人往高處走:怎樣把老闆變跳板大綱

Dear Annie: I work for a large multinational firm, and I'd like to be considered for a promotion to a management position. How should I let my boss know about my desire to move up? I do not want to give the impression that I want his job (which I really don't want). I'd also like to make it clear that I'm not looking to leave the company, unless I have no choice.
親愛的安妮：我在一家大型跨國公司工作，希望能晉升到一個管理崗位。我該如何讓上司知道我的升遷願望？我不希望讓他以爲我想搶他的飯碗（我確實不想）。而且，我也希望解釋清楚，我並不想離開這家公司，除非我別無選擇。

Another question: There are other groups within the firm where there might be management opportunities for me, but they are so remote geographically that I don't have a chance to make myself visible to them, or to get a sense of the political dynamics there. What do you suggest? -- Looking Ahead
另外一個問題：公司其他部門或許會有管理機會，但這些部門與我們相距甚遠，我根本沒有機會讓他們瞭解我，對於那裏的政治動態我也一無所知。您有什麼建議嗎？——L.A.

Dear Looking: In an ideal world, mentioning to your boss that you'd like to be promoted would be easy. You could simply tell him what you just told me. After all, plenty of companies pay lip service to the idea that a big part of managers' mission is developing the talent under them and mentoring tomorrow's leaders.
親愛的L.A.：在理想情況下，向上司表示自己希望得到升職，是一件很容易的事情。你只需要把對我說的話，再對他說一遍就可以了。畢竟，許多公司至少在口頭上都是支持這種觀點的，即管理者的任務，很大一部分是培養人才，輔導未來的領導者。

Even so, says John Beeson, "It's shocking how few big companies make it a point to help people develop a coherent career path" -- despite the fact that countless studies have shown that doing so is one of the surest ways to keep star employees from quitting. Beeson, who is head of New York City-based Beeson Consulting, wrote a book you might want to check out called The Unwritten Rules: The Six Skills You Need to Get Promoted to the Executive Level.
但即便如此，約翰?比森說：“很少有大公司會特別關注幫助員工規劃一條清晰的職業發展路線，這很令人震驚”。雖然有數不清的研究都已經表明，這樣做是留住明星員工最保險的方式。紐約市比森諮詢公司（Beeson Consulting）的負責人比森曾寫過一本書《潛規則：升值六大必殺技》（The Unwritten Rules: The Six Skills You Need to Get Promoted to the Executive Level），值得一讀。

"To some bosses, 'ambition' is a dirty word. Whether or not yours is one of them, this conversation is going to take some finesse," Beeson notes. That's especially true if you are someone your manager relies upon to meet his own goals. In his consulting work, Beeson often comes across a phenomenon he calls "talent hoarding." "Gaining a reputation as a 'star spotter', someone who develops future leaders, can be good for a manager's career -- but sometimes the downside of losing you outweighs that benefit."
比森說：“許多老闆認爲，‘野心’是一個非常令人討厭的詞彙。不論你的上司是不是這樣想，要跟他進行這樣的談話都需要講究些技巧。”如果你是上司實現自己目標所倚重的人，更要講究策略。比森在書中經常提到一種現象，他稱之爲“人才囤積”。“能夠培養出未來的領導者，獲得‘伯樂’的聲譽，對於管理者的職業發展自然有所裨益。但有時候，失去人才的負面影響要遠遠超過將他們培養成人才所帶來的好處。”

So how do you start this tricky conversation? "First, avoid any indication that you're impatient. Instead, make it clear that you're thinking about the long term, and you'd like to have an ongoing discussion about your career," Beeson suggests. "Emphasize that you're committed to staying with the company, and you'd welcome your boss's help in identifying which skills you need to work on, to prepare you for making a bigger contribution."
那麼，應該如何開始這種棘手的談話呢？比森建議：“首先，不要表現出任何失去耐心的跡象。相反，要明確自己是在考慮長期發展，希望能與上司持續討論自己的職業。重點是要強調你決心留在公司，同時歡迎上司幫助你確認自己需要提高哪方面的技能，讓自己能爲公司做出更大的貢獻。”

