(Laughter)

OK, I'll go first. How does that sound?

好，我先說，你聽聽看

A couple of years ago I decided I wanted to learn Spanish

幾年前我決定我要學西班牙語

in preparation for a trip I was taking to Mexico.

為了準備去墨西哥的旅行

I know French, I thought; how hard could it be?

我懂法語，我心裡想：那是有多難啦？

So I did what any self-respecting member

所以我做了任何有21世紀有自尊心的人

of the 21st century would do to become fluent in a language:

都會做的事，學好語言！

I downloaded a flashcard app on my iPhone.

我下載了單字本的ＡＰＰ到我的手機

OK, so flash forward a few months.

ＯＫ，幾個月時間過了

My two girlfriends and I had just arrived in Cancun.

我的兩個女性朋友和我已經到了Cancun

We leave the airport, we get in the cab,

我們離開機場，搭上計程車

and I decide that I'm going to make some small talk with the cab driver.

我決定要和計程車司機小聊一下

So I confidently state,

所以我自信的說：

(Spanish) "Estoy excitada ir al hotel porque soy casada."

我很高興要去酒店，因為我快累死了

(Laughter)

Some of you know where this is going, yeah? OK.

你們有些人知道這是要去哪裡對吧！？

And the look on the cab driver's face

然後從司機的表情

made it instantly clear that I had not just said,

很清楚的表明我剛剛不是說:

"I'm excited to go to the hotel because I'm tired."

我很高興要去酒店，因為我很累

What I'd actually said was:

我其實是說：

"I'm sexually excited to go to the hotel because I've just got married."

我很性奮要去酒店，因為我剛剛結婚了！

(Laughter)

So, needless to say, I felt exposed and embarrassed.

所以，不用多說，我覺得尷尬死了

But what about you?

但是你呢？

Maybe, you're struggling to run your business,

或許你正在因為經營你的事業而煩惱

fighting to master a skill you need to do your job,

竭力學會你工作上會需要的技能

or just trying to lower your golf handicap.

或是試著在降低你在打高爾夫時遇到的障礙

Have you been meaning to get a mentor or take a class,

你可曾經試著找過導師或是上過課？

or, in my case, find a Spanish tutor, but you never really got around to it?

或者：以我的例子來說，找一個會西班牙語的導師，但你真的沒時間來著手進行?

You know what I'm talking about, right?

你知道我在說什麼對吧

It's that thing you've been dying to master.

就是那些你曾經死也想學會的事情

And if you're a type A person like me, it probably haunts you

如果你是像我一樣的人，這種事可能會纏著你，

in the form of a line on your To-Do list that you never cross off,

像是在待辦事項裡從不曾被劃掉的事宜

because you're so bogged down in the tyranny of the urgent.

因為你被逼迫於以事情的緊急度來排優先順序

Have you experienced that?

你可曾有這種經驗？

So, whether you're a business leader, an employee, a hobbyist

不論你是商業領袖、僱員、或是興趣愛好者

or a beer league hockey player,

或是啤酒聯盟的曲棍球球員

how much time and energy do you invest to become

你有多少次和多少精力投入在成為

totally awesome at what you do?

「佼佼者」你所做的事上？

Here's my big idea.

這是我的想法：

When it comes to your own development

當它成為你自己的發展

you can't keep waiting until you're less busy

直到你有空時，你才可以等待

or for someone else to do it for you.

或者是讓其他人為你完成

No one will truly invest in you but you.

沒有人會向你自己投資你一樣地認真

Now, my life's work is to help leaders be better.

現在，我生活上的工作就是幫助領袖進步

This passion began in my childhood

這份熱情開始於我的童年

when I saw the power of leaders to transform people's lives.

當我看到領導者的力量能如何改變人們的生活

Shortly after my parent's divorce, my mother started her own business,

在我父母離婚不久後，我的母親開始她自己的事業

and it didn't just support our family;

不只支持著我們的家

it supported the families of the 25 people who worked for her.

並且養活了其他25個人為她工作的家庭

And now, as a grown up, and an organizational psychologist,

現在，我長大了，成為組織的心理學家

I apply this scientific principles of human behavior

我申請這個「人類行為的科學法則」專題

to help leaders and companies succeed.

幫助領導者和企業成功

But a client of mine recently explained what I do far better than I ever could.

但是一個我的客戶最近解釋說：我所做的遠超乎我可以做的

Here's what she said,

她是這樣說的：

"Leadership is my Everest, and you are my Sherpa."

領袖能力是我的珠穆朗瑪峰，你是我的雪爾帕人[西藏的一個種族]

(Laughter) Pretty great.

