根据科技媒体Recode对优步科技公司混乱现状的深入调查，最难以应对的方面似乎是联合创始人，前CEO特拉维斯·卡兰尼克对公司日常事务的干预。这篇报道称，卡兰尼克表示，他打算“效仿史蒂夫·乔布斯。”众所周知，这位苹果公司联合创始人也曾经被他的公司扫地出门，但乔布斯最终王者归来，并且在第二个CEO任期斩获惊人成就。

卡兰尼克或许很欣赏乔布斯，但他并没有遵循偶像的路径。相反，鉴于他目前的参与，卡兰尼克应该告诉人们他打算“效仿舒尔茨”。2000年，在没有任何压力的情况下，霍华德·舒尔茨正式卸任星巴克CEO一职。8年后，为“拯救”这家陷于困境的咖啡公司，他再度出山。事实上，舒尔茨从未真正远离。即使舒尔茨刻意缺席一些会议，但他仍然担任董事长，每天坚持上班，更不用说他还是事与愿违的星巴克快速扩张战略的设计师。

在短期内，卡兰尼克或许觉得效仿舒尔茨是第一要务。但事实上，他应该明智地遵循乔布斯昔日的路径。真诚地建议卡兰尼克采取以下步骤：

1. 走开

如果有必要的话，你应该义无反顾地离开，永不回头。但要想回归，你首先得离开。不同于卸任CEO时声誉正隆，公司业务蒸蒸日上的舒尔茨，卡兰尼克被广泛视为优步当下困境的重要组成部分。因此，他目前的参与也被视为有百害而无一利的不当干预，他需要跟公司一刀两断。

对于卡兰尼克来说，这将是非常困难的。这不仅仅是因为他过于痴迷优步日常运营的细节，更重要的原因是，他仍然是董事会成员，并且控制着大部分有投票权的股份。然而，如果他没有跟公司保持距离，并且允许新任CEO真正操盘，卡兰尼克将永远不会接到回归“邀请函”。如果他继续插手，他将被视为新管理团队的一大障碍，一旦优步未来出现任何经营失败，他将难辞其咎。

卡兰尼克也应该明白，他的参与将继续受到严苛审查。不同于舒尔茨（他的“垂帘听政”基本上未被外界发现），卡兰尼克生活在科技世界的鱼缸里，鉴于优步最近发生，以及即将发生的多起不幸的离职事件，他的每一次互动都将迅速外泄。

所以，卡兰尼克应该像他此前计划的那样，明智地给自己放几个月假期，然后以一位普通董事的身份回归公司，专注于治理而不是日常运营。

2. 填补最大的短板

当初离开苹果时，乔布斯还不够稳健。但他确实演变成为一位更具战略意识的商人。在他的首个CEO时期，这项技能被广泛视为他的一大短板。

现如今，卡兰尼克的缺点比其他任何商界领袖（白宫目前的主人除外）的不足之处都更加为人所知。简单说来，卡兰尼克的缺陷是，在优步的起步阶段，他极具攻击性的管理风格曾经发挥过至关重要的作用，但对于现在这样一家价值700亿美元的全球性公司来说，这种管理风格是有毒性的。

卡拉尼克现在必须真正地反思，他想从自身的失败经历中学到多少东西。他也必须抚心自问，他是否真的能够改变自己的个性。假装成为一位禅宗大师，是不可信的。另一方面，学会如何把无穷无尽的干劲转换为更好的领导行为，将更加令人信服。

3. 在别处收获成功

乔布斯受邀重返苹果的一大原因是，他在皮克斯动画工作室获得的巨大成功让人们想起他早期上演的神奇魔法。卡拉尼克的成功不需要发生在科技世界，甚至没必要发生在商业领域，因为慈善或社会领域的成功将更加令人印象深刻。

4. 耐心等待

就像乔布斯曾经的经历一样，优步不会邀请卡兰尼克回归（哪怕是一个改过自新的卡兰尼克2.0版），除非该公司陷入真正的绝境。

是的，当舒尔茨回归的时候，星巴克的问题并没有那么糟糕。但舒尔茨根本不忍心看到他的公司出现任何问题。此外，作为一位极具影响力的董事长，他几乎可以任意选择回归时间。相较之下，卡兰尼克在优步并没有那样大的影响力，至少现在没有。

卡兰尼克要想回归，其继任者最终必须陷入流沙之中——类似于约翰·斯卡利在没有乔布斯的苹果公司遭遇的麻烦。考虑到优步当前的挑战，这种悲惨命运的发生几率是蛮大的。上任伊始，新任CEO可能会做出一些有助于改善优步盈利能力，以及它与全世界关系的改变，但最终，他或她很可能陷入岌岌可危的境地。

即使如此，卡兰尼克必须抵抗过早地出面拯救“宝宝”的内心冲动。相反，他需要耐心等待真正的邀请。

5. 面向未来，而不是重走老路

倘若被邀请回归，卡兰尼克需要立即着手启动一项明确的计划——就像乔布斯和舒尔茨在回归早期所做的那样。卡兰尼克将面临一个非常短的时间窗口来证明，他正在重新带回昔日的勇气，但这种勇气并不包含致命的毒素。他绝对不能简单地恢复昔日的老办法，而必须携一项清晰的策略，真正地向前迈进，就好像他完全是优步的一张新面孔似的。

