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How to Succeed at Work 职场达人的成功秘诀

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Advice from a business coach on how to make positive changes in your working environment  商业教练教你如何在工作环境中做出正面的改变

Get the big picture, then master your tasks  找出大方向，掌握工作诀窍

• Question: I have so many tasks on my plate that I often don’t know what to do first. The e-mail flow is so heavy that I don’t know how to organize it so that I can determine my next actions, let alone find time to answer them all. How can I get out of these trees so I can see the forest?  问题：我手边的工作堆积如山，害我经常不知该从何着手。电子邮件流量多到让我不知该如何理出头绪，以决定接下来该采取哪些行动，更别说是挪出时间来回复所有的信件了。我该如何走出见树不见林的困扰，以便达到见林的目标？
• Answer: Once you know that your forest looks like, you’ll be able to see which trees fit. You’ll then be able to get organized and take action. Outline the big picture of your job. Write down your top tasks and major responsibilities so you’re clear about what you should be doing. List the time-eaters that are outside your scope, too.  回答：一旦你先看到全貌之后，便能先见林再见树，就会知道究竟哪些树才是适合这座树林的。接着你就会懂得井然有序地规划工作，并着手采取行动。先描绘出你工作的大方向，并把最重要的任务及主要职责都写下来，就能让你一目了然地清楚知道你的应做事项有哪些。此外，也列出那些很花时间但却超出你职责范围之外的事项。

Then, gain focus by getting your e-mail under control. Assess which e-mails are necessary for your core accountabilities. Realistically, many are probably unrelated and could be deleted unread.

接着，把焦点锁定在管理你的电子邮件上。判断哪些邮件和你的主要职责息息相关。实际上，有很多电子邮件可能都和工作无关，不需读取即可直接删除。

Just like clearing clutter from a room helps you feel lighter, getting your work life in order will give you new energy. If you have hundreds of e-mails waiting, pare them by sorting by sender. Delete those that are information only, including newsletters and status updates for non-core projects.

把职场生活规划得井然有序，将为你带来崭新的活力，这就像是清理凌乱的房间后会让你感觉更轻松愉快一样。如果有数百封电子邮件等着你处理，可依寄件人排序来缩减邮件量。删除纯信息类邮件，包括电子报及非核心项目的进度报告。

Create a system to organize the keepers based on your personal style. If you like a detailed filing system, replicate that in e-mail; use broad categories if they work better for you. Decide on an approach to track e-mails that need responses, perhaps creating a separate folder or using “action needed” flags. Then, file your remaining e-mails into your news system.

依照你的个人风格，建立一个系统来规划那些必须留存的数据。如果你喜欢详尽的文件归档系统，可如法炮制在你的电子邮件管理上；若大项分类的归档方式对你来说比较有效率，则选用此方式。选定一种方法来追踪需要回复的电子邮件，可设立一个独立的文件夹来存放这类邮件，或使用「待处理」旗标来标示这些邮件，之后再把其余邮件归档到你的新系统中。

Some simple steps can help maintain your system. Decide what time of day you’ll review e-mails, and plan your work. Be disciplined about deleting unneeded e-mails unread and getting off unproductive distribution lists.

只需几个简单的步骤就能帮你有效维护邮件系统。选定每天在某个特定时段检视电子邮件，并规划你的工作。养成习惯去删除那些尚未读取的不重要邮件，并设法让自己的名字从那些毫无用处的通讯群组名单中消除。

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big picture（事情的）主要部分；重点

get out of trees so (you) can see the forest (原句是can't see the forest for the trees见树不见林) 走出「见树不见林」的困境，以窥全貌 to see the big picture (forest) and NOT just to see the details; to try to get a general idea of a situation that is hard to understand because of being involved with the details

outline [ˋaʊt͵laɪn] v. 画出……的轮廓

time-eater 很花时间的事物 things that need to take a lot of time to be done

accountability [ə͵kaʊntəˋbɪlətɪ] n. 有责任，有义务

realistically [ ˌrɪəˈlɪstɪklɪ ] adv. 实际地; 现实地; 基本上 basically

clutter [ˋklʌtɚ] n. 凌乱，杂乱；散乱的东西

newsletter [ˋnjuzˋlɛtɚ] n. (某组织定期发送的)内部通讯

file [faɪl] v. 把……归档

disciplined [ˋdɪsəplɪnd] adj. 纪律严明的; 训练有素的

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To understand what the boss wants, understand the boss  想要了解主管要的究竟是什么，先了解主管本人

