雪莉蒂爾曼2006年在普林斯頓大學的演講——21世紀的領導力(中英)
I have been asked to speak to you about leadership and the qualities that leaders will need in the 21st century to bring about positive change in the world about them. I would like to approach my topic through the prism of eight remarkable individuals, each of whom has demonstrated qualities that both men and women need in order to be successful and to motivate others to excel as well. None of these qualities can be developed overnight, nor do all of us possess them in equal measure, but they exist in everyone, and if you doubt the truth of this in your case,just dig a little deeper.
今天我受邀談談領導力以及領導者在21世紀要給周邊世界帶來積極變化所必須 具備的品質。我想通過一些優秀的個人實例來闡述這個話題,因為他們身上折射出 來的品質是每個男性和女性立志獲得成功或是激勵他人不斷超越所必需的品質。培 養出這些品質并非一夜之功,每個人所體現出的此類素質的程度也參差不齊,但是 他們存在于每個人的身體里。如果你覺得自己不具備,那么就再深度挖掘一下。
What then are these qualities? First and foremost, a leader needs to have a strong sense of purpose—a passion if you will—and a vision of where she wants to go. I am reminded here of the founder of the modern dance movement in America, Martha Graham. Graham changed the history of 20th-century American dance and choreography and influenced the work of countless artists in other fields, from actors to composers to set designers. In the course of her long and tempestuous life, Graham came to embody modern , dance because of the extraordinary passion she brought to her craft. Her father frowned on professional dancers, and it was not until the age of 17 that she witnessed a dance performance, and it was not until the age of 22 that she enrolled in her first class. Between 1916 and her first great success, American Document, in 1938, Graham endured poverty, scorn, and disappointment,and even at the height of her popularity, she struggled with depression and alcoholism. Undeterred by a lack of patronage, she became her own choreographer, pushing the boundaries of dance and developing a distinctive style of movement. Critics called her work “macabre” and “sexless",but still she persevered until, according to dance historian Maureen Needham, “she moved from being considered ’a dangerous revolutionary5 to a model for ‘orthodox ballerinas and choreographers in search of new ideas?,” As Needham points out, “For almost all of her life she had repeated as her personal mantra, ‘I am a dancer?” Her journey from oddity to icon was often challenging, demanding a level of commitment and conviction that many fail to muster. True leadership requires an abundance of both.
那么這些品質是什么呢?首先,一個領導者需要很強的目的性,以及對自己目 的地的展望,如果你說成是激情也是可以的。在這里,我想起來美國現代舞運動的奠基人,馬薩格雷厄姆。她改寫了20世紀美國舞蹈和編舞的歷史,也影響了其他領 域不計其數的藝術家,包括演員、作曲家和設計師。在她漫長而動蕩的一生中,她 將無與倫比的激情投人到這門技藝中,因而成為了現代舞的象征。由于馬薩的父親 對職業舞蹈家的反感,致使她17歲時才觀看了第一場舞蹈表演,22歲才開始了她的 第一堂舞蹈課。在1916年到1938年間,也就是她因作品“美國檔案”首度獲得成功 之前,她忍受著貧窮、嘲諷和無盡的的失望。即使是她聲名鵲起之時,也仍然在與 憂郁和酗酒作斗爭。雖然缺乏贊助,她就自己擔任編舞,拓寬了舞蹈藝術的疆界得 同時,創造出一套獨特的動作風格。批評家們稱其作品“恐怖” “沒有性特征”, 她依然堅持自我,直到后來,舞蹈史家莫林尼德姆指出,“她從人們心中的‘危險 的革命分子’轉變成了 ‘探索新觀念的正統芭蕾舞及編舞’的典范。”正如尼德姆 所說的,“在她生命的大部分時候,她都在重復著她的個人咒語——‘我是一個舞者’。”她一路走來,由怪人變成偶像,這個過程充滿挑戰,這需要堅定的獻身精神 和信念,這往往也是常人不能具備的,但是真正的領導力必須二者兼備。
A strong sense of purpose is not sufficient, however, for a leader needs to be able to inspire others to adopt her vision. She also needs the power of persuasion. In my lifetime, Barbara Jordan epitomized someone who had the extraordinary combination of inspiration to change her world and the eloquence to inspire others to do the same. Raised in the segregated South, she became the first African-American woman to sit in the Texas Senate and the first from a Southern state to sit in the US House of Representatives. Not only did she embody the American dream as she overcame centuries of racial and sexual inequality, she articulated that dream in a way that resonated across America. No one who was alive in 1974 during President Nixon’s impeachment proceedings will forget her exhortation to the nation to respect the Constitution of the United States, a constitution that did not include her ancestors when it was written. Yet it was her eloquent and temperate voice that allowed the House Judiciary Committee to arrive at a bipartisan decision in one of the most difficult and potentially divisive moments in the country’s history. And whether she was championing the rule of law or exhorting Americans to pursue the common good instead of selfish interests, she held our nation’s feet to the fire of its ideals. As President Clinton put it at her funeral in 1996,“Through the sheer force of the truth she spoke, the poetry of her words, and the power of her voice, Barbara always stirred our national conscience.... When Barbara Jordan talked, we listened.”
