What makes a great leader today?
今天的杰出领导者是什么样的？
Many of us carry this image of this all-knowing superhero who stands and commands and protects his followers.
我们中的很多人会想到一个无所不能的超人，站在那里，指挥着并保护着他的追随者们。
But that's kind of an image from another time,
但那是旧时的印象，
and what's also outdated are the leadership development programs that are based on success models for a world that was,
同样过时的还有领导力发展培养计划，这种发展计划通常是基于过去
not a world that is or that is coming.
而不是眼前或者未来的环境。
We conducted a study of 4,000 companies, and we asked them, let's see the effectiveness of your leadership development programs.
我们做了一个研究，其中覆盖了4000个公司，我们问他们，贵公司领导力发展培养计划的效果怎样。
Fifty-eight percent of the companies cited significant talent gaps for critical leadership roles.
58%的公司认为他们在重要的领导角色选取上有很大的人才欠缺。
That means that despite corporate training programs, off-sites, assessments, coaching, all of these things,
这意味着，尽管有着各种培训项目，远程网络课程，评估、辅导等等，
more than half the companies had failed to grow enough great leaders.
仍然有超过半数的公司未能培养出足够杰出的领导者。
You may be asking yourself, is my company helping me to prepare to be a great 21st-century leader? The odds are, probably not.
你可能会问自己，我的公司有在帮助我成长为一名21世纪的杰出领导者吗？很可能是：没有。
Now, I've spent 25 years of my professional life observing what makes great leaders.
我花了25年的职业生涯时间来观察杰出领导者的特征。
I've worked inside Fortune 500 companies, I've advised over 200 CEOs, and I've cultivated more leadership pipelines than you can imagine.
我曾经为财富500强企业工作，我曾经为200多名首席执行官提供咨询服务，我打造的领导力培养渠道比你可以想象的还要多。
But a few years ago, I noticed a disturbing trend in leadership preparation.
但几年前，我注意到在领导力培养方面一个令人不安的趋势。
I noticed that, despite all the efforts, there were familiar stories that kept resurfacing about individuals.
我注意到，尽管所有这些努力，类似的不同个体的故事却一再上演。
One story was about Chris, a high-potential, superstar leader who moves to a new unit and fails, destroying unrecoverable value.
一个故事是关于克里斯的，他是一名具有很大潜力的超级巨星领导者，他调职到了新的工作环境，失败了，造成了无法弥补的损失。
And then there were stories like Sidney, the CEO, who was so frustrated because her company is cited as a best company for leaders,
还有茜德尼，这位首席执行官非常沮丧，因为她的公司被认为是最适合领导者施展才华的公司，
but only one of the top 50 leaders is equipped to lead their crucial initiatives.
但在50名最优秀的领导者中只有一名能够带领实施公司的关键商业行为。
And then there were stories like the senior leadership team of a once-thriving business that's surprised by a market shift,
还有很多故事，比如，曾在一度兴旺的公司工作的资深领导团队，惊讶地发现市场出现波动，
finds itself having to force the company to reduce its size in half or go out of business.
不得不迫使该公司减小至原规模的一半或退出行业。
Now, these recurring stories cause me to ask two questions.
这些不断重复出现的故事让我开始思考两个问题。
Why are the leadership gaps widening when there's so much more investment in leadership development?
为什么那么多的资金投入到领导力发展培养项目，领导力的差别还是这么大？
And what are the great leaders doing distinctly different to thrive and grow?
杰出领导者做了什么明显不同于他人的事情，使他们成长为更杰出的人？
One of the things that I did, I was so consumed by these questions and also frustrated by those stories,
我做了一件事，我因为思考这些问题越发感到无力，同时因为这些故事而感到沮丧，
that I left my job so that I could study this full time, and I took a year to travel to different parts of the world
我离职了，这样我就可以专职研究。我花了一年时间游历世界的各个地方，
to learn about effective and ineffective leadership practices in companies, countries and nonprofit organizations.
试图了解高效和无效的领导力实践--在公司，在国家和在非盈利组织。
And so I did things like travel to South Africa, where I had an opportunity to understand
所以我前往南非，在那里我有机会了解到
how Nelson Mandela was ahead of his time in anticipating and navigating his political, social and economic context.
纳尔逊·曼德拉是如何超越他的时代预测并引领政治、社会和经济走向。
I also met a number of nonprofit leaders who, despite very limited financial resources,
我还约见了一些非营利组织的领导者，尽管他们的财政资源非常有限，
were making a huge impact in the world, often bringing together seeming adversaries.
却仍在努力改变世界，并经常促成和看似是敌人的合作。
And I spent countless hours in presidential libraries trying to understand how the environment had shaped the leaders,
我在总统图书馆内度过了无数个小时，试图了解环境是如何塑造领导者的，
the moves that they made, and then the impact of those moves beyond their tenure.
他们的行动，以及这些行动造成的超越他们的任期的影响。
And then, when I returned to work full time, in this role, I joined with wonderful colleagues who were also interested in these questions.
后来，我返回全职工作，在这个岗位上，我与很棒的同事合作，他们也对这些问题感兴趣。

Now, from all this, I distilled the characteristics of leaders who are thriving and what they do differently,
从所有这一切，我总结出快速成长的领导者有哪些特征，以及他们做了哪些不同常规的事，
and then I also distilled the preparation practices that enable people to grow to their potential.
我也同样总结出增长人类潜能的准备练习。
I want to share some of those with you now.
