什么铸就了高效领导者
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我不是说这七个习惯能与建立伟大的公司一一对应。比如，《从优秀到卓越》（Good to Great）和《基业长青》（Built to Last）与《高效能人士的七个习惯》在内容上有互补，但它们之间也存在区别。柯维着手撰写这本书并不是立足于建立伟大的公司，而是立足于达成个人的高效能。尽管如此，组织也是由个人组成。这些人效率越高，组织也就越强大。我确实怀疑这些拥有七个习惯的人是否有可能成为第五级领导者。那些完成了这一转变的罕见人物，我已经在《从优秀到卓越》中着墨颇多。第五级领导者兼备谦逊的个性和强烈的职业意志。他们将精力、动力、创造力和纪律性统统投入于比自身更伟大、更恒久的事业中。诚然，他们有野心，但不论是建立一个伟大的公司，改变这个世界，还是达成一些伟大的最终却与他们无关的目标，他们的目标已经超越了个人的范畴。一家企业是否依旧伟大，最重要的因素之一是一个简单的问题：掌权者的内在动机、品格和野心究竟如何。无论他们怎么说，怎么伪装，他们真正的内在动机早晚一定会在他们的决策和行动中得以体现。就算不会立刻暴露出来，假以时日也一定会。因此，我们重新来看柯维的体系的核心信条：先塑造内在品格——先取得个人的胜利，再取得公众的胜利。 这一点让我把注意力转向作为导师的史蒂芬•柯维本人。在他神奇的生涯中，对于他所造成的冲击和影响力，他始终展现出令人折服的谦逊。此外，他还有着不屈不挠的意志来帮助人们了解他的效能理念。他由衷地相信，如果人们遵照这七个习惯生活，这个世界会变得更加美好，这个信念在全书通都篇闪耀着光辉。史蒂芬•柯维尽到了最大努力来言传身教。他说他自己在培养习惯5（知彼解己）上遭遇了最多困难。这是一个巨大的讽刺，因为他在撰写此书前，曾花费了数十年时间开展知识之旅，增长见闻。他从学者转变为教师，之后学会了写作，并借此让他的教育学说经久不衰。他在这方面开创了先河。在习惯2中，史蒂芬给予了我们挑战，让我们预想自己的葬礼，同时思考一个问题：“你希望各个发言人如何评价你和你的一生？你希望他们在你身上看到什么品格？你希望他们记住你的哪些贡献和成就？”我相信，当这些问题应用于他的身上时，他一定会感到欣慰。 没有人能永垂不朽，但书籍和思想可以流传百世。大家翻开这本书时，就会沉迷于史蒂芬•柯维极致的力量中。大家可以感觉到他从字里行间向我们伸出手：“嘿！我真的相信这一点，让我来帮助你——我希望你能够理解，从中学到些什么；我希望你能成长，变得更好，做出更大的贡献，创造有意义的人生。”他的生命终止了，但他的工作没有终止，还在继续，就在这本书里，鲜活生动一如刚刚付梓之时。在《高效能人士的七个习惯》25岁之际，正开启一个更强大的未来。（财富中文网） @2013年吉姆•柯林斯版权所有 以上是25周年纪念版《高效能人士的七个习惯》（史蒂芬•柯维著）的序言。吉姆•柯林斯是《从优秀到卓越》一书的作者，也是《基业长青》和《选择成就卓越》的合著者。 译者：严匡正 |
I do not mean to imply that the 7 Habits map one-for-one to building a great company. The principles in Good to Great and Built to Last, for example, and the principles in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People are complementary, but distinct. Covey set out to write a book, not on building great organizations, but on achieving great personal effectiveness. Still, organizations are composed of people, and the more effective those people, the stronger the organization. And I do suspect that those who live the 7 Habits perhaps have a higher likelihood of becoming Level 5 leaders, those rare transformational figures I wrote so much about in Good to Great. Level 5 leaders display a paradoxical combination of personal humility and professional will, channeling their energy, drive, creativity, and discipline into something larger and more enduring than themselves. They're ambitious, to be sure, but for a purpose beyond themselves, be it building a great company, changing the world, or achieving some great object that's ultimately not about them. One of the most important variables in whether an enterprise remains great lies in a simple question: what is the truth about the inner motivations, character, and ambition of those who hold power? Their true, internal motivations will absolutely show up in their decisions and actions -- if not immediately, then over time, and certainly under duress -- no matter what they say or how they pose. And thus, we return full circle to a central tenet of Covey's framework: build inner character first -- private victory before public victory. And that brings me to Stephen Covey himself as a Level 5 teacher. Throughout his rather miraculous career, he displayed a disarming humility about his impact and influence, combined with an indomitable will to help people grasp the ideas. He genuinely believed the world would be a better place if people lived the 7 Habits, and that belief shines through these pages. As a Level 5 teacher, Stephen Covey did his human best to live what he taught. He said that he personally struggled most with Habit 5 ("Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood"). There is a great irony in this, as he first went on a multi-decade intellectual journey to gain understanding, before he wrote the book. He was first and foremost a learner who became a teacher, then a teacher who learned to write, and in so doing made his teachings enduring. In Habit 2, Stephen challenges us to envision our own funeral, and consider, "What would you like each of the speakers to say about you and your life? ... What character would you like them to have seen in you? What contributions, what achievements would you want them to remember?" I suspect he would be very pleased with how it turned out for him. No person lasts forever, but books and ideas can endure. When you engage with these pages, you will be engaging with Stephen Covey at the peak of his powers. You can feel him reaching out from the text to say "Here, I really believe this, let me help you -- I want you to get this, to learn from it, I want you to grow, to be better, to contribute more, to make a life that matters." His life is done, but his work is not. It continues, right here in this book, as alive today as when first written. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is twenty-five years young, off to a very strong start indeed. --Jim Collins - Boulder, Colorado, July 2013 © 2013 Jim Collins The following is the foreword to the 25th anniversary edition of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. Jim Collins is author of Good to Great and co-author of Built to Last and Great by Choice. |