但是,只有很強的目的性還是不夠的,領導者不僅要能夠感染他人,還要能 夠讓他人接受自己的主張,因此他還需要說服力。在我的一生所認識的人中,芭芭 拉約旦就是這兩者結合起來的典范,她把改造世界的靈感與感染他人的雄辯力完美 地結合起來。成長于種族隔離的南方,她成了得克薩斯州首位非裔美國女性議員, 以及美國眾議院第一位來自南方州的代表。她克服幾個世紀以來的種族歧視和性別 不平等的實際行動體現了美國夢的實現,她闡述美國夢的方式更在整個美洲產生了 共鳴。任何經歷了 1974年彈劾尼克松總統事件的美國人將不會忘記她規勸全國人民 要尊重美國憲法,盡管這部憲法在訂制之初沒有考慮到她的黑人祖先,然而正是她 雄辯的口才和溫和的聲音,使得眾議院司法委員會在這個國家歷史上最困難、最可 能出現分裂的時期作出了兩黨一致的裁決^無論她在支持法治,還是在規勸美國人 放棄私利、追求公益,她都點燃了整個國家理想的火焰,讓我們感受到了理想的溫暖。正如克林頓總統于1996年在她的葬禮上所說的:“通過她口中飽含力量的真 理,飽含力量的聲音和詩般優美的語言,芭芭拉總是在激蕩著我們的良知_芭芭 拉一講話,全世界都會聆I,,
Leaders are fallible, just like everyone else, and make mistakes. But it is critical that a leader be able to learn from her mistakes and make mid-course corrections. This is a quality I admire in Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former First Lady of the United States and currently New York’s junior senator. A successful lawyer and persuasive advocate for children’s and women’s rights, Clinton was eager to assume a policymaking role when her husband was elected president. In 1993, he asked her to head a task force on healthcare reform with the ambitious goal of creating a universal healthcare system. Unfortunately, political inexperience,including a failure to work effectively with Congressional leaders,coupled with a variety of other factors, doomed this initiative. “Hillarycare" as her plan was dubbed, did not even come to a vote. This very public failure could have completely ended her political career. But I believe that time has shown that Clinton was able to recognize and then learn from that mistake, and she has since become a highly regarded member of the US Senate, earning respect from both sides of the aisle by treating her colleagues with deference and reaching out to her opponents at a time when bipartisanship is an endangered species. And in New York,she has cultivated upstate voters, rather than gravitating to politically congenial New York City, by listening to their concerns and taking them seriously. Slowly but surely, she has persuaded critics~and she has many—to look at her in a different light and, in many cases, to work with her. As The Atlantic noted in a recent article, “One of Clinton’s most enthusiastic and least likely fans is Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who, when he was still a congressman, served as one of the most energetic managers of her husband’s impeachment.” Leadership is more than presenting a vision and serving as its champion. Leadership is about building bridges, and Clinton’s success in the Senate, which has surprised so many, bears witness to the importance of this art.
和常人一樣,領導人也是會犯錯誤的。但重要的是領導人要能從中吸取教訓 并改正錯誤。這正是前美國第一夫人、現任紐約州新參議員希拉里克林頓身上讓 我頗為欣賞的一點。作為一名成功的律師以及倡導婦女和兒童權利的雄辯人士,希 拉里在其丈夫擔任美國總統后,熱切地希望能夠參與政策的制定。1993年,克林頓 要求她帶領一個醫療改革任務小組,其宏偉目標是建立一個覆蓋面廣闊的醫療衛生 體系。遺憾的是,由于缺乏政治經驗,無法與國會領導人進行有效合作以及其他諸 多因素,這個被人戲稱“希拉里醫改”的計劃甚至沒有付諸表決,就以失敗告終。 這次眾人皆知的失敗本來可能會導致她政治生涯的終結。但是我相信,時間已經證 明,希拉里能夠認識到錯誤并從中吸取教訓。自那以后,她成為了美國參議院被高 度認可的參議員。由于她尊重同事,在兩黨鮮有合作的時候向對方伸出了友好的雙 手,此舉贏得雙方對她的尊重。在紐約州,她沒有一味親睞政治上一致的紐約市,而是通過傾聽他們的憂慮并認真對待這些問題,與州北部選民建立起了深厚的友 誼。漸漸地但也是必然地,她改變了眾多批評家對她的看法,并使他們在很多場合 與她合作。正如《大西洋月刊》在最近一篇文章中所說的,“林賽格林厄姆參議 員,這位來自南卡羅來納州的共和黨人,曾在他還是國會議員期間便大力組織彈劾 了她的丈夫,現在卻成了希拉里最熱忱也是最不可思議的擁護者之一。”領導力不 僅僅是展望未來并捍衛這一展望,它還包括架起溝通的橋梁。希拉里在參議院的成 功使許多人十分瓊訝,這充分說明了這一藝術的重要性。
The final quality of leadership that I would like to is one of the most important~ you need courage—the courage of your convictions, the courage to withstand public criticism, the courage to stand for what is right even in the face of physical threat. Aung San Suu Kyi [Awn San Soo Chee] gives new meaning to the word courage. Born in Burma in 1945,she never knew her father—an architect of Burmese independence who was assassinated when she was two. Suu Kyi spent much of her life abroad before returning to her homeland in 1988 to care for her ailing mother. Her visit coincided with popular protests against Burma’s repressive military government, which responded by declaring martial law. Resolving to speak out, Suu Kyi sent an open letter to the government calling for multi-party elections and a cessation of violence on all sides. Shortly afterwards, she helped to form the National League for Democracy and, defying Burma’s rulers, campaigned for peaceful change throughout the country.