卡兰尼克必须想明白，回归CEO一职是否真正值得。对于卡兰尼克来说，被拿来跟苹果对比似乎特别梦幻，但他应该记得，乔布斯的回归故事包含许多黑暗，令人心肠寸断，有可能淹没一位不那么痴迷的狂热分子的章节。

事实上，他需要记住，如果卡兰尼克回归的必要性从来没有浮现，作为股东的卡兰尼克将变得更加富有。（财富中文网）

译者：Kevin

According to Recode’s deep dive into to the chaotic current state of Uber, the messiest aspect appears to be the meddling of co-founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick. The story reports Kalanick saying that he’s “Steve Jobs-ing it,” referring to the Apple co-founder who was also pushed out as CEO of his company, but returned for a much more successful second run.

Kalanick may love Jobs, but he’s not following his idol’s path at all. Instead, given his current involvement, Kalanick should tell people that he’s “Schultz-ing it.” While Howard Schultz officially relinquished the CEO job at Starbucks in 2000 (under no pressure), and then returned to that role eight years later to “rescue” the languishing coffee company, he never really stepped that far away. Even though Schultz excluded himself from some meetings, he remained chairman and an everyday presence at Starbucks, not to mention the architect of the rapid expansion strategy that backfired on the company.

Schultz-ing it might feel essential to Kalanick in the short term. But he would be wise to instead follow Jobs’s actual path. Here are the steps Kalanick should take:

1. Go away

If you need to, curse over your shoulder as you depart. But to return, you first have to leave. Unlike Schultz, who relinquished the CEO role when he enjoyed a sterling reputation and Starbucks was clicking, Kalanick is perceived a big part of Uber’s problems. Consequently, his ongoing involvement is viewed as counter-productive meddling, and he needs to make a clean break.

This will be difficult for Kalanick, not only because of his obsession with the details of Uber, but even more so because he remains on the board and controls the majority of voting shares. But Kalanick will never be truly “invited” back if he doesn’t distance himself, and allow the incoming CEO to truly run things. If he stays entangled, Kalanick will be viewed simply as an impediment to the new management team and a part of any future failings.

Kalanick should also understand that his involvement will continue to be heavily scrutinized. Unlike Schultz, whose shadow managing went largely undetected, Kalanick lives in the tech world fishbowl and his every interaction will quickly leak, given all the recent and impending unhappy departures at Uber.

So Kalanick would be wise to take several months leave as he had originally planned, before returning to function simply as a regular board member, focused on governance and not operational management.

2. Fill your biggest gaps

Jobs did not mellow while he was away from Apple. But he did become a much more strategic businessman, a skill that was perceived as missing in his initial tenure.

Kalanick’s flaws are now better known than those of any other business leader not currently occupying the White House. The sound bite summary of his deficiencies is that his hyper-aggressiveness was essential to the startup but is now toxic for a $70 billion global company.

Kalanick must now give genuine thought to how much he wants to learn from his specific failings. He also must be honest with himself about how much he actually can change his fundamental personality. To pretend to become a Zen master would be inauthentic. Learning how to channel his intense drive into better leadership behaviors, on the other hand, would be far more credible.

3. Succeed at something else

One of the big reasons Jobs was invited back to Apple was that his success with Pixar reminded people of his early magic. Kalanick’s success doesn’t need to happen in tech or even business, as victory in the philanthropic or societal realm would be even more impressive.

4. Be patient

Just as it was with Jobs, Uber will not ask Kalanick back—even a reformed Kalanick 2.0—unless things get really desperate.

Yes, the problems at Starbucks were not that bad when Schultz returned. But Schultz simply couldn’t endure seeing his company sputter, and his position as a highly influential board chair allowed him to basically ask himself back. Kalanick does not enjoy that same influence at Uber, at least right now.

For Kalanick to return, his successor must ultimately become mired in quicksand, similar to John Sculley’s struggles at the Jobs-less Apple. Given Uber’s current challenges, the potential of such a dire fate is strong. The incoming CEO will likely make some initial changes that will improve Uber’s profitability and relationships around the world, but ultimately the potential for cratering is high.

Even so, Kalanick must begin resisting his urges to rescue his baby too early, and instead wait for a genuine invitation.

5. Bring the future, not the past

If invited back, Kalanick will need to hit the ground immediately with a clear plan, something Jobs and Schultz each did on their early days after returning. Kalanick will have a very short window to prove that he’s bringing back the boldness, but without the toxins. His plan must not simply revert to his old approach, but must actually move forward with a clear-eyed strategy, as if he were completely new to Uber.

Kalanick must decide if coming back as CEO would be actually be worth it. While the Apple analogue might seem especially dreamy to Kalanick, he should remember that the Jobs comeback story had plenty of dark, harrowing chapters that would have overwhelmed a less obsessive zealot.

In fact, he needs to remember that Kalanick-the-shareholder will be much wealthier if the need never arises for the return of Kalanick-the-CEO.