11個簡單的方法讓你更成功
Lisa Wang
2019-03-10
SheWorx公司聯合創始人麗莎·王。圖片來源：Courtesy of SheWorx
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企業家內部網絡是美國的一個在線社區，一些美國創業界最睿智、最有影響力的創業大咖在這里及時回答與創業和職業有關的問題。今天的問題是：“有哪些事是你希望自己在創業前就知道的？”SheWorx公司的聯合創始人麗莎·王給出了她的答案。 成功創業者的形象通常都自帶某種光環，比如冒險、自由、辦公室里都放著午睡椅和乒乓球臺。不過當我創辦第一家公司時，我很快意識到，每名創業者對成功的定義都不盡相同。對有些人來說，成功意味著能決定自己的日程安排；對有些人來說，成功意味著拉到大量融資；而在另外一些人看來，成功僅僅是創辦一個能夠給自己帶來一份穩定收入來源的生意。我在打工時代曾經習慣了那種對成功的嚴格定義，但是在創業之后，成功實際上可以是我所追求的任何東西，我可以用任何我認為對自己、以及對公司很重要的標準去衡量它。這種自由既是一種幸福，也是一種詛咒。作為一名創業者，我的創業之路一直起伏不定，我時常陷入自我懷疑和不安之中，時常給自己打雞血，熬過了一個個失眠的夜晚。 當我回憶起過去一年里走過的路——成立公司，建立團隊，尋找產品和市場的契合點，招聘和炒掉第一名員工，尋找投資人，無休止地建立人脈，強迫自己面對極為令人不安的局面，在我不愿意推銷的時候還要去推銷，想方設法獲得和一些人說話的機會。我意識到，成功真的在于你怎樣理解它，以及你用哪些價值、哪些人和經驗來構建起自己的生活。以下就是我在過去一年里學到的一些信條： 找到你真正關心的東西 成功就是要喜歡你所做的事情，喜歡你在做這件事時的自己，喜歡你做這件事的方法。做自己不關心的事情，是很難取得成功的。所以你要找到自己關心的東西——甚至是自己感到有些好奇的東西，讓它成為你的指引。 少期待，多做事 這個信條可能與創業界流行的“大夢想”信條不符，但兩者其實并行不悖。所謂的“大夢想”是指，要有意識地給自己樹立一個高標桿，這樣就算在最艱難的時候，它也能推著你往前走。但是，擁有這個夢想只是第一步。失敗往往發生在你對自己、對別人和對自己無法掌控的局勢有太多期待的時候。我一向認為創業者應該不惜一切代價以獲得成功，但務必要確保你的期望值不要太高。 全力以赴，做到極限 如果你不做事，沒有任何人會做。在我們對產品進行內測的時候，我曾經騎著一輛自行車，背著一大包漢堡、餃子和顧客點的其它餐品，一直送貨到凌晨三點。那天以前，我從來沒有在紐約市騎過自行車。我強迫自己不放過任何一個推銷的機會，雖然我曾經非常鄙視公開演說，但我在去年做了很多次演講——其實我現在喜歡做這種事。置身不舒服的環境下，大膽去做，你就會成長起來。 先做重要的事，不要讓小事妨礙你 你今天最大的目標是什么？這星期、這個月、這一年，甚至這輩子最大的目標呢？你為自己設立的宏大目標會帶來水滴石穿的效應，也能夠讓你對每天的工作進行重要性排序。你的一天、一個月、一年過得是不是很有效率，其關鍵可能就在于是否樹立了這樣的目標。如果出現了讓你分心的事，你可以問問自己，它們和你的目標是否一致。如果答案是否定的，不妨不去想它們。如果你犯了錯誤，就總結教訓，繼續前進。 了解你的優勢 我經常是自己最嚴厲的批評者。在一些最艱難的日子里，我經常會給自己灌輸很深的負能量——直到我自己發現不能這樣下去。我時常思考，究竟是哪些優點讓我取得了到目前為止的成功，這樣做有助于我抵消那些負面的想法。什么能給我帶來快樂？人們經常表揚我有哪些優點？我擅長什么？如果花點時間把這些東西寫出來，總結成一段短短的精華，那么即便你從事一份你覺得自己不能勝任的職務，它也會給你帶來自信。 明白自己就是身邊人的映像 如果有一天能讓有害的人離開你的生活，這一天最好是昨天。否則的話，現在就去做，而且不要回頭。圍繞在你身邊的人應該是能夠引領你向上的人，而不是給你拖后腿的人。我曾經有過一些“朋友”——當你成功時，他們帶著吝嗇而偽善的笑容，半真半假地祝賀你。我曾經以為成功是一個零和游戲，以為友誼建立在競爭的基礎之上。但等我放棄了這些所謂的“朋友”，認識了一些在我成功時會由衷地、友好地、真誠地為我感到高興的朋友，曾經的那種看法自然而然地消失了。生活中的外部條件總會影響你的內在信念，要確保這些信念能讓你感到驕傲。 正直 正直的重要性自不待言，但很多人并沒有真正展示或踐行這一美德。這或許是由于我們覺得正直的行為在長期看來未必能有好報，又或許是由于這個社會正在變得越來越自私和功利，受社交媒體的影響越來越大。總之，說到的事要做到，不要讓別人失望。要學會尊重別人，做錯了事要道歉。 不要拿自己和別人比 這又回到了我們之前說的那個話題：成功的定義并不是單一的。人們會把最好而不是最壞的自己展現到別人面前，你永遠不知道他們光鮮的外表下隱藏著哪些痛苦。因此不要妄下評判，盡量避免拿自己和別人比較。嫉妒是一種最隱藏得最深的情緒，但除了傷害你自己和別人之外，它做不了任何事。 直白坦率地溝通 直到我自己開始管理一個小團隊時，我才意識到這一點的重要性。我說的、做的每一件事，甚至我的說話方式，都會對團隊產生影響。在大多數情況下，圍繞著一個令人不舒服的話題隔靴搔癢，是沒有任何意義的。創業和在大企業打工不一樣，沒有空間讓大家醞釀矛盾。看似很小的矛盾會進一步激化，如果不直接解決，隨著時間的推移，必然會演變成大問題。 培養親密的友誼，并且倍加珍視 過去的一年，如果沒有這群能夠容忍我的工作狂、情緒波動、愛長篇大論等壞習慣的好朋友，我恐怕很難挺過一切都高度不確定的這一年。而在這個過程中，我也樂于向朋友們提供幫助，表達我的感激之情，并且愿意把我在創業中學到的一切經驗與他們分享。 勇敢 總有一些人會批評、否定、懷疑或討厭你，不要在意他們。要記住，你心目中的成功究竟是什么？制定自己的目標，堅守你的價值，積蓄你的力量，讓好人圍繞在你的周圍，帶著力量和堅韌勇往直前，把你的夢想變成現實。舍此之外，一切都只是噪音而已。（財富中文網） 本文作者麗莎·王是女性企業家和變革引領者團體SheWorx的聯合創始人。此外她還在紐約市創辦了一家名叫Fooze的夜間餐飲快遞公司。另外她還進入了美國體操名人堂，曾經三次獲得全美體操冠軍，并曾從事過對沖基金分析師工作。她還是耶魯大學的畢業生。 譯者：樸成奎 審校：任文科 |
The Entrepreneur Insider network is an online community where the most thoughtful and influential people in America’s startup scene contribute answers to timely questions about entrepreneurship and careers. Today’s answer to the question “What’s something you wish you knew before starting your business?” is written by Lisa Wang, cofounder of SheWorx. The image of a successful entrepreneur often brings with it a glamorous sheen of adventure, freedom, office nap pods, and Ping-Pong tables. But when I founded my first startup, I quickly realized that every entrepreneur has vastly different notions of what success means. For some, it means the ability to dictate