我想要強調的關于領導力的最后一個、也是非常重要的品質就是勇氣。作為領 導者,你需要勇氣,有勇氣去堅守你的信念,有勇氣去承受公眾的批評,有勇氣在 生命遭受威脅時為真理挺身而出。昂山素姬賦予了勇氣一詞新的意義。她于1945年 出生于緬甸,她從沒見過自己的父親,因為她的父親作為緬甸獨立運動的發動者在 她兩歲時遭到暗殺。昂山素姬生命的大部分時光是在國外度過的,直到1988年才回 國照顧病重的母親。她回國時正趕上大眾抗議緬甸專制軍政府,政府宣布戒嚴。昂山素姬下定了決心要挺身而出進行抗議。她給政府寫了封公開信,呼吁各方停止暴 力進行多黨選舉。之后不久,她幫助組建了 “全國民主聯盟”,她為了反抗緬甸統 治者主張在全國實行和平變革。
In 1989,she was placed under house arrest, but the League still succeeded in winning more than 80 percent of the seats in Burma’s national assembly. The military refused to accept this outcome and despite international condemnation, has failed to relinquish its grip on power. Knowing that she would never be allowed to return to Burma if she were to leave the country, Suu Kyi has chosen incarceration and persecution over freedom. Separated from her family, she has spent much of the past 17 years under house arrest and remains imprisoned to this day.
1989年她被軟禁在家中,盡管如此,全國民主聯盟還是贏得了緬甸國民大會80% 以上的席位。但是軍政府拒絕接受這個結果,他們至國際譴責于不顧,沒有放開手 中的權力。軍政府知道一旦他們離開緬甸,便再也不能回來。昂山素姬選擇了被拘 押和被迫害,她放棄了自由,被迫與家人分離。在過去的17年里她一直遭受軟禁, 直到現在仍未獲得自由。
“To live the full life,” she once declared, “one must have the courage to bear the responsibility of the needs of others”,and she has personified this belief by sharing the hardships of the Burmese people. In a famous essay, entitled Freedom from Fear, she reflected on the nature of courage, writing: “Fearlessness may be a gift but perhaps more precious is the courage acquired through endeavour, courage that comes from cultivating the habit of refusing to let fear dictate one’s actions, courage that could be described as 5grace under pressure,—grace which is renewed repeatedly in the face of harsh, unremitting pressure. In 1991, this gentle but courageous woman was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, which her sons accepted on her behalf.
她曾經說過,“要使生活充實而有意義,人必須有勇氣承擔起能滿足他人需 求的責任。”她為緬甸人民分擔痛苦,踐行了這一信念。在一篇題為《來自恐懼 中的自由》的著名文章中她寫到:“無畏可能是一種天賦,但勇氣更珍貴,它通過 努力而得,它來自于培養自己拒絕接受恐懼支配,它可以被描述為‘壓力下的風 度’。”這種風度面對無窮而持續的壓力不斷升華。1991年,這位溫和而不是失勇氣的女性被授予了諾貝爾和平獎,由她的兒子代為領獎。
Now it will probably not have escaped your notice that I chose only women to illustrate those qualities of leadership. Of course, I could just as easily have substituted George Balanchine for Martha Graham, or Mario Cuomo for Barbara Jordan, or Dr. Martin Luther King, for Aung San sun Kyi, and so on. I chose this group of remarkable women because of the persistent inclination in our society—and many others for that matter—to imagine a man when the word “leader” is spoken. In this month when the Episcopal Academy is celebrating coeducation and reflecting on the meaning of leadership, I thought it might be helpful to have firmly implanted in everyone’s minds the images of women leaders, and to recall the enormous impact they have had on our world.
現在你們可能已經注意到,為了闡述領導力,我引用的全是女性的例子。當 然,我可以輕而易舉地用喬治巴蘭欽來代替馬薩格雷厄姆,用馬里奧郭默代替芭 芭拉約旦,用馬丁路德金來代替昂山素姬,我之所以所選擇這些優秀的女性,是 因為我們的社會總是有一種傾向,一提到“領導人”,腦子里浮現的都是男性的形 象。我這樣做當然還有其他一些原因。這個月正值主教大學慶祝男女同校以及思考 領導藝術的含義的時候,我想,在每個人腦海中深深植入女性領導人的形象,并回 顧她們對世界產生的巨大影響是大有裨益的。
Thank you for the invitation to participate in this event, and for your kind attention,
謝謝你們邀請我參加這一活動,謝謝你們的側耳傾聽。
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