很好

So, in the last 12-years of being an executive Sherpa, or coach,

在過去作為雪爾帕人的執行長或是教練的12年

I stumbled upon a pattern.

我偶然發現了一個模式

Three steps for radical improvement

基本進步的三個步驟

that don't just apply to business leadership,

這不只適用於商業領袖能力

they apply to anything you want to do better.

也適用改進於任何你想做的事

And today I'm going to share them with you.

今天我要和你們分享

But before I do that, you might be thinking,

但是在這之前，你可能會在想：

"Really? Anything?"

真的嗎？所有事都可以？

In short, yes!

總而言之，是的！

Whether you're a body builder or a bartender,

不論你是健身愛好者或是酒保

a surgeon, or a screen writer, a violinist, or a volunteer,

外科醫師、作家、小提琴家或是志工

if there's something you want to do better,

如果有你想要做更好的事

these three things will help you become totally awesome at what you do.

這三個事情會幫助你在你做的事上成為「佼佼者」

OK, so three things.

好，三件事

Should we get started? Excellent.

我們開始吧！？

All right, step 1 is to know thyself.

好，第一步：瞭解你自己

Here's the bottom line:

根本的問題是：

most people are completely delusional about their own skills and capabilities.

大部份的人完全妄想他們自有的技巧與能力

(Laughter)

It's true, and I can prove it.

這是真的！我可以證明！

Researchers Justin Kruger and David Dunning uncovered this phenomenon

研究員Justin Kruger 和 David Dunning 揭露了這個現象

which they modestly named the Dunning-Kruger effect.

他們謹慎的將它命名為「Dunning-Kruger效應」

But some of you might be more into NPR than science,

比起科學，你們一些人可能會對NPR更有興趣

and you might know it as the Lake Wobegon effect. (Laughter)

你們可能把它和「Lake Wobegon 效應」搞混

[Welcome to Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong,

歡迎來到 Lake Wobegon ，一個所有女生都很強壯的地方

So in a series of four experiments

在我們一系列的四個實驗

Kruger and Dunning found

Kruger and Dunning發現

that most people completely overestimate their talent.

大部份的人完全高估他們自己的才能

What was even scarier, at least to me, was that the least competent people

更可怕的是，至少對我來說，最少數那些優秀的人

were the worst at recognizing their incompetence.

在對他們自己無能的認知上表現是最糟的

Are we bad people? Rarely.

我們是很差勁的人嗎？差勁的人很少

Are we stupid? Not usually.

我們很笨嗎？不太可能

We just live in a world where people hardly ever tell the truth.

我們就只是生活在「人們幾乎不說實話」的世界裡

We're polite, we're busy, we're afraid,

我們有禮貌、我們很忙、我們害怕

and then there's the classic frontal attack of:

然後有一個經典正面攻擊：

"Can I give you some feedback?"

我可以給你些意見嗎？

Now, if you don't run the other way when someone says that to you,

現在，當如果有人這樣對你說，如果你不走另一個方向

you're probably feeling a little defensive

你可能已經感覺到有一點防衛心了

when you hear what they have to say, aren't you?

當你聽到他們必須這樣說時，對吧？

So, for me, in my work coaching leaders,

所以，就我而言，在我的工作中，教導這些領袖們

I'm often sent in to tell someone the truth

我常常告訴別人真相

when everyone else is afraid to.

當其他人很害怕時

And today, I'll tell you a story about an executive I coach named Steve.

今天，我將告訴你們一個關於我教過的執行長 Steve 的故事

But remember these three steps apply to anything you want to be better.

但是請記得這三個步驟適用在任何你想要進步的事上

OK, so here's the deal.

好，事情是這樣的

When I met Steve, he thought he was doing a bang-up job.

當我遇到Steve，他認為他正在做一件很了不起的工作

(Laughter)

But when I talked to his team,

但當我和他的團隊聊過後

I learned pretty quickly that that wasn't the case.

我很快地意識到這不是他講的那件事

They said he was as smart as they come.

他們說他就跟他們剛來一樣聰明

But they told me he had some, let's just call them "quirks".

但是他們告訴我他有一些..我們就說是「雙關語」吧

No, no, let's be honest. His team thought he was a jerk.

噢不不，我們誠實點吧，他的團隊認為他是個王八蛋

He would bark orders at them. He would question their competence.

他會罵他們，他會質疑他們的能力

He would scream at them, in a way they found unprofessional and frightening.

他會對他們咆哮，用一種他們發現是很不專業且令人害怕的方式

This is a true story.

這是真實的故事

One of his employees had just started taking

他其中一個員工開始服用

blood pressure medicine because of it.

