百思买拆除权力斗争定时炸弹的秘诀

    电子零售商百思买（Best Buy）CEO休伯特•乔利与公司创始人理查德•舒尔茨曾经陷入持久的僵局。上周，百思买宣布，舒尔茨将重返公司任名誉董事长。

    就在之前舒尔茨发起的一项颇有争议的行动后不久，有消息称他希望通过融资收购计划，重新控制这家公司。这个收购计划于2月28日无果而终。

    市场对这对新搭档的反应良好，这让乔利又前进了一步，从而能够更好地扭转这家巨型零售企业面临的颓势。虽然百思买依然任重而道远，乔利面对的是迄今为止最大的难题之一，但我们不应该低估他的能力。

    聘用毫无零售经验的乔利担任公司CEO和罢免舒尔茨的正是同一个董事会。但是，乔利能够通过大胆而周密的行动，战胜舒尔茨明显的——或许是能自圆其说的——偏见。对于面临类似复杂而紧张形势的企业领袖而言，乔利的做法不无裨益。

表现谦卑

    数月来，乔利曾试图直接与舒尔茨会面，但却不断遭到舒尔茨的断然拒绝。双方最终终于在感恩节前碰了头，乔利表现出了对舒尔茨的尊重。尽管早在三个月之前，公司董事会就已经选择乔利担任公司的CEO，他还是向舒尔茨递交了简历，就像他仍然在申请这份工作一样。舒尔茨之后肯定会说，这个简单的姿态“意义非凡”。

    企业领袖经常在谈判中展现出强硬的作风，从而表明自己的领地和立场。这些举动常常适得其反，导致紧张关系升级。乔利简单的表示尊重，为展开对话，寻找共同点铺平了道路。

挖掘人脉关系，平息紧张局势

    在去年11月的会面之前，乔利从未见过舒尔茨，但是他曾与舒尔茨的合作伙伴布拉德•安德森有过密切合作。正是依靠这种业已稳固的关系，乔利争取到了舒尔茨的垂青。安德森曾是百思买的前任CEO，而舒尔茨对他颇为尊重；加上安德森不断地夸奖乔利，舒尔茨对乔利的抵触情绪最终得以缓和。

    事实上，存在许多能为合作创造条件的方法，但企业领袖通常却忽视了它们。挖掘双方的人际关系可以搭建重要的桥梁。但是这还不足以解决全部问题；毕竟，企业领袖最终需要形成、支持合适的交易。

有舍有得

    百思买在上周宣布的方案中同意向舒尔茨支付年薪，以及他为帮助编制商业计划额外支付的200万美元。此外，这个方案还包括一些象征性的条款，彰显舒尔茨与公司之间的渊源，例如归还他的办公室，修正公司的历史墙等。

    与此同时，乔利对舒尔茨在公司事务中的作用加以限制，以确保他与公司战略保持一致。这不仅能让舒尔茨体面归来，同时，公司还能充分利用多位颇受尊敬的前任高管（他们曾是收购团队的成员，将在百思买的董事会任职）的能力、知识和经验。

    Following a drawn out standoff between current Best Buy (BBY) CEO Hubert Joly and company founder Richard Schulze, the electronics chain announced last week that Schulze would be returning to the company as chairman emeritus.

    The news came on the heels of a contentious campaign by Schulze to retake control of the company through a leveraged buyout plan, which concluded on February 28 without a final bid.

    Markets have reacted positively to the new alliance, and this move brings Joly one step closer to turning around the flagging big-box retailer. While there is plenty of work to be done at Best Buy, Joly's ability to resolve what has been one of the biggest sticking points of his effort thus far should not be understated.

    Joly was hired as CEO with no retail experience and by the same board that had ousted Schulze. Yet, he was able to overcome Schulze's apparent -- and perhaps well-founded -- biases through bold, but thoughtful, action. Joly's approach could be helpful for leaders who face similarly complex and tense situations:

Show humility

Joly had attempted to meet directly with Schulze for several months but was repeatedly rebuffed. When the two finally met just before Thanksgiving, Joly approached the meeting with respect for Schulze. Even though the board had chosen him as the company's CEO three months earlier, Joly handed Schulze his resume and acted as if he were still applying for the job. Schulze would later say that this simple gesture "meant a lot."

    So often in negotiations, leaders go through macho maneuvers to claim turf and stake out positions. These actions often backfire and escalate tensions. Joly's simple display of respect paved the way to a conversation to find common ground.

Tap your relationships to defuse tension

    Joly had never met Schulze before that November meeting, but he had worked closely with one of Schulze's collaborators, Brad Anderson. Joly relied on this already strong relationship to help win Schulze over. Schulze had great respect for Anderson, a former Best Buy CEO, and with Anderson singing Joly's praises, Schulze softened his resistance.

    Leaders often ignore many of the avenues that can set the stage for a collaborative solution. Tapping mutual personal connections can bridge important gaps. But these relationships can't do all of the work; in the end, leaders need to develop and champion the right deal.

A little bit of give and take

    In the arrangement announced last week, Best Buy agreed to pay Schulze an annual salary plus an additional $2 million to help prepare a business plan. The agreement also included some symbolic items that honored Schulze's long history with the company, such as giving him his office back and making revisions to a wall depicting the company's history.

    At the same time, Joly restricted Schulze's role in company matters to ensure he would remain aligned with company's strategy. This structure allowed Schulze to return with his head held high but also tapped the energy, knowledge, and experience of several other respected former executives, previously part of the buyout team, who will now serve on Best Buy's board.