• Question: My boss isn’t very clear in his expectations for me, so I often feel like I’m falling short and not doing what I should be doing. How can I make this better?  问题：主管都不说清楚他究竟对我有何期望，所以我常觉得工作表现未达到要求，且没做到应做事项。我该如何改善这个状况？
• Answer: Understanding and communication are the keys to improving your situation, and it’s up to you to take the lead.  回答：彼此了解与沟通是改善此状况的关键，且主动权操之在你。

Start by reminding yourself that both you and your boss want you to be successful at your job. Then, focus on gaining a deeper understanding of what you need to be successful, as well as insights into how his mind works.

首先，提醒自己，主管和你本人都希望你能把工作做好。接着，把焦点放在深入了解你该怎么做才能成功达成目标，以及洞悉主管的思考逻辑。

Take a recent task that your boss assigned, using it as an example to analyze your styles. Think about what he told you, other information that would’ve helped you, the frequency of progress checks and the clarity of the goal. Consider how you each gave or received information. Remember, this isn’t about one way being better or worse – it’s about gaining understanding.

把主管最近指派给你的任务当作一个例子，用来进一步分析你们的行事风格。回想主管交代的事、其它对你有所帮助的信息、进度追踪的频率及目标的明确性。思索主管和你双方是如何提供或接收信息。切记，这不是评论哪一方做得较好或较差，而是在于达到共识与否。

Build on your insights by creating a plan to be more effective in working with your boss. Try meeting with him to discuss your ideas for setting clear expectations.

拟定能与主管更有效共事的计划，可以累积你的洞察力。试着和主管面对面讨论你对设定明确的工作期望的想法。

When a new task is assigned, take the lead in how you seek information about his expectations. If he’s more linear than you are, suggest walking through the task from start to finish. If you’re more of a planner while he tends to go with the flow, offer to plan out the task. Generally, use your insights about his style to frame his expectations and increase his comfort with the steps you’re taking to do your work – while you also get what you need.

当你被指派一个新任务时，主动了解主管对此任务期望。如果主管是比你更线性思考型的人，可以提议请他按部就班地详细指引你有关该任务从头到尾的做法；若你是计划型的人，而他比较随性，可提议由你拟出工作计划。大体来说，运用你对主管行事风格的了解，来厘清他对你的期望，并让他对你的工作模式感到放心──在此同时你也满足了自己的需要。

Even well-intentioned people can miss the mark when communicating about work expectations, especially under time pressure. Taking the time to understand how people operate and using that information to communicate effectively can ease this challenge and set you up for success.

针对主管对你的工作期望进行沟通时，即使是原本出发点良好的人，也有可能无法达到预期结果，尤其是在有时间压力的情况下。花时间去了解他人的工作方式，并利用这些信息来进行有效的沟通，可让你化解难题，有助你获致成功。

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take the lead 带头 to become the leader, to advance into first place

build on 建立在…的基础上

linear [ˋlɪnɪɚ] adj. 直线的; 按部就班的; 通过单独的若干阶段来发展 continuing reasonably from one idea to the next

plan out 为...作准备; 策划, 筹划, 详细安排 to make thorough plans for something

well-intentioned [ˋwɛlɪnˋtɛnʃənd] adj. 好意的；善意的; 出于好意的

set someone up for 助某人建立(获得)… to help establish someone

课文朗读

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You can share work and add skills without lowering standards  你可以在不降低工作水平的情况下，分派工作给他人，并提升自我技能

• Question: I find it hard to delegate tasks to others. A coworker told me I have “control issues.” My boss says I need to stop being a perfectionist. But I feel that I need to do it all myself to be sure it’s done correctly. Help!  问题：我发现自己很难分派工作给别人做。有位同事告诉我，我有「掌控欲」的问题。老板劝我不要变成完美主义者，但我觉得，如果想把事情办好，就得样样自己来。救救我吧！
• Answer: Perfectionism and control create a powerful, performance-limiting trap. Changing your approach to sharing work will open up more robust possibilities.  回答：完美主义及掌控欲会制造出一个强大的陷阱，且会局限工作绩效。改变你的工作模式，利用分工合作，将为你开启更多成功的契机。

Your first step is to explore the dynamics that lead you to maintain tight control. If errors have been costly in the past, then letting go of control may seem risky. But you can make strategic decisions on which work to delegate and how closely to maintain oversight.

