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Find Your Path to Excellence 迈向成功的道路

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Serving the people under you actually makes you a better leader  为下属服务其实能让人成为更佳的领导者

Don’t let the oversized bulk of The Little BIG Things fool you: For a thick, 538-page book, its smart messages are short, valuable and to the point. Surprisingly, it is also a quick read. Its author, business expert Tom Peters, is world-famous because he never stops rethinking how organizational excellence can be developed, and he has a wonderful way with words. The Little BIG Things is packed with 163 things that can help business leaders move closer to the ever-elusive excellence they need to compete and win in today’s marketplace.

别被《小动作成就大事业》（暂译）的厚重外观给骗了：这本书虽然厚达五百三十八页，其中传达的睿智讯息却是简洁珍贵又一针见血。令人意外的是，这本书也很快就可以读得完。这本书的作者是商业专家汤姆．毕德士，他之所以闻名世界，原因是他总是不断重新思考着如何促成组织卓越发展，而且他的文笔也非常引人入胜。《小动作成就大事业》提出一百六十三项诀窍，协助商业领袖更趋近卓越──卓越虽然难以捉摸，但要在当今的市场上竞争并且胜出，就不能不具备这项条件。

The ideas upon which Peters expounds in The Little BIG Things are as accessible as they are compelling. Together, they form a well-calculated approach to enhancing a leader’s strategies so he or she can reach the ultimate goal of excellence. To help readers move directly to the specific guidance they need, Peters has corralled his thought into a variety of relevant chapters. For example, in his section on crisis, he offers several counterintuitive approaches to finding a less chaotic path. While addressing the topic of performance, he makes it clear that first and last impressions are vital, as are presentation skills and a leader’s ability to perform all the time. When discussing leadership, Peters points out that “measurably” helping others succeed is of primary importance, as are serving your people and employing the power of positive reinforcement.

毕德士在《小动作成就大事业》里阐述的概念不但浅白易懂，也引人入胜。把这些概念结合起来，就会形成一套计算精准的做法，足以强化领导人的策略，从而达到卓越的最终目标。为了协助读者直接获得所需的具体指引，毕德士把他的思想分别归类为几个相关的章节。举例而言，在探讨危机的章节里，他提出了几项违反直觉的做法，协助读者找出比较不那么混乱的道路。谈到绩效的时候，他明确指出最初和最后的印象极为重要，简报技巧和随时都能够拿出绩效的领导能力也同样不容忽视。有关领导能力方面，毕德士则指出：「显着地」致力于协助别人成功是首要之事，为下属服务以及运用正向强化的力量也极为重要。

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quick read 快速浏览 

accessible [ækˋsɛsəb!] adj. 易被理解的 capable of being read with comprehension

compelling [kəmˋpɛlɪŋ] adj. 令人激动的; 极为有趣的

corral [kəˋræl] v. 聚集 gather, accumulate

measurably [ˋmɛʒərəblɪ] adv. 清楚地; 适度地 of distinguished importance; significantly

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Humor  幽默感

One of the wonderful things about Peters’ latest book is its use of his wild sense of humor. Peters delivers each heaping serving of brilliance with a dollop of quirkiness. With a firm grip on the balance between humor and solid advice, Peters proves once again that he can weave pertinent messages into a tapestry of quotations, conversations and joyful guidance. It is easy to see that he loves his job as a positive provoker.

毕德士这本新书的一大特点，就是其中展现了他狂放不羁的幽默感。他在书中每提出一项丰富而睿智的忠告，都不忘添加一点搞怪的元素。毕德士深谙如何在幽默与实用的忠告之间取得平衡，再次证明他能够把有关的讯息融入大量的引文、对话与充满趣味的指引当中，可轻易看出他非常热爱自己身为正面激励者的工作。

Who else but Peters can narrow down the concept of excellence into 19 “E’s,” two of which are “ears” and “error-prone.” Why “ears”? Peters writes that effective listening is a leader’s most important strategic advantage. What about “error-prone”? He explains, “Try a lot of stuff and make a lot of booboos and then try some more stuff and make some more booboos – all of it at the speed of light!” Who uses the word “booboos” twice in the same sentence while also providing perfectly clear encouragement to make the mistakes that improve one’s chances of attaining excellence? No one but Tom Peters.

除了毕德士，还有谁能够把卓越的概念浓缩成十九个「E」（译注：指以e为前缀的英文字，本文中已翻成中文），而且其中两个「E」还是「耳朵」和「易于犯错」？为什么是「耳朵」呢？毕德士写道，有效的聆听是领导人最重要的策略优势。那么「易于犯错」呢？他解释道：「多方尝试，犯很多愚蠢的错误；再更多方尝试，再犯很多愚蠢的错误──而且这一切都要在极快的速度下完成！」谁能够在同一句话里用上两次的「愚蠢的错误」，却又明确表达出鼓励人不怕犯错以追求卓越的概念？只有毕德士做得到。

Make friends   交朋友

Another exciting aspect of The Little BIG Things is Peter’s grasp of history and the people involved. Whether it’s references to the framers of the United States Constitution or reflections on the politics of the Cold War, Peters proves that he is an instructor. History, like business, is a passion that Peters communicates to readers throughout The Little BIG Things.

