How to Communicate a Tough Decision to Your Team

一次一家大型電信公司邀請我在一場長達(dá)8小時的研討會上，為300名管理者授課。授課開始前幾分鐘，主管把手放在我的肩膀上低聲說：“你開始之前，我要發(fā)布一個重要公告，應(yīng)該不會耽擱太長時間。”我沒多想，繼續(xù)做著準(zhǔn)備。然后會議開始，他說：“伙計(jì)們，向大家宣布下面的消息是一件很艱難的事。我們將取消兩個重大項(xiàng)目，這意味著你們中間有20%的人將被解雇，后續(xù)會有更多細(xì)節(jié)。下面讓我們先盡力專注聽格雷尼先生今天的授課?！闭f完他就匆忙離開了會場。

I was once hired by a large telecom company to teach an eight-hour seminar for a group of 300 senior managers. Minutes before I was to start, the executive in charge put his hand on my shoulder and whispered, “I’ve got an important announcement to make before you begin. It shouldn’t take long.” I thought little of it and continued my preparation. As the time came to start, he said: “Folks, there’s no easy way to say this, we’re cancelling two major projects which means 20% of you will be let go. More details to come. Let’s do our best to focus on Mr. Grenny’s session today.”?And with that, he beat a hasty retreat out the door.

雖然這不是這位領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者的高光時刻，但我們大多數(shù)人都會同情他的屈服。傳達(dá)壞消息并處理相應(yīng)的后果是件非常艱難的工作，人們自然想要逃避。一個人要宣布艱難通知時，可能會面對以下幾個“誘惑”選項(xiàng)：

While this was not that leader’s finest moment, most of us can sympathize with the temptation he succumbed to. It’s natural to want to dodge the tough work of sharing bad news — and dealing with the consequences. When it’s your turn to step up to a difficult announcement, you may notice a temptation toward one of the following:

拖延。通過推遲痛苦的經(jīng)歷，我們將個人需求放在了團(tuán)隊(duì)需求前面。這樣做的過程中，我們剝奪了他人處理消息，以及探索回應(yīng)方式的寶貴時間。

Procrastination. By putting off the painful experience, we put our own needs ahead of the team’s. In doing so, we rob them of precious time to process the news and explore how they can and want to respond.

責(zé)備。我們在以一種將責(zé)任完全歸咎于他人的方式發(fā)布消息，聲稱不同意做出決定的人，并表示支持受到負(fù)面影響的人時，就是在逃避領(lǐng)導(dǎo)責(zé)任，沒有平衡組織和員工的需求。

Blame. When we share the news in a way that puts the blame entirely on others — claiming disagreement with those who made the decision and loyalty to those negatively affected — we are shirking our leadership responsibility to balance the needs of the organization and our people.

分割。就像這位電信高管，我們可能會想縮短與聽眾接觸的時間。我們冷漠地宣布了事實(shí)，并將自己與其隔離開來，對抗現(xiàn)實(shí)帶來的痛苦。

Detachment. Like the telecom executive, we might want to abbreviate our exposure to those whose lives will be affected by the decision. We unsympathetically announce the facts and steel ourselves against the pain they bring up.

與這位電信高管共事的經(jīng)歷，給我留下了深刻印記。幾年前，當(dāng)我需要去告訴一個世界級的團(tuán)隊(duì)整個組織將要被解散時，我承諾會以不同的方式處理這件事。我很愛這些人，我知道這個消息會讓他們震驚、失望，甚至痛心。

My experience with the telecom executive left an indelible mark. When, a few years ago, it fell to me to let a world-class team know their entire organization would be disbanded, I pledged to handle things differently. I loved these people. I knew the news would be startling, disappointing, and even hurtful.