their own schedules, for others it means raising massive funding rounds, and for many it simply means creating sustainable lifestyle businesses they can call their own. In contrast to the strictly measured success I was used to in a corporate environment, success suddenly became, in effect, whatever I wanted it to be, measured in whatever metrics I deemed important to me and my business. This freedom was both a blessing and a curse, and as a founder, my path constantly spiraled back and forth, mired in self-doubt, insecurity, forced positivity, and sleepless nights. As I reflect on what I’ve navigated over the course of the past year—launching my first company, building up a team, finding product-market fit, hiring and firing my first employee, pitching investors, networking to no end, forcing myself into intensely uncomfortable situations, selling when I didn’t want to sell, and reaching out for conversations—I realize that success is really what you make of it, along with the values, people, and lessons you construct your life upon. Here are a few of the beliefs I have learned to construct mine upon this year: Figure out what it is you care about Success is liking what you do, who you are when you do it, and how you do it. It is extremely hard to succeed in something that you don’t care about. Figure out what you care about—or even what you are slightly curious about—and let that be your guide. Expect less, but do more This is seemingly at odds with the “dream big” mantra, but both can exist together. To dream big is to set a purposely high bar for yourself, something that will push you forward during even the lowest times. However, formulating that dream is only the first step. The downfall often comes when you expect too much from yourself, from other people, and from situations out of your control. I always advocate for doing whatever it takes to succeed, but make sure you temper your expectations along the way. Push your limits and do whatever it takes If you don’t do it, nobody will. For our beta tests, I rode around downtown Manhattan on a bike with a backpack full of burgers and dumplings and personally delivered food to customers until 3 a.m. I had never ridden a bike in New York City before that day. I forced myself to apply to every single pitch opportunity even though I’ve always despised public speaking. I’ve pitched so many times in the past year that I actually enjoy it now. Put yourself in uncomfortable situations. Just do it and you will grow. Prioritize and don’t let little things get to you What are your big goals for today? For this week? For this month? For this year? For your life? The visions you set for yourself will have a trickle–down effect and allow you to prioritize your days accordingly. Having this focus is often the difference between having or not having a productive day/month/year. As distractions come up, ask yourself if they’re in line with your vision. If not, letthem go and don’t dwell. If you make a mistake, learn, and move on. This, too, shall pass. Know what you bring to the table I am often my own harshest critic, and on the lowest days, I manage to talk myself into a deep hole of negativity—until I catch myself. I counteract negative internal dialogue by reinforcing the traits that have helped me succeed thus far. What brings me joy? What do people always