????我很欣賞你在每章的開始引用的名言。說到融入當(dāng)?shù)兀芯淞挚系拿蕴貏e突出：“我不喜歡那個(gè)家伙。所以我得多了解他。”這句話對高管有什么借鑒？

????這一點(diǎn)怎么強(qiáng)調(diào)都不為過。高管不能局限在管理層的小圈子里，需要接觸各色人等，需要找尋那些挑戰(zhàn)他們固有觀念的人，即使是敵意的看法也有益處。這一點(diǎn)在新興市場特別重要，和各類利益相關(guān)者的互動能為決策，特別是人員方面的決策提供信息。向當(dāng)?shù)厝苏髟兯麄兊南敕ā⑿枨蠛推谩９井?dāng)?shù)卮砗兔擞涯軟Q定公司在市場是成功還是失敗。

????按照我的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，很多公司認(rèn)為進(jìn)入市場最艱難，但他們低估了后續(xù)工作的復(fù)雜性以及它所需要花費(fèi)的時(shí)間。

????我也經(jīng)常看到這個(gè)現(xiàn)象。情報(bào)和市場進(jìn)入首先要求思考以下問題：終局是什么？退出戰(zhàn)略是什么？應(yīng)急計(jì)劃是什么？很多CEO展示了無止境的樂觀精神，因?yàn)樗麄兊牡匚痪鸵馕吨晒Γ掖_實(shí)需要能夠暢想巨大的成功才能爬上那個(gè)位置。但成功之路并非坦途。CEO有時(shí)只顧往前沖，忘記了退路，但速度和距離不是沒有代價(jià)的。

????為了能與盟友、供應(yīng)商及客戶感同身受，CEO必須去體會他人的環(huán)境和經(jīng)驗(yàn)。這一點(diǎn)在董事會議室里或公司公務(wù)機(jī)上是做不到的。通過感同身受能加深了解，改進(jìn)決策。這是深層次的情報(bào)，有時(shí)候其價(jià)值遠(yuǎn)超數(shù)據(jù)。

????我一而再地認(rèn)識到：自知之明常常來自于對新環(huán)境和新人群的體驗(yàn)，即使這些挑戰(zhàn)了你對現(xiàn)實(shí)的認(rèn)知模式。它意味著突破自我、挑戰(zhàn)自我、反思自我，然后以深思熟慮的堅(jiān)決行動來改進(jìn)我們的思維習(xí)慣，最終實(shí)現(xiàn)建立同盟和擊敗對手的能力。

????另外一句很好的引言是哈佛經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家托馬斯?謝林關(guān)于日本偷襲珍珠港的話：“我們的安排中有一種趨勢，會把不熟悉的事情和不大可能發(fā)生的事情混淆起來。”

????謝林的話敏銳地提醒我們?nèi)コ掷m(xù)探索新領(lǐng)域，這樣就能想象、識別不熟悉的事情，從而為不大可能發(fā)生的事情做好準(zhǔn)備。風(fēng)險(xiǎn)可以有多種形式，但最大的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)往往來自于意外和突發(fā)事件。這類事情給我們的決策帶來挑戰(zhàn)，不管是對9/11的反應(yīng)，還是CEO應(yīng)對在災(zāi)難中失去公司員工，網(wǎng)絡(luò)攻擊，又或者是外國合作伙伴轉(zhuǎn)投競爭對手。

????考慮到呈指數(shù)增長的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)和機(jī)會變量以及隨之而來的復(fù)雜性，CEO必須更多地為不熟悉的事情做準(zhǔn)備，有時(shí)還需要應(yīng)對自覺不大可能發(fā)生的事情，甚至是不可想象的事情。

????最后一個(gè)問題，你在書中指出你每次旅行都帶上強(qiáng)力膠帶，你會建議每個(gè)CEO都這么做嗎？

????對，帶上強(qiáng)力膠帶、安全別針、頭巾、洗手液、小型急救包、筆式手電、一本好書、紙筆，以及應(yīng)急計(jì)劃。

????克里斯多夫?M?施羅德是華盛頓特區(qū)和紐約的天使投資人以及在線內(nèi)容與社交平臺創(chuàng)業(yè)公司healthcentral.com的前任CEO。去年一月，施羅德出售了這家網(wǎng)站。他正在撰寫一本關(guān)于中東地區(qū)創(chuàng)新及創(chuàng)業(yè)的新書。

????I love some of the quotes you used at the beginning of your chapters. One Lincoln quote stood out in the context of engaging on the ground: "I do not like that man. I must get to know him better." What does that mean for executives?

????I cannot emphasize this enough. Executives need to meet a wide range of people – by the way especially not just other executives -- and seek out those who challenge their assumptions, even those who hold adversarial views. This is especially relevant in emerging markets where interaction with diversified stakeholders can inform decisions, especially personnel decisions. Ask locals what they think, what they need, and what they prefer. A firm's local representative and local allies can determine success or failure in that market.

????In my experience, so many businesses think the hard part is entering a market, but under-estimate the time and complexity of the follow-through.

????I see this regularly. The first requirement of intelligence and market entry is to think through: What is the end-game? What are the exit strategies? What are the contingency plans? Many CEOs demonstrate an unrelenting optimism, because by definition they have succeeded, and you must imagine big success to ever get there. But, success can have many off ramps. CEOs sometimes think more about going faster and farther than exit plans, and sometimes speed and distance comes at a cost.

????To acquire an empathetic understanding of allies, vendors, and customers, a CEO must share their environment and experience. That's hard to do in a boardroom or on a corporate jet. Empathy informs understanding which improves decisions. That is deep intelligence, something far more valuable than just data.

????I learned repeatedly that self-awareness often comes from experiencing new environments and new people that challenge our paradigms of reality. This means getting out of our comfort zone, testing ourselves, reflecting upon our experiences, and following through with determined, deliberate practice that improves our mental habits and ultimately enables our ability to build alliances and beat the competition.

????Another great quote you used in your book was from the Harvard economist, Thomas Schelling in reference to the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor: "There is a tendency in our planning to confuse the unfamiliar with the improbable."

????The Schelling quote serves as a poignant reminder that we must constantly explore new terrain, so we can imagine and recognize the unfamiliar and thus be prepared for the improbable. Risk comes in many forms, but usually the biggest risks involve surprise and shock. Such events can challenge our decision making, whether it be the response to 9/11 or a CEO reacting to the loss of an employee in some disaster, a cyber attack, or a foreign joint venture partner defecting to a competitor.

????Given the exponential growth of risk/opportunity variables and the concomitant complexity, CEOs must prepare for more of the unfamiliar and, sometimes, deal with what they had thought was improbable, perhaps impossible.

????And, finally, in your book you noted that you never travelled without duct tape. Would you advise every CEO to do likewise?

????Yes, duct tape, safety pins, bandana, hand sanitizer, small first aid kit, penlight, a good book, pen/notebook, and always a contingency plan.

????Christopher M. Schroeder @cmschroed is a Washington, D.C. and New York-based angel investor and former CEO of the online content and social platform start-up healthcentral.com, which he sold last January. He is writing a book on innovation and start-ups in the Middle East.