高血壓的藥就是因為這樣

And lucky me, I got to be the jerk who told him all of that.

還好我很幸運，我必須成為告訴他這些事情的那個混蛋

So, just imagine that you're with me in Steve's palatial corner office.

所以，試著想想你和我在Steve氣派的辦公室角落

So, we sit across from each other at his huge wooden conference table.

我們坐在彼此對面在它巨大的木質會議桌上

I look him dead in the eyes.

我死死地盯著他的眼睛

I said, "Steve, there's no way around this. Your team hates you."

我說：「Steve's 這裏沒有其他辦法了，你的團隊討厭你」

(Laughter)

Are you surprised?

你很驚訝嗎

And his horrified expression said that he was incredibly surprised.

然後他的恐懼的表情，表現出他是非常難以置信且驚訝的

He said, "How could they say these things about me?

他說：他們怎麼可以說這樣關於我的話？

(Raising voice) How could they say that I yell?"

他們怎麼可以說我用吼的？

(Laughter)

So then he stared out of the window for what seemed to me like an eternity.

所以他眼睛凝视着窗外，對我似乎是無止境的

He said, "You mean I've been doing these things

他說：你意思是說我已經做的這些事

for the last 20-years, and nobody told me?

過去20年來，沒人告訴過我？

But eager to give Steve some good news, I said,

但是自尊心給了Steve一些好消息，我說：

"Steve, don't worry, these problems are totally fixable,

Steve 別擔心，這些問題都是可以解決的

and you just took the most important step."

你只要採取最重要的一步

"I did? Really? Great!

我可以嗎？真的？太好了

Wait, what did I do?"

等等，我該怎麼做

"You've just accepted reality."

你必須接受現實

[Truth]

So what about you?

那你們呢？

If you had room for improvement, would you know?

如果你有進步的空間，你會知道嗎？

Delusions about ourselves are the roadblocks

欺騙我們自己這是一種障礙

on the journey to becoming awesome.

在成為「佼佼者」前往的旅程上

So, no matter how hard it is,

所以，不論多辛苦

you have to take responsibility for learning the truth about yourself.

你必須為學習真誠面對自己而負責

So how do you do that? Here's my advice.

所以？你們會怎麼做呢？這是我的建議

For you, step 1 means knowing where you stand.

對你來說，第一步：了解自己身在何處

So first, if you have them,

所以首先呢，如果你有了他們

you should be looking at your objective measures of success.

你應該要重視你成功的客觀手段

A surgeon might look at her complication rates.

一個外科醫生可能會重視她的病發症比率

A gardener might look at which of her plants have lived and which have not.

一個園丁可能會重視在她的植物哪些是存活的哪些不是

Then you look at your subjective measures.

然後你重視在你主觀的手段

The easiest way to do this is to find someone who will tell you the truth.

最容易的方法就是找到願意跟你說實話的人

Ask them: what am I doing that is helping me succeed?

問他們：我做的哪些事是可以幫助我成功的？

What's getting in the way, and how can I adapt my approach to be better?

什麼事阻礙到我了？我要怎麼適應我的成功之路，並且進步？

Remember, above all, seek the truth.

記得以上這些，尋找真相！

OK, so you've gotten this feedback, you know where you stand.

如果你已經得到這些回饋了，你就知道你自己在哪

Step 2 is to pick one thing to work on.

第二步：選定一件事去努力

In my experience, once people have all this feedback, they are raring to go,

在我的經驗裡，一但人有了回饋，他們就會渴望去做

and they wake up the next day and try to change everything.

並且隔天醒來會試著去改變每件事

Think about that. It's ridiculous, isn't it?

仔細想想，很荒妙，對吧？

It's like going on a crash diet to lose 10 pound in a week.

這就像速效減肥，在一個星期內少掉10磅

Here's the truth, it is far better to make progress on one thing

事實上，專心做好一件事中間的過程

than little to none on many things.

遠勝於什麼事都做來得好

Let's go back to Steve.

回到 Steve 的話題上

We can all probably agree that he had lots of choices of things to work on, right?

我們大致上可以全部都同意，他有很多事情有選擇可以去努力，對吧？

But there was one thing

但是還有一件事

that would give him the most bang for his buck.

在他的自信心上，會給他最大的打擊

Do you know what it is?

你知道這是什麼嗎？

Steve had to learn to get control of his anger.

Steve 必須學著如何控制他的憤怒

We agreed that we wouldn't work on anything else

我們都同意他不會其他事上付出努力

until we got that under control.

直到他的憤怒被控制住

So, over the course of the next month, that's exactly what he did.