compliment me on? What am I good at? Actually taking the time to write these things out and distilling them into a short pitch can bring you confidence even when you’re sitting at a table where you feel unqualified. Know you’re the reflection of the people you surround yourself with If there was any day to let go of toxic people in your life, it was yesterday. Do it now and don’t look back. The people you surround yourself with should be bringing you up—not holding you back. I used to have “friends” who, with tight, fake smiles, half-heartedly congratulated me when I succeeded. As a result, I learned that success was a zero-sum game, and believed friendship was built upon competition. That belief was shattered when I finally let those people go and discovered friends who showed me empathy, kindness, and genuine delight when I did well. The outer conditions of your life will always affect your inner beliefs. Make sure you’re proud of those beliefs. Have integrity It goes without saying, but too many people do not actually show or practice this. Maybe it’s because we think our actions don’t have long–term effects, ormaybe it’s because we are an increasingly self-absorbed, social-media driven society. Whatever it is, it’s still no excuse. Do what you say you’re going to do, don’t leave people hanging, be respectful, and apologize if you did something wrong. Stop comparing yourself to other people This goes back to the idea that there is not a singular definition of success. People will project their best selves—not their worst selves—in public, and you’ll never really know what others are struggling with underneath their shiny images. Refrain from judging and avoid comparing. Jealousy is the most insidious emotion and does nothing but harm yourself and others. Be direct and communicate clearly Never has this been so apparent until I began running a small team. Everything I did, everything I said, and even how I said things affected the team. Most of the time, there’s really no point in dancing around an uncomfortable subject. Unlike the corporate world, there is simply no room for simmering grudges. Seemingly small annoyances only get worse, and if not addressed head on, become major problems over time. Nurture your close friendships and value them above all else I could not have gotten through this uncertain maze of a year if I didn’t have my closest friends who took all of my obsessive work habits, emotional turbulences, and philosophical tirades in stride. Throughout it all, I made sure I was open about my availability (or lack thereof), expressed my appreciation, and shared whatever lessons I was learning along the way. Be bold There will always be critics, naysayers, doubters, and haters. Pay them no mind. What does success look and feel like to you? Formulate your vision, stick to your values, own your strengths, surround yourself with good people, and charge forward with all of the energy and tenacity required to turn your dreams into reality. The rest is simply noise. Lisa Wang is the cofounder of SheWorx, a collective of ambitious female entrepreneurs and changemakers redefining a new wave of leadership. She also founded Fooze, a late-night food delivery startup in NYC. She is a U.S. Hall of Fame Gymnast,3x US National Champion Gymnast, former hedge fund analyst, and a graduate of Yale University. |
