Louisa Wong是亚洲最大的猎头公司—伯乐管理有限公司的创立者和执行董事长。08年被商业周刊杂志评为全球50位最有影响力的猎头顾问。
初次见到Louisa Wong是在两年前的华盛顿D.C.,她当时在我先生所服务的非盈利性机构-ENACTUS的世界杯决赛中做终轮评审。我和我闺蜜见到她,几惊为天人。其谈吐外型、一招一式都让人印象深刻。所谓aging gracefully,她自然是我所认识的朋友中极具资格的代表。
很巧,最近LinkedIn(国内叫“领英”)上看到她为其中一个主题“If I were 22……”(若重回22岁…)写的一篇文章。我特别逐字逐句翻译如下。经Louisa确认许可,和大家分享。
(Louisa 22岁时)
When I was 22, life was filled with dreams, hopes, anticipation, and anxiety as I was not sure about what I should do or become. I did not have any particular ambition but hard work has always been the hallmark of success in my high school and university days.
生活对于22岁时的我来说,一方面充满了各种梦想、希望和期待,但困惑和焦虑也如影随形,只因彼时,对于未来我该从事什么或者成为什么样的人,我毫无想法。我没有具体的抱负,但勤奋刻苦是我中学和大学岁月里的鲜明标志,我的成绩因此总是名列前茅。
I was a straight-A student and got into Harvard Business School (HBS) at the age of 21. Thinking back, I wish I was not always in such a hurry. I compressed my 4-year Biochemistry and Food Sciences courses to less than 3 years, and went straight to HBS without gaining any work experience.
作为全A优等生,我21岁进了哈佛商学院。回想过去,我倒是希望我可以悠着点儿。大学本科,我把4年学制的生物化学和食品科学两门学科的课程压缩在3年里完成,然后在没有任何工作经验的情况下直升了哈佛商学院。
If I had some prior business experience, I would have known that I should have spent more time learning from and developing valuable friendships with my classmates at HBS, who were all older and had more working experience than me. If I had developed lasting friendships and partnerships with the many individuals who came from diverse backgrounds on campus, the network I built then would have better helped me to navigate the business world.
若时光倒流,我宁愿在进商学院之前我是有工作经验的,因为这些经验能让我懂得,花上更多的时间来向商学院我的同学们学习取经并培育可贵的友谊,是多么的重要。他们都比我年长并拥有很多年的职场历练。如果当时在哈佛校园里我能和那么多来自五湖四海不同背景的个人结成永恒的友谊,这个人际关系网必定在日后能帮助我自如地驰骋在商海世界里。
The two years at HBS were the toughest two years of my life and I learned that sometimes, hard work is not enough. I was humbled by the journey of securing the top spot in my class up until HBS to landing at the bottom, and having to fight for my chance to just to survive. Even though I was not able to graduate as a Baker Scholar at HBS, I still managed to graduate. Courage and humility helped me through those tough times, and today, my career and my life continue to be shaped by those core values.
在哈佛商学院的两年,是我人生中最暗无天日的两年。我日后认识到,只有个人的勤奋刻苦是不够的。我从原来的顶尖优等生,一落千丈,成了哈佛商学院的末位生,最后也只能勉强过关。我不是以哈佛商学院的优等生毕业的,但谢天谢地我还是顺利毕业了。这一过程使我谦卑。正是“勇气”和“谦卑”,帮助我度过那段黑暗和落差巨大的日子。直至今日,它们依然是我职业生涯和个人生活中的核心价值。
Twenty-two-year-olds often seek out new experiences and adventures, and they focus on what companies can do for them instead of what they can do for the companies. Having graduated from HBS without a plan or any particular ambition, I simply accepted the challenges that were presented to me and accepted my first job offer at Morgan Guaranty Trust (now known as JP Morgan). I soon realized that banking was boring to me, so I switched to fashion merchandising. Sadly, I did not achieve much for the companies I worked for as I was endlessly searching for experiences. I wish I was more focused on my achievements that would earn me promotions and recognition.
22岁这个年纪,意味着历险和寻求新的经验。新入职场的新鲜人总是更多地关注“公司能提供我什么”,而不问问自己“我能为公司贡献什么”。我从哈佛商学院毕业时没有任何计划也没有什么具体抱负,只是简单顺势地接受了Morgan Guaranty Trust (也就是后来的JP Morgan)给我的第一份工作。但很快发现银行的工作对我来说太过枯燥,于是我转向了时尚业的营销工作。不幸的是,我并没为我服务的公司成就什么,因为我总是无休止地在尝试不同新的东西。我现在倒是希望年轻的我能够专注于某个岗位然后实现升迁“加爵”。
I know that my heart often speaks louder than my brain when it comes to making crucial decisions for myself. I chose to return to Hong Kong without a job to care for my parents and I accidentally came across the headhunting profession upon my return. After two years at Russell Reynolds, I left the industry, thinking that it was too easy and went back to fashion manufacturing instead.
