2023年经济学人 拥有职场导师的重要性（在线收听）

Business

商业版块

Bartleby

巴托比专栏

The mentor in you

你心中的导师

The joys of corporate confidantes.

在公司拥有密友的喜悦。

Gandalf from “The Lord of the Rings”, Yoda in “Star Wars” or M in Ian Fleming’s early James Bond novels all act as mentors, providing sage advice and guidance to the less worldly-wise.

《指环王》中的甘道夫、《星球大战》中的尤达或伊恩·弗莱明早期詹姆斯·邦德小说中的M都扮演着导师的角色，为不那么懂世故的人提供明智的建议和指导。

In real life, as in fiction, the value of imparting wisdom gained through experience and age (Yoda is 900 years old, Gandalf is in his 1,000s) is becoming ever more important.

在现实生活中，就像在小说中一样，把经验和岁月(尤达900岁，甘道夫1000多岁)带来的智慧传授给他人也变得越来越重要。

It is in a company’s interest to keep its employees happy and loyal even if the jobs-market upheavals of the pandemic-induced “great resignation” are fizzling out.

即使疫情引发的“大离职”这一就业市场动荡正逐渐平静下来，让员工保持快乐且忠诚仍然符合公司的利益。

A good mentoring scheme can serve this purpose.

一个好的指导计划可以达到这一目的。

Workplace mentoring has long been an informal affair, disguised as a chat by the coffee machine or a trip to a bar with a longer-serving and more senior colleague.

长期以来，职场指导一直是一种非正式的活动，比如在咖啡机前聊聊天，或者与工龄更长、级别更高的同事一起去酒吧。

Even the most successful find having a receptive ear a useful addition to the corporate armoury.

即使是最成功的人也会发现，有一只善于倾听的耳朵相当于给公司添置了一件有用的武器。

For over 30 years Bill Gates has turned to another billionaire, Warren Buffett, for advice.

30多年来，比尔·盖茨一直向另一位亿万富翁沃伦·巴菲特寻求建议。

Peter Thiel, another tech baron, credits René Girard, a French polymath and part-time philosopher, as one of his greatest inspirations.

另一位科技大亨彼得·蒂尔认为，法国博学者兼哲学家勒内·基拉尔是他最大的灵感来源之一。

In recent years businesses have sought to formalise an arrangement with the obvious rewards of nurturing a sense of connection and loyalty, and helping the transfer and development of skills.

近年来，企业在力图将一项安排正式化，其明显的回报是培养一种联接感和忠诚感，并帮助迁移和发展技能。

The aim is to support staff and boost their confidence by sharing knowledge and experience.

目的是通过分享知识和经验来支持员工并增强他们的信心。

At their best, when there is genuine rapport between mentor and mentored, such arrangements can help the latter to come up with new ideas and help them cope with problems.

在最佳情况下，当导师和被指导的人之间存在真正融洽的关系时，这样的安排可以帮助后者提出新想法，并帮助他们应对问题。

So how do firms build the best mentoring schemes?

那么，公司如何构建最佳的指导计划呢？

For them to work, some degree of chemistry is essential, as is a high regard for the person whose advice is being sought, irrespective of age gaps and backgrounds.

要想计划生效，一定程度的化学反应必不可少，同样重要的是对提供建议的人怀有敬重，无论其年龄差距和背景如何。

Maurizio Orlacchio, a former manager for Four Seasons, a hotels chain, credited his career to his relationship with his mentor, an older executive who taught him how to motivate his employees—and himself.

连锁酒店四季酒店的前经理莫里齐奥·奥拉奇奥将自己的职业生涯归功于他与导师的关系，他的导师是一位年长的高管，教会了他如何激励员工，以及如何激励他自己。

Schemes should be self-managed with the junior party taking the lead in arranging discussions which are always confidential.

指导计划应该自主进行，由受指导的一方主动安排讨论，且讨论应该是私密的。

It is best to let employees choose the person with whom they would most like to discuss their career trajectory, no matter their position on the corporate ladder.