我想分享其中一些给你们听。
In a 21st-century world, which is more global, digitally enabled and transparent,
在更加全球化、数字化和透明的21世纪，
with faster speeds of information flow and innovation, and where nothing big gets done without some kind of a complex matrix,
信息流动和创新都十分快速，没有采用某种复杂的模型就好似什么大事也做不了，
relying on traditional development practices will stunt your growth as a leader.
依托传统发展的方法会阻碍领导者的成长。
In fact, traditional assessments like narrow 360 surveys or outdated performance criteria will give you false positives,
事实上，传统的评估方式，比如狭隘的360度调查或是过时的评价标准，会给你错误的正向信息，
lulling you into thinking that you are more prepared than you really are.
引诱你认为自己比现实准备的更充分。
Leadership in the 21st century is defined and evidenced by three questions.
21世纪的领导力可以用这三个问题来定义和证明。
Where are you looking to anticipate the next change to your business model or your life?
你打算在哪里实行下一步对于你的商业模式或你的生活的改变？
The answer to this question is on your calendar. Who are you spending time with? On what topics?
这个问题的答案就在你的日历上。你的时间和谁一起度过？你们聊什么主题？
Where are you traveling? What are you reading?
你去哪里出差旅行？你在读什么书？
And then how are you distilling this into understanding potential discontinuities,
然后你怎样从中提炼来了解潜在的不连续性，
and then making a decision to do something right now so that you're prepared and ready?
然后作出现在要做什么的决定，并随时准备着？
There's a leadership team that does a practice where they bring together each member collecting,
有一个领导力训练团队做了一个练习，他们将成员聚集在一起收集整理，
here are trends that impact me, here are trends that impact another team member,
这些趋势影响到我，这些趋势影响到另一个组员，
and they share these, and then make decisions, to course-correct a strategy or to anticipate a new move.
然后他们互相分享，并做出决定，来改变战略或者实施新的举措。
Great leaders are not head-down. They see around corners, shaping their future, not just reacting to it.
杰出领导者不会低着头。他们会看周围的角落，他们会塑造自己的未来，而不仅仅只是对它作出反应。
The second question is, what is the diversity measure of your personal and professional stakeholder network?
第二个问题是，如何权衡你的个人和职业利益相关的社会网络？
You know, we hear often about good ol' boy networks and they're certainly alive and well in many institutions.
我们经常听到的老友关系网络，这些网络在许多机构中仍然存在。
But to some extent, we all have a network of people that we're comfortable with.
但某种程度上而言，我们都有一个社交网络，它由我们熟悉喜欢的人组成。
So this question is about your capacity to develop relationships with people that are very different than you.
所以这个问题是关于你和与你大为不同的人发展关系的能力。
And those differences can be biological, physical, functional, political, cultural, socioeconomic.
这些差异可以是生理的、身体的、功能的、政治的、文化的、社会经济方面的。
And yet, despite all these differences, they connect with you and they trust you enough to cooperate with you in achieving a shared goal.
然而，摒除所有这些差异，他们与你交往并且足够信任你，与你合作，为实现一个共同目标而努力。
Great leaders understand that having a more diverse network is a source of pattern identification at greater levels and also of solutions,
杰出的领导者明白，拥有多样化的网络是一种更多层次的识别思考以及解决方案，
because you have people that are thinking differently than you are.
因为你认识那些和你有着不同思考方式的人。
Third question: are you courageous enough to abandon a practice that has made you successful in the past?
第三个问题是：你是否有勇气放弃一种过去使你成功的作法？
There's an expression: Go along to get along.
有一种说法是：随遇而安，取法中庸。
But if you follow this advice, chances are as a leader, you're going to keep doing what's familiar and comfortable.
但如果你遵循这一理念，更大的可能性会是，你作为领导者，继续遵循对你而言熟悉又方便舒适的作法。
Great leaders dare to be different. They don't just talk about risk-taking, they actually do it.
伟大的领导者勇于改变。他们不只是嘴上谈论冒险，他们会真的去冒险。
And one of the leaders shared with me the fact that the most impactful development comes
有位领导者跟我分享了这一事实，最有影响力的发展会出现在这样的时候：
when you are able to build the emotional stamina to withstand people telling you that your new idea is naive or reckless or just plain stupid.
你能够情绪稳定地接受别人告诉你--你的新想法很天真，或很鲁莽，或是非常愚蠢。
Now interestingly, the people who will join you are not your usual suspects in your network.
有趣的是，将加入你的网络的人，不是你的社交网络中你通常认为会加入的人。
They're often people that think differently and therefore are willing to join you in taking a courageous leap.
而是那些和你有着不同想法并愿意加入你，去实现一次勇敢的飞跃的人。
And it's a leap, not a step. More than traditional leadership programs,
这是一次飞跃，不是一个步子。不同于传统的领导力培养项目，
answering these three questions will determine your effectiveness as a 21st-century leader.
回答这三个问题将确定你作为一个21世纪领导者的能力。
So what makes a great leader in the 21st century?
那是什么造就了21世纪的杰出领导者？
I've met many, and they stand out.
我见过许多，他们与众不同。
They are women and men who are preparing themselves not for the comfortable predictability of yesterday
他们中有女士也有男士，他们正在准备着，不是为舒适的可预测的昨天，
but also for the realities of today and all of those unknown possibilities of tomorrow. Thank you.
而是为了今天的现实和明天所有未知的可能性。谢谢。