首先，找出导致你想维持严格掌控的驱策力为何。如果过去经验告诉你，失误的代价很大，那么解除掌控以授权给他人，似乎可能会有风险，不过，你还是可以策划决定哪些工作可以分派给别人，并决定你进行监督的密切程度。

Also, consider the benefits of successful delegation. You may have seen positive outcomes and high morale. Remind yourself of these examples when you’re trying to ease up on control. And be open to learning from someone else’s way of performing a task.

再者，可以考虑成功委派任务所带来的益处，你可能会看到正面的结果，或是大家的士气提升了。当你要松脱掌控、分派任务时，请牢记这些例子，并虚心学习他人不同的工作模式。

You may be more in your comfort zone with detail work and less comfortable with strategic thinking. Consider which aspects of your job are (at) a stretch and be clear about your strengths and development needs. Your goal is to become comfortable with knowing what you don’t know – and then to use this knowledge to grow.

你可能对于细节的工作较为得心应手，但对进行策略性思考却感觉不太自在。想一下你工作的哪些层面存有难题，了解自己的优点及需要提升的部分。你的目标是接受自己在哪些层面并非万能的事实，并更进一步地，以此认知来提升自己在那些层面的工作能力。

Start safe. Choose someone you trust to do a good job, and do a final review of the work. Widen the net of people you’re comfortable with by delegating lower-risk tasks, gradually including more visible or complex tasks. To ensure that work quality is maintained, provide specific, actionable feedback while staying open to new or different solutions for accomplishing the task. And remember to express your appreciation.

先从保险的作法开始，将任务分派给你确信可以做好工作的人，工作完成后再做最后检视。先分派低风险的任务给其他人，再逐渐托付更多重要及复杂的工作，将替你带来更多人手，进一步扩展你所信赖的人脉网。为确保维持工作质量，以开放的胸襟来接受新的或不同的解决方案，并提供具体明确、可以执行的回馈意见。此外，别忘了要向对方表达感谢之意。

Perfectionism can hold you and your organization back. However, you can maintain your high standards while increasing your contribution by building your skills and investing in others.

完美主义会阻碍你和公司的成长。然而，在提升自我技能、培养其他人才，以增进你对公司的贡献的同时，你仍可以维持高度的工作质量。

−by Liz Reyer

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dynamic [daɪˋnæmɪk] n. (引起改变或进步的)动力，活力

let go of 放开, 放走, 放松 to stop trying to control something

oversight [ˋovɚ͵saɪt] n. 监督；照管

ease up（在程度、速度、强度等上）缓和，减轻，减弱 to reduce the urgency with which one deals with something; to put less pressure on something

(at) a stretch 处于拉伸(或伸展、紧张、拉紧等)的状态 with some difficulty; by making a special effort

visible [ˋvɪzəb!] adj. 明显的; 确实的; 已有的，现有的

actionable [ˋækʃənəb!] adj. 可执行的

hold someone, something back  阻碍, 阻止, 阻挡; 控制, 限制 to restrain someone, something

单词发音

Vocabulary Focus

have (a lot) on (one’s) plate  要做的工作太多了, 忙得不可开交 to have a lot of work to do or a lot of problems to deal with

scope [skop] n. 范围，领域 the range of matters considered or dealt with

pare [pɛr] v. 消减，缩减 to reduce something, especially by a large amount

keeper [ˋkipɚ] n. 必须留存的数据 something that is worth maintaining in your possession

fall short 达不到标准(或要求) to not reach a desired amount or standard

walk (somebody) through (something) 详细指引某人做某事情 to slowly and carefully show someone how to do something

go with the flow 顺其自然; 跟着感觉走 to deal with things in a laid-back, relaxed manner

frame [frem] v. 制定；设计；构想出; 塑造 to give structure to something

miss the mark 未达目的, 失败, 不恰当 to fail to reach the intended result

delegate [ˋdɛlə͵get] v. 委派；委托，授(权) to give a particular job or duty to someone else so that they do it for you

robust [rəˋbʌst] adj. 强健的；茁壮的；健全的 strong and unlikely to fail

comfort zone 舒适地带; 舒适区  (指的是一个人所表现的心理状态和习惯性的行为模式，人会在这种状态或模式中感到舒适。) an environment in which a person feels at ease as long as there is no drastic change; a situation where one feels safe or at ease