原因就是在面試中，我承認了我不知道一個問題的答案，但說將做些必要的研究來找到答案。

Why it matters

為什么重要

Some might think that admitting lack of knowledge would spell doom. But that’s the difference between a brave leader and a coward. Abraham Lincoln surrounded himself with people in his cabinet who knew more than he did on various subjects. Henry Ford chose to do the same. After all, transparency, vulnerability, truth, being real and trustworthy are the characteristics that make a boss a real leader.

一些人可能覺得承認無知會帶來厄運。但這是一名勇敢的領(lǐng)導者與一名膽小的領(lǐng)導者的區(qū)別。圍繞著林肯總統(tǒng)身邊的內(nèi)閣成員在不少事情上都比他知道的多。福特總統(tǒng)也是這樣選的內(nèi)閣成員。畢竟，透明、脆弱、真相、真實與值得信賴是使一名老板成為一名真正領(lǐng)導者的特質(zhì)。

These are just a few examples of the three little words some of the leaders with whom I’ve worked have been brave enough to say. And not only have I benefited putting them to use throughout my own career—but maybe even more importantly, so, too, have my teams.

和我在一起工作的領(lǐng)導者只有很少的人有足夠的勇氣說出這三個字。不止是我在職業(yè)生涯中因使用這三個字而受益，可能更重要的是，我的團隊也因此而受益。