Can a Horrible Boss Be a Great Leader? 惡老闆會是好的領導者嗎？

Can a Horrible Boss Be a Great Leader? 惡老闆會是好的領導者嗎？

文／Bret Stephens

譯／陳韋廷 On June 26, 1940, as Britain was girding for the onslaught of the Luftwaffe after the fall of France, Clementine Churchill wrote her husband, Winston, an admonishing note. 1940年6月26日，當英國在法國淪陷後對納粹德國空軍的猛攻做準備時，克萊門汀·邱吉爾寫給她的丈夫溫斯頓一封勸告信。 “There is a danger of your being generally disliked by your colleagues and subordinates because of your rough, sarcastic and overbearing manner,” she warned the prime minister, who was otherwise preoccupied by the prospect of imminent Nazi invasion, a scheming foreign secretary, a restive backbench and the absence of material support from the United States. 她警告正心繫著納粹即將入侵的前景、工於心計的外務大臣、難以駕馭的國會，以及未獲美國物資支援的首相說：「你可能會因為你粗暴、尖刻且咄咄逼人的態度而被同事跟下屬普遍厭惡。」 “I have noticed a deterioration in your manner, and you are not so kind as you used to be,” she continued. “It is for you to give the orders and if they are bungled — except for the King, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Speaker — you can sack anyone and everyone. Therefore with this terrific power you must combine urbanity, kindness and if possible Olympic calm.” 她接著說道：「我注意到你態度變差了，也不像以前那樣和善。你是發號施令的人，若是你命令的事被搞砸了，除了國王、坎特伯里大主教與議長外，任何人跟所有人你都可以開革。因此，手握如此強大權力的你必須結合儒雅、和善，若是可能的話，還有高度的平靜。」 Clementine concluded by citing a French proverb, “One can reign over hearts only by keeping one’s composure.” Winston got the message and found ways to make amends. As his private secretary, Jock Colville, later recalled, “When he was at No. 10 there was always laughter in the corridors, even in the darkest and most difficult times.” 克萊門汀最後引用一句法國諺語說：「一個人唯有保持沉著，才能統治人心。」溫斯頓聽懂了，並且設法改正了自己。就像他的私人秘書賈克．柯維爾後來追憶時所說的，「當他在唐寧街十號時，走廊總會有笑聲，即便是在最黑暗和最困難的時期。」 The Battle of Britain was not decided because Churchill chose to behave better. But given his indispensability at the moment of crisis, it might have been lost if he hadn’t won the confidence and love of those who made the victory possible. 邱吉爾選擇改正自己的言行並不是不列顛戰役（英倫空戰）的決定性因素，然而由於他在危機時刻的不可或缺，要是他沒有赢得那些使勝利成為可能的人的信任與愛，這場戰役可能會輸掉。 The subject of bad bosses is again in the news thanks to Amy Klobuchar, U.S. senator, Democratic presidential aspirant, and, as a recent story in the Times made clear, the living antithesis of whatever “Minnesota Nice” is supposed to be. She throws binders at underlings. She makes them wash her dishes. She suspects office moles. She attempts to sabotage the job prospects of those who want to resign. She reproaches her staff with her own self-pity. 惡老闆這話題因為美國參議員艾美．克羅布查而再次占據新聞版面，她有意成為民主黨的總統候選人。且正如本報日前一篇報導所闡明的，不論「明尼蘇達式友善」應該是什麼樣貌，她都是活生生的負面教材。她向下屬丟紙夾。她要他們洗她的碗盤。她懷疑辦公室有人臥底。她試圖讓那些想辭職者不好找工作。她以自艾自憐來責怪她的手下。 On a trip to South Carolina, forkless, she makes an aide wash her comb after she’s used it to eat a salad — but apparently not before. 在有次去南卡羅來納州時，沒有叉子的她用自己的梳子吃過沙拉後，要一名助理清洗她的梳子──顯然不是吃沙拉之前。 Though the senator has her defenders — 61 former staffers signed a public letter supporting her — the essential truth of the Times’ story is attested by the fact that for years she has had among the highest rates of staff turnover in the Senate. Klobuchar admits to being “tough” and having “high expectations.” But the behavior described by The Times isn’t tough. It’s horrible. 儘管有人為這位參議員辯護，有61名舊日部屬簽署聯名公開信支持她，但本報報導的基本真實性可由下列事實加以佐證 ，亦即她多年來一直是手下工作人員流動率最高的參議員之一。克羅布查承認自己「強硬」而且「要求很高」，然而本報報導中所描述的行為卻不是強硬，而是惡劣。 Anyone who’s had a horrible boss knows the difference between tough and horrible — between leaders who set high bars and those who administer petty humiliations. 任何跟過惡老闆的人都知道强硬和惡劣的區別──以及設定高標準的領導者跟用小動作羞辱人的領導者之間的區別。 ※說文解字看新聞 horrible在文中意指「糟透的，顧人怨的，惡劣的」，另有「可怕的、恐怖的」之意。 而horrible跟terrible之間的區別在於，前者形容的事情可能讓你感到不舒服或厭惡，但不會感到害怕；後者則指令人長久、難以忍受的驚恐之事，而前者程度通常較後者強烈，例如I've seen terrible movies, but this one is so horrible.（我看過很糟的電影，但這部實在太糟了。） 文中片語make amends表示「改正、補償」之意，後面常加上介系詞for來指要改進或彌補的事物，例如He has made amends for ruining our party.（他已為搞砸我們的聚會賠罪了。） 至於Olympic calm一詞則出自荷馬史詩《奧德賽》，用來形容一種絕對平靜的狀態，而Minnesota nice則指的是美國明尼蘇達州人民熱情友善的待人方式，特徵包括待人以禮，將人際衝突降到最低，維持社會的和諧。