在人生的关键抉择上,我倒是总能充分听从我的内心。后来,我选择在没有工作的情形下回到香港照顾我的父母。于是无心插柳地进入了猎头这个专业领域。在Russell Reynolds供职两年以后,我又因为猎头行业缺少挑战性串回时尚业。
The decision to rejoin Russell Reynolds was a difficult one as it is hard for people, especially youngsters, to admit their mistakes. However that was the best decision I have made for my career, and today, headhunting has become my life and my legacy. I have accepted the challenge and devoted my life to becoming the very best in the profession. Hard work has once again become the pillar of my success.
对于大多数人来说(特别是年轻人),要承认自己的错误,需要很大的勇气;于我亦然。所以决定回到老东家Russell Reynolds重拾猎头业,并非易事。而这恰恰成为我整个职业生涯最英明之决定,直至今日,猎头中介依然是我的人生,我的标签。我接受来自其中的挑战并全身心地投入,力求成为这个领域中的翘楚。勤奋刻苦又一次成为我的成功基石。
I was lucky in the sense that I was able to finally establish a successful life for myself through focusing on developing my skills and learning how to achieve goals. However, I wish I didn’t have to learn the hard way that academics are not everything. Personal relationships are equally important, especially if we wish to contribute to something that is larger than ourselves. At the end of the day, it is often not the outcomes that matter, but the overall experiences we gain that will help us make our next decision as well as how we manage the expectations set by others and ourselves.
我专注于发展自己的技能、不断学习,最终获取一席之地,我是幸运的。但如果我一早就能认识到学业成绩远不是全部,也许我的路可以走得宽泛容易一些。人际关系同样重要,尤其当我们拥有宏大的蓝图时。毕竟,结果不是最重要的,我们在过程中所获得的全部经验(反过来可以帮助我们做下一个决策)以及如何管理来自别人和我们自身的期望值才是最有意义的。
It is uncommon to find HBS graduates within the headhunting profession because at times, our work can be undervalued or trivialized and does not gain as much respect as it deserves. By giving my heart and accepting challenges while staying true to the five values that have become my guiding principles in both my life and business (honesty, humility, hunger, honor and humor), I have been able to cultivate the strength required to stand tall and continue to excel in whatever I do.
猎头行业,时不时地会被低看一等;所以哈佛商学院的毕业生投身于猎头行业,并不多见。但我全身心地投入其中,接受各种挑战,坚守指引我人生和经商的五个价值观原则(诚实、谦卑、饥渴、荣耀和幽默),继续在我的领域内实现卓越,我满怀信心。
I would also like to point out that time is a more valuable resource than most 22-year-olds perceive. People at 22 somehow always seem to think that time is an abundant resource. Thinking back, I wish I could have been more decisive and insistent on having children. Contrary to common perception, I believe that motherhood makes us better people and it can only help our career. As women, we need to balance various interests and juggle the essential elements if we wish to succeed in today’s corporate world. More importantly, motherhood naturally teaches you the importance of giving, and this is one of the best soft powers any CEO can have. I believe that even if I had children, I would still be able to build the most successful and largest headhunting firm in Asia.
最后我想强调,时间作为有价值的资源,往往被22岁的年轻人低估。在他们眼中,时间用之不竭。回想过去,我有遗憾,我遗憾我没能在生儿育女这个问题上更加果断和坚持。女性在当今的职业世界若要获取成功,需要平衡各种利益以及在重要的人生角色间变化切换。我坚信–为人母–可以让我们变成更好的人,而这点对我们的职业生涯大有裨益。更重要的是,为人母,会自然而然向你揭示“给予”的重要性,而这是任一个CEO能够拥有的最好的软实力。我相信即便我拥有孩子,我一样能将我的公司打造成亚洲最大最成功的猎头公司。
When you are 22, it is more important to cultivate one’s inner values through successes and failures, good and bad decisions, hard work and devotion because it will one day become the strength and backbone of one’s career.
Giving your best remains true when I was 22 and still holds true to anyone who is 22 now.
当你身处22岁的花样年华,通过成功和失败,好决定抑或坏决定,勤奋和全身心交付,来培育自己的内心价值体系,这很重要。因为这个体系将支撑你的整个职业生涯,成为你的优势。“竭尽全力”永不过时。
Louisa参加我们在M on the Bund举办的活动,艳光四射。
汶川地震后,Louisa在香港创立了慈善机构—Giving Hands (接力慈善)。目前该机构已经在中国完成了42个项目,受益人数达6万多人。
————————-