《小动作成就大事业》另一个令人振奋的特色，则是毕德士对历史与人的透彻掌握。不论提及美国宪法的起草人，还是省思冷战期间的政治情势，毕德士都证明了他不但长于教导，也善于学习。毕德士在这本书中不但向读者传达他对商业的热情，也展现了他对历史的热爱。

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heap [hip] n.【口】大量，许多 a great deal of; a lot of

brilliance [ˋbrɪljəns] n.（卓越的）才华，才智

dollop [ˋdɑləp] n. 块；团；份 a small amount of something soft 

grip [grɪp] n. 掌握；控制

tapestry [ˋtæpɪstrɪ] n. 各式各样的人(或物) a colorful and complicated situation; 绣帷；挂毯 a piece of cloth whose pattern or picture is created by sewing or weaving different colored threads onto a special type of cloth

quotation [kwoˋteʃən] n. 引文；语录

provoker [prəˋvokɚ] n. 激励者  someone who deliberately foments trouble

prone [pron] adj. 有……倾向的，易于……的

booboo ['bubu] n. 错误 a dumb mistake (informal)

framer [ˋfremɚ] n. 制订者, 创作者

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When he describes how making friends can help anyone become more successful, Peters counter-intuitively applies a tough leader’s thoughts to a supposedly “soft” topic by quoting Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who said, “Allied commands depend on mutual confidence; this confidence is gained, above all, through the development of friendships.” Peters explains that Eisenhower was renowned for his friend-making ability, and those words were offered to encourage American and British soldiers to get along long enough to fight their mutual enemies to win World War II.

谈到交朋友可让人更加成功，毕德士以违反直觉的方式，利用一名强硬领袖的想法探讨这项「软性」的主题。他引用了艾森豪威尔威尔威尔威尔威尔威尔将军的话：「盟军的指挥仰赖于相互信赖；而这种信赖最主要乃是来自友谊。」毕德士指出，艾森豪威尔威尔威尔威尔威尔威尔以善于交朋友着称，以上这句话的目的就在于鼓励美国与英国士兵和睦相处，以对抗他们共同的敌人，从而赢得第二次世界大战。

Peters writes that managers and supervisors can improve their chances of success by remembering to make friends along the way, “consciously and measurably and carefully.” If you aren’t very good at making friends, Peters writes, remember that it is a “learnable skill,” which can be acquired with some hard work and practice. If you need some guidance, Peters suggests that you read Dale Carnegie’s classic How to Win Friends and Influence People.

毕德士写道，经理人与主管只要记得在奋斗的路途上「用心、显着而且谨慎」地交朋友，即可提升自己成功的机会。如果不善于交朋友，毕德士写道，别忘了这是一种「可经由学习而得的技巧」，只要多努力并且多练习，就能够培养交友技能。如果需要指引，毕德士建议你阅读卡内基的经典著作：《卡内基沟通与人际关系》。

Lessons and suggestions like these demonstrate Peters’ renowned expertise in the field of excellence, which was also evident in In Search of Excellence, the business classic that he co-wrote with Robert Waterman. In The Little BIG Things, Peters continues to help readers create and cultivate the ever-elusive excellence that will help them improve their work.

这类指示与建议都展现了毕德士在卓越领域知名的专业能力。在他与罗勃．华特曼合写的商业经典著作《追求卓越》（暂译）里，这样的特色也一样明确可见。在《小动作成就大事业》当中，毕德士持续帮助读者创造以及培养那难以捉摸的卓越，以提升他们的工作成果。

−review by Chris Lauer

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allied [əˈlaɪd,ˈælˌaɪd] adj. 同盟国的 the countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and France, that fought against the Axis, which included Germany, Italy and Japan, in World War II

command [kəˋmænd] n. 指挥，统率

consciously [ˋkɑnʃəslɪ] adv. 有自我意识地；自觉地 mindfully

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elusive [ɪˋlusɪv] adj. 难以理解的 difficult to catch, find, achieve or remember

expound [ɪkˋspaʊnd] v. 解释；详细述说 to give a detailed explanation of something

counterintuitive [͵kaʊntɚɪnˋtjʊɪtɪv] adj. 违反直觉的 something that does not happen in the expected way, against common sense or logic

chaotic [keˋɑtɪk] adj. 混乱的；杂乱无章的 in a state of total confusion with no order

vital [ˋvaɪt!] adj. 极其重要的 necessary for the success or continued existence of something; extremely important

quirkiness [ˋkwɝkɪnəs] n. 古怪 something that is strange and unexpected

pertinent [ˋpɝtnənt] adj. 有关的，相干的 relating directly to the subject being considered

grasp [græsp] n. & v. 理解，领会 to understand something, especially something difficult

renowned [rɪˋnaʊnd] adj. 有名的；有声誉的 famous for something

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Tom Peters - 3 Ways to Pursue Excellence