Daniel Barenboim Seemed Untouchable. Now He’s Accused of Bullying. 全球出名指揮家之一 指揮大師巴倫波被指霸凌

文／Alex Marshall and Christ

譯／李京倫 Daniel Barenboim, one of the world’s most celebrated conductors, is known for doing what he wants. 巴倫波因是全球最出名的指揮家之一，以敢於做他想做的事聞名。 Barenboim, 76, has long been considered untouchable in Berlin, where he is music director of the Staatsoper — the city’s premier opera house — and principal conductor for life of its orchestra, the Staatskapelle. He is close to city politicians and has used his influence to ensure the opera company receives a healthy annual subsidy of 50.4 million euros ($57.4 million) from Berlin’s government. 76歲的巴倫波因在柏林向來被認為批評不得，他是柏林頂尖歌劇院「柏林國立歌劇院」的音樂總監，也是這家歌劇院管弦樂團「柏林國立樂團」的終身首席指揮。他與柏林政界人物熟識，並運用影響力確保歌劇院每年從柏林市府得到可觀的5040萬歐元（5740萬美元，約合台幣18億元）補助款。 But cracks have begun to emerge in the conductor’s image as Barenboim has been accused of bullying and humiliating members of the Staatskapelle. The accusations have been reported widely in German media, and there have been calls for politicians to intervene. 不過，由於巴倫波因被控欺負和羞辱柏林國立樂團團員，這位指揮家的形象已開始出現瑕疵。這些指控受到德國媒體廣為報導，有人呼籲政界介入。 The New York Times has communicated with seven former or current members of the Staatskapelle. All highlighted examples of Barenboim’s behavior that they said was bullying and went beyond what was normal for a conductor. 紐約時報與柏林國立樂團七名前任與現任團員聯繫，七人全都舉出巴倫波因行為的明顯案例，認為這是霸凌，踰越了指揮家的正常分際。 Barenboim dismissed the accusations. In an email exchange with The Times, he denied bullying anyone. “Bullying and humiliating someone,” he wrote, “implies the intention of wanting to cause someone hurt, of taking pleasure in it, even. This is not in my character.” 巴倫波因駁斥這些指控。他與紐時通電郵時否認曾經欺負任何人，他寫道：「欺負和羞辱某人，意味著有心想讓某人受傷，甚至以此為樂。這不是我的作風。」 Highhanded behavior was common in conductors of the last century, with maestros like Arturo Toscanini and Georg Solti known as harsh taskmasters. 專橫行為在上個世紀的指揮家之中常見，托斯卡尼尼和蕭提等指揮名家就以指派繁重任務且要求嚴格著稱。 “The issue is not personal, but a question of how orchestras are run in the 21st century,” Martin Reinhardt, a trombonist in the Copenhagen Philharmonic who played in the Staatskapelle and has openly criticized Barenboim’s behavior, said in a statement. 丹麥哥本哈根愛樂管弦樂團長號手萊因哈特曾在柏林國立樂團任職，並公開批評過巴倫波因的行為，他發表聲明說：「這並非私人議題，而是21世紀管弦樂團如何經營的問題。」 Barenboim said that the accusations were part of a campaign to stop him from continuing as music director of the Staatsoper. “The fact these allegations have surfaced now, just as I am in negotiations about renewing my contract beyond 2022,” he wrote in the email exchange, “makes me wonder: If people were indeed hurt, as they claim to have been, why speak about it now, at this precise moment? 巴倫波因說，這些指控是宣傳活動的一部分，意在阻止他續任柏林國立歌劇院音樂總監。他在電郵中寫道：「這些指控就在我洽談2022年之後續簽合約的當下出現，這讓我納悶，如果人們真的如他們宣稱的受了傷，為什麼要到這個不早不晚的時機才講出來？」 Barenboim acknowledged that the world is changing. “That is generally a good thing,” he said. But, he added, “an orchestra cannot function if every tempo, every dynamic is put up for a democratic vote. Somebody has to lead, take decisions and be ultimately responsible.” 巴倫波因承認世界正在改變，他說「這基本上是好事」，不過他接著又說，「如果每個拍子、每個力度都要交付民主表決，管弦樂團沒法運作。總有人要帶頭、做決定，並負起最終責任」。