Then, ask for your boss's help in reaching out to other managers, both at his level and one rank higher. "Say something like, 'I'd appreciate having their input into my career planning, especially what skills I need to develop and where in the company those might be most useful,'" says Beeson. "Managers outside your immediate sphere can be influential in opening doors for you in other parts of the company. They can recommend you for openings that are never posted anywhere, so you want to get on their radar screen for when the timing is right."
然後，請求上司幫助聯繫其他管理者，包括與他平級和更高級別的管理者。比森建議：“可以這樣說：‘如果他們能就我的職業規劃提供建議，我將不勝感激，尤其是我需要發展哪些技能，以及我的能力在公司哪些地方能夠發揮最大的作用。’你工作圈子之外的管理者或許能對公司其他部門施加影響，爲你敞開大門。他們會向你推薦一些不爲人所知的職位空缺。所以你肯定希望在機會來臨時，他們能想起你來。”

Of course, you could approach those managers on your own, without involving your boss, but Beeson advises against it. "Getting in touch directly with a manager in another business unit who doesn't know you tends to raise eyebrows," he says. "He or she is going to wonder, 'What is this person's agenda? Does his boss know he's calling me?' Having your manager pave the way eliminates that."
當然，你也可以自己主動去接觸這些管理者，不需要你的上司參與其中，但比森卻不建議這麼做。他說：“與其他部門和你並不相識的管理者直接聯繫會令對方心生疑竇。他或她會想：‘這個人要幹什麼？他的上司知道他聯繫我嗎？’讓自己的上司幫忙聯絡則可以打消這些疑慮。”Once you've met and had conversations with a few people at your boss' level and above, Beeson says, "it gets harder for him to justify hanging on to you when a better opportunity comes along. At that point, standing in your way becomes a bad reflection on him."
一旦和與你上司平級，或更高級別的管理者見過面，有過交流之後，“當有更好的機會出現時，你的上司便很難再有理由繼續抓住你不放。在那種情況下，扮演攔路虎的角色會損害他的形象，”比森說道。

It probably won't come to that, he adds: "Even if you're a star performer your boss would hate to lose, don't assume he's going to block you. If you approach this the right way -- especially if you stress that you're thinking about your future and have no immediate plans to go anywhere -- most managers will be amenable."
事情或許不會演變到那種地步。他補充道：“即便你是上司不願失去的最佳員工，也不要認爲他會阻礙你的發展。只要採取正確的方式，大多數管理者都能夠接受，尤其是你強調自己只是在考慮自己的未來，近期並沒有離開的打算。”

Nancy Friedberg, president of executive coaching firm Career Leverage, agrees, and offers two further thoughts. First, she points out that "in the Internet Age, being remote geographically from other business units isn't the disadvantage it used to be. So make the most of your online presence."
高管培訓公司Career Leverage總裁南希?弗裏德伯格同意比森的觀點，此外，她還提出了自己的兩條建議。首先，她指出，“在互聯網時代，與其他業務部門相隔甚遠並不像過去一樣是劣勢。所以，要充分利用自己在網絡中的影響力。”

She recommends inviting influential leaders in your company -- ideally after you've met them in person -- to connect with you on LinkedIn. Join group discussions and contribute "thoughtful, content-rich information that can raise your visibility and identify you as an expert in your field." You should also follow those senior managers on Twitter and, when it makes sense to do so, retweet their Tweets with an insightful comment of your own.
她建議邀請公司內有影響力的領導者在商務社交網站LinkedIn上與你聯繫，最好是在親自與他們見過面之後。加入小組討論，提出“經過深思熟慮的、內容詳實的信息，可以提高自己的知名度，讓你成爲所在領域的專家。”此外，你應該在Twitter上關注公司的高層，可能的話，對他們的推文發表有見解的評論。

And second, Friedberg notes, "Often people overlook the fact that becoming more visible outside your own company also raises your profile inside. Making a name for yourself in your industry -- through public speaking, writing for the trade press, or a widely-read blog, or being active in professional associations -- can get you noticed by higher-ups who are in a position to promote you." Good luck!
此外，弗雷伯格還說：“人們通常會忽視一個事實，那就是在自己公司之外提高知名度，也會增加你在公司內部的影響力。在業內博得一些名氣，比如通過公開演講、爲行業刊物或被廣泛閱讀的博客撰稿，或者積極參加職業協會等，都可以幫助你吸引高層的注意。而他們決定着你能否得到升職。”祝你好運！