最好让员工选择他们最愿意和谁讨论职业发展轨迹，无论他们在公司的职位是高是低。

Requested mentors can be flattered but still decline.

被邀请的导师可能会在深感荣幸之时仍然拒绝。

If you want to become a valued mentor, do not start by offering unsolicited advice.

如果你想成为一名有价值的导师，不要一开始就在对方没开口的情况下主动给建议。

If you’re being mentored, do not look for solutions to personal problems (failing romantic relationships, dandruff) or ask for bail money.

如果你正在接受指导，不要寻找关于个人问题的解决方案(比如失恋和头皮屑)，也不要让导师给你交保释金。

But anything else work-related should be open for discussion.

但任何与工作相关的事情都应该讨论。

“I’m feeling wobbly, this is all too much to take in” is as legitimate as chatting about your long-term career prospects.

“我感觉不太确定，有点理解不了这么多东西”，这种话和你的长期职业前景一样都是合适的话题。

Firms are increasingly recognising the importance of face time with helpful colleagues.

公司越来越认识到与有助益的同事进行面对面交流的重要性。

Nicholas Bloom at Stanford University, using data from hundreds of organisations since the onset of the pandemic, found that the mentoring of recent hires was a key reason to bring employees into the workplace two or three days a week.

斯坦福大学的尼古拉斯·布鲁姆使用了自疫情爆发以来数百家组织的数据，发现对新员工的指导是让员工每周来办公室两到三天的关键原因。

David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs, has echoed this in his push for a full return to the office.

高盛的CEO大卫·所罗门在推动全面重返办公室时也重申了这一点。

Despite Goldman’s efforts, working from home has become a post-pandemic fixture.

尽管高盛做出了努力，但居家办公已经成为后疫情时代的固定做法。

So virtual mentoring also still has a role.

因此，线上指导也仍然发挥着作用。

As with any online relationship, trust and rapport take longer to build.

与任何线上关系一样，指导双方的信任和融洽关系也需要更长的时间来建立。

No matter how clearly boundaries are set, there are inevitable glimpses of personal spaces when sessions take place on Zoom with cameras on.

无论设置了多么明确的边界，当打开摄像头，在Zoom上进行会议时，不可避免地会让别人瞥见自己的私人空间。

Bartleby recommends looking reasonably smart and refraining from getting a beer from the fridge.

笔者建议让自己看起来得体干练，忍住起身从冰箱里拿啤酒的愿望。

What seems natural when meeting face-to-face does not always translate well online.

面对面会谈时看起来很自然的事情，在网上并不一定是自然的。

Reverse mentoring is also in fashion.

反向指导也很流行。

Matching a junior employee with an executive whose understanding of diversity and other generational divides may need a refresher course could have benefits.

将初级员工与高管搭配，高管对多样性和其他代际差异的理解可能也需要进修一下，这时反向指导可能会带来好处。

There is room to debate how much a seasoned chief financial officer will learn from a millennial but the best mentoring relationships are always a two-way street.

一位经验丰富的首席财务官能从一个80后或90后身上学到多少东西，这个问题仍有待商榷，但最好的指导关系永远是双向的。

Whether it is lunch, drinks or a chat in the car park, mentoring’s benefits are undeniable if it fosters a friendlier culture, staff retention and development of talented employees.

无论是吃午餐、喝东西还是在停车场聊天，如果能形成更友好的文化、留住员工和培养有才华的员工，那么指导的好处就是不可否认的。

Think of Yoda’s serene demeanour and galactic wisdom rather than his enigmatic speech patterns.

想想尤达平和的风度和浩如银河的智慧，而不是他神秘莫测的说话方式。

The idea is to find, if not a Jedi master, then at least someone to talk to whenever you feel stuck in your job.

关键是就算不能找到一位绝地大师，至少也能找到这样一个人，当你感到在工作中陷入困境时，可以向之倾诉。

Sometimes sharing a coffee can be just as powerful as wielding a lightsabre.

有时，一起喝杯咖啡的力量就像挥舞光剑一样强大。