在去與團(tuán)隊(duì)會面的航班上，我列了幾條原則來指導(dǎo)這場痛苦的對話。不能說遵循這些原則會讓這次經(jīng)歷變得愉快，但是至少會讓這次會面變得有人情味。下面概述的六條原則，幫助我在發(fā)布消息時表現(xiàn)得負(fù)責(zé)（承認(rèn)我在決策中的角色）、坦誠（不為決策邏輯盲目道歉）、體貼（對過去的工作深表感激，并承認(rèn)該決策可能造成的傷害）和耐心（尊重他們的需要，無論他們有什么樣的感受，無論他們有這種感受的時間有多長）。

On a flight to meet with the team, I sketched out a handful of principles to guide the painful conversation. I can’t say that following them made the experience pleasant. But I can say that it made it human. The six principles, outlined below, helped me present the news in a way that was responsible (owning my role in the decision), honest (unapologetic about the logic of the decision), caring (deeply appreciative of past work and acknowledging the hurt the decision might cause) and patient (honoring their need to feel whatever they felt, for however long they felt it).

不要避重就輕。有人認(rèn)為，小心翼翼地接近我們即將投下的炸彈，就會讓爆炸不那么令人不安。其實(shí)不然。這樣只是在不可避免的震驚中增加焦慮。如果有難言之隱，你不妨直接說出來，然后繼續(xù)努力表現(xiàn)出理解和同理心（下面的原則3和原則4）。

Don’t bury the lead.?Some think that tiptoeing slowly toward the bomb we’re about to drop will make the explosion less upsetting. It won’t. All we do is add anxiety to inevitable shock. If you have something hard to say, just say it. Then go to work on demonstrating understanding and empathy (principles 3 and 4 below).

我首先向我們的團(tuán)隊(duì)宣布：“經(jīng)過長達(dá)數(shù)月的考慮，對于這一特殊專業(yè)群體的可能方向，董事會做出了艱難的決定，從即日起90天內(nèi)停止運(yùn)營?！?/p>

I began my announcement to our team with, “After months of deliberation about future potential directions for this special group of professionals, the board has come to the difficult decision to discontinue operations effective 90 days from today.”

停頓。由于決定的突然性和潛在后果，大家可能會在短時間內(nèi)聽不到你說了什么。不要繼續(xù)說下去，暫停一下，讓他們緩一緩。盡可能與每個人進(jìn)行眼神交流，給他們一點(diǎn)時間來消化這條重大消息，然后再繼續(xù)。

Pause.?Depending upon the suddenness and potential consequences of your decision, people may not hear anything you say for a few moments. Don’t just forge ahead. Pause. Let them breathe. Make eye contact with everyone you can. Allow them a moment to digest the headline. Then proceed.

表示理解并承擔(dān)責(zé)任，但是不要期望達(dá)成一致意見。停頓之后，我說：“我知道這件事很難接受，對很多人來說都是一個打擊。我會花幾分鐘時間解釋我們是如何做出了這個決定。我不期望大家能夠同意我們的結(jié)論，但是，我應(yīng)該向大家解釋事情的過程?！?/p>

Offer understanding and take responsibility — but don’t expect agreement.?After pausing, I said: “I know this is a lot to take in. I know this comes as a shock to many. I will take a few minutes to explain how we came to this decision. I don’t expect you to agree with our conclusion. But I owe you an explanation of how we got here.”

要盡最大努力解釋領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者面臨的權(quán)衡，以及指導(dǎo)最終決策的原則和標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。要尊重理性思考的人可能不同意這一決定的事實(shí)，不要因?yàn)檫@個決定而責(zé)怪別人。作為一名領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者，你是組織的代言人，在你接受這份工作時，就已經(jīng)接受了這個角色的責(zé)任。

Do your best to explain the tradeoffs leaders faced and the principles and criteria that guided the ultimate decision. Honor the fact that reasonable people may disagree. Don’t blame others for the decision. As a leader, you are an agent of the organization, and you accepted a responsibility to fill that role when you took your job.

不要讓想得到好感的欲望掩蓋了你的正直。即使沒有參與決策過程，你的職責(zé)依然是忠實(shí)地展示用于做出這個決策的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力邏輯。如果你無法在道德上做到這一點(diǎn)，那么就應(yīng)該考慮一下自己是否能夠繼續(xù)擔(dān)任這個角色了。

Don’t let your desire to be liked overshadow your integrity. Even if you weren’t involved in the decision, your duty is to faithfully present the logic leadership used to make that decision. If you can’t ethically do that, it’s time to consider whether you can remain in that role.