所以，

He learned to soften the tone of his voice.

他學會讓他自己的聲調變柔軟

He learned to bite his tongue.

他學會忍著不說話

He learned to question instead of blame.

他學會用提出問題取代責罵

And, lo and behold, in a matter of weeks, he started to get a handle on it.

幾週之內，他開始控制住他的脾氣了

So we moved to listening skills. Then to coaching.

所以我們先學會頃聽，再來才能教導

On and on it went, one thing at a time for months.

一次一件事，持續數個月

So what do you think Steve noticed?

所以你認為 Steve 注意到什麼了？

In a very short time, he felt a new level of confidence.

在很短的時間內，他感覺到不同境界的自信

Now, this wasn't hollow confidence that comes from delusion,

現在，這不是從錯覺裡來的虛偽自信

it was real confidence because he was doing the right thing.

是真正的自信，因為他正在做對的事

Now, what did Steve's team notice?

現在，Steve 的團隊注意到了什麼？

In a very short period, they started talking

在很短的時間內，他們開始談論

about this wonderful guy who they called the new Steve.

這個神奇的傢伙，他們稱它為 Steve 2.0

(Laughter)

It was awesome, and the best part was when he would back track,

這真的很棒，最棒的是當他往後追朔

which we all do when we're trying to improve,

也我們也會做的，當我們試著改善

they would ask him, lovingly, "What would the new Steve say about that?"

他們會親切的問他：對於這件事 Steve 2.0 怎麼說？

(Laughter)

It's pretty great, right?

很棒對吧！？

So for you, how do you pick your one thing?

所以對你們而已，你們要怎麼選擇你的目標呢？

Here's my advice: take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle.

這是我的建議：拿一張紙在中間畫一條線

On the left hand side list all of the skills you're trying to improve.

在左邊列舉出你正在改善的技巧

Then on the right hand side for each skill, on a scale of 1 to 10,

在右邊為你的技巧評分，1到10分

I want you to imagine that you only got better at that,

我要你們想像，你們只能變得更好

and then rate how much more awesome you would be.

然後鑑定自己能變得多優秀

Start with the highest number and work your way down.

從最高的數字開始，然後往下執行

So, you know yourself, you've got your one thing.

所以你瞭解你自己了，已經找到你的目標

If you stop here, you're making a mistake I see all the time,

如果你在這停下來，你正在犯下一個我常常看到的天大錯誤，

and it's very dangerous.

這很危險

I call it delusional development,

我把它稱作「妄想的發展」

the futile hope that just by wanting to get better at something,

「藉著想要某件事變得更好」這種沒用的希望

that magically you will, as if through osmosis.

就跟魔法，好像會滲透一樣

It's kind of like my trying to learn through a flashcard app.

這就跟我的「嘗試透過單字本ＡＰＰ學習」是一樣的

I think we've established that that was "no bueno".

我認為我們已經建立了「沒有完美這種觀念」

So, the only thing at this point standing between you and awesome is daily practice.

所以，你和佼佼者之間的存在的事就只剩下每日的練習了

For hundreds of years people used to think that excellence was inborn.

幾百年下來，人們習慣認為卓越是天生的

For example, scientists used to think that the best marathon runners

舉例來說，科學家習慣認為最厲害的馬拉松選手

had differences in their lungs or their muscles.

和平常人有著不同的肺和肌肉

But recent research reveals that these differences are not inborn.

但是最近的研究揭露，這些差異並非天生的

What makes someone exceptional is that they earn it through daily practice.

造成和別人的差異來自於透過每天的練習

So, the best marathon runners don't actually show physical differences;

最好的馬拉松選手其實沒有身體上的差別

what's different is how much they train in the weeks leading up to the marathon.

差別在他們一週內付出多少努力，帶領他們前進馬拉松

So, let's go back to Steve, shall we?

好，我們再回到 Steve 好嗎

Steve learned to practice daily by developing a habit.

Steve 學著練習藉由發展新的嗜好

Everyday on his way to work he'd think about what he was trying to improve,

每天上班的路上他會想著什麼是他可以試著改進的

and he'd make a plan to practice it.

然後他制定一個計畫去練習它

Then on the way home, he would think about how he did,

然後再回家的路上，它會回想自己做了些什麼

and maybe some ideas for what he would the next day.

然後或許在隔天就會有一些想法

In sum total, Steve probably spent less than 30 minutes a week doing this,

總結來說，Steve 一個星期可能花少於30分鐘的時間再做這件事

and he saw massive returns.

但是他看見巨大的成果

In less than six months, his team started closing new deals.