表現(xiàn)出同理心。接下來認(rèn)真耐心地做好情緒工作。不要著急，充分認(rèn)識到這個決定帶來的影響，以及人們可能感受到的情緒。

Show empathy.?Next, carefully and patiently do the emotional work. Don’t rush it. Fully acknowledge the impact of the decision and the emotions people might be feeling.?

除此之外，我說道：“現(xiàn)在離假期不到一個月，我想象不到還有更差的時機(jī)來說這件事。我真的很難過，讓你們分心，無法與朋友和家人共度一段平靜的時光，我很抱歉?？紤]宣布時間時，我們覺得，更重要的是保證我們的剩余資金能夠幫助大家完成過渡。如果等到兩個月之后，我們可以用于幫助的資金就會減少幾十萬美元。”

Among other things, I said, “I can’t imagine a worse time to be announcing this — less than a month before the holidays. It breaks my heart to be distracting you from what should be a peaceful time with friends and family. I’m sorry. As we deliberated about timing, we felt it was more important to ensure our remaining funds were available to help you with the transition. Had we waited two months, we would have had hundreds of thousands fewer dollars to help.”

以坦誠結(jié)束對話。最后，發(fā)出進(jìn)行對話并相互支持的邀請。不要期望聽到?jīng)Q定或掌聲，人們需要時間來消化這個決定。關(guān)注他們的需求，而不是你的需求。你的邏輯可能無可辯駁，但是它們激起的情緒需要時間才能發(fā)生轉(zhuǎn)變。

End with openness.?Close with an invitation for both conversation and support. Don’t expect a resolution or applause. People will need time to process the decision. Focus on their needs not yours. Your logic might be irrefutable, but the emotions they aroused will take time to evolve.

我的結(jié)論是：“我會為所有想澄清上述內(nèi)容的人留出時間。我也會想盡辦法，支持大家的下一步計(jì)劃?！?/p>

My conclusion was, “I will make time available to anyone who wants clarity on what I’ve just shared. I will also be looking for any ways I can support you with future plans.”

證明。唯一能讓大家相信你會認(rèn)真對待承諾的方法，就是你接下來的行為。我已經(jīng)制定了一條基本規(guī)則：當(dāng)人們離開時，即使事出有因，也要盡可能在他們離開后30到60天，邀請他們一起吃午飯。距離不允許進(jìn)行非正式對話時，我會要求1∶1延長虛擬會議。不管我們對發(fā)生的事有什么分歧，對我來說，重要的是讓他們知道我在關(guān)心他們這個人。即使有壞消息，這些后續(xù)行為也帶來了許多珍貴的關(guān)系。

Prove it.?The only thing that will convince people that you’re sincere about your promise of support is what you do afterward. I’ve made it a general rule when letting people go, even with cause, to ask them to lunch, when possible, 30 to 60 days after their departure. When distance prohibits informal connection, I ask for an extended 1:1 virtual meeting. Independent of any differences we may have over what happened, it’s important to me that they know I care about them as a person. These follow-ups have led to many cherished relationships — even after the bad news.

這類時刻正是對你情感成熟、正直和同情的磨煉。謹(jǐn)慎地面對他們，不僅是我們對受到影響的人應(yīng)該做的最起碼的事情，也是成為一位更優(yōu)秀的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者、一個更優(yōu)秀的人的一種方式。

Moments like these are crucibles of your emotional maturity, integrity, and compassion. Facing them thoughtfully is not only the least we owe to the people affected by them, it is a way of become both a better leader and a better human being.

關(guān)鍵詞：領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力

約瑟夫·格雷尼是《紐約時報(bào)》暢銷書《關(guān)鍵性對話》（Crucial Conversations）的作者。他還是關(guān)鍵性學(xué)習(xí)公司（Crucial Learning）的聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人。該公司可以提供溝通、績效和領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力等領(lǐng)域的課程。

陳戰(zhàn) | 譯?? 劉雋 | 校?? 孫燕 | 編輯