我爲何鼓起勇氣拒絕Google工作機會

Why I went with my gut and turned down a job at Google

我爲何鼓起勇氣拒絕Google工作機會？

When Google bought PostRank, the last startup in which I was CEO, the company also offered me a fantastic job opportunity in California, which came with a pay increase, options and a significant retention bonus. It was pretty cool to think I could move to a beautiful part of the U.S., work for a global and massively successful company, and basically add a "badge of honor" to my resume. Who wouldn't want to work for Google? But, in the end, it didn't feel right in my gut. So, I declined, opting for the insecurity and unpredictability of embarking on a fourth startup instead.

當谷歌收購我擔任首席執行官的初創公司PostRank時，這家科技巨頭也給我提供了一個在加州工作的極好機會。我的收入會有所提高，能得到期權，還有一筆豐厚的留任獎金。想到自己能來到美國最美麗的地區之一，爲一家非常成功的跨國公司工作，並在簡歷裏添上一塊"榮譽勳章"，這感覺十分美妙。誰不想爲谷歌工作呢？但到最後，我的直覺告訴我，這樣做不對。於是，我謝絕了谷歌，轉而加入了第4家初創公司，開啓了另一段不安穩且不可預知的職業生涯。

This was not the rational decision, but it was the intuitive one-and the right one. My intuition was calling me to do what I know I'm best at-taking an idea in its early stages and building it into something great. I had been advising the original founders of e-learning company, Axonify, in my spare time and my intuition was telling me that the grains of their original idea could transform an area of the corporate enterprise that was ripe for disruption. People thought I was crazy. Corporate learning? Really? How boring can you get? But I just knew it was what I needed to do, and that the market was gigantic. I visualized blazing a trail and being a category leader if we did it right. And that totally excited me. It was risky, but that was also what excited me. I think I need a level of risk in my work to be happy-more risks than most people are willing to take.　

這項決定是基於直覺做出的，不夠理性，但它卻是正確的選擇。我的直覺告訴我要做自己最擅長的事情--捕捉處於萌芽階段的創意，讓它發展成爲一件偉大的傑作。我之前一直在空餘時間指導在線學習公司Axonify的創始人，而我的直覺告訴我，他們的創意足以成長爲一家擁有顛覆性力量的公司。人們覺得我瘋了。在線學習公司？真的嗎？你得有多無聊？但我知道那就是我應該做的，那是個巨大的市場。我可以預見，如果我們方法得當，就能開闢一條新道路，成爲這一領域的領軍者。這太讓我興奮了。這家公司肯定有風險，但正是這種風險讓我興奮。我覺得自己需要在工作中冒險才能感到快樂，而這種風險比大多數人願意承擔的都要大。

Being an entrepreneur means you constantly have to make decisions. Sometimes the right choices are the riskiest and there is often no clear "right" or "wrong" choice to make. The right choice from a rational perspective could be the wrong one from an intuitive one, or what is right for your company may not be what is right for you. If I've learned anything from my entrepreneurial career, it is the importance of balancing intuition with fact when making tough decisions.　

成爲一名企業家意味着你必須不斷做出決策。有時，正確的決定也最具風險性，而通常情況下，"正確"或"錯誤"決定的界限並不明顯。從理性角度來看一些決定是正確的，但從直覺上看它們可能會是錯的。對你的公司有利的決定，卻未必對你自己有利。如果說我從自己企業家的生涯中學到了什麼的話，那就是在做出艱難決定時，平衡好直覺和事實十分重要。

In my experience, markets have a more powerful impact on the fate of a startup than entrepreneurs anticipate. It is nice to believe that brilliant, innovative ideas arrive in a "eureka" moment and the rest falls into place. It is also nice to think that having the perfect product and strong technology is a recipe for success. However, neither of these notions is true.

從我的經驗來看，市場對初創公司命運的影響要超過創業者的預期。相信只要靈光一閃，構想出偉大創意，其他事情就水到渠成，自然十分美妙。同樣，一些人想當然地認爲，只要擁有完美的產品和強大的技術，成功就是囊中之物。可惜的是，事實並非如此。

The desire to build a successful company requires finding a large addressable market. It also requires a deep understanding of that market and its competitive landscape, as well as the dynamics and trends at play. A large but dying market is no better than a small one. Deciding which market to go after is one of the first and most fundamental decisions an entrepreneur makes, requiring insight from data as well as intuition.

想要建立一家成功的公司，你得找到一個足夠大的目標市場。你還需要深刻了解這個市場及其競爭格局、動態和趨勢。一個規模龐大但日漸蕭條的市場和一個小市場沒什麼區別。決定進入哪個市場，是一名企業家首先要做的最基礎的決定之一，他不僅要能洞察數據中的奧祕，還得有敏銳的直覺。

Founders should commit themselves to rigorous research throughout the entire process of building a company. When deciding what to build, gather as much information as you possibly can and attack your assumptions and ideas from all angles. Then, keep this up as you make decisions about product, marketing, and strategy. As a leader, your job is to be generally correct everyday and make incremental progress, rather than being specifically wrong about big things and find yourself stuck in false assumptions.

在建立公司的整個過程中，創始人都需要專注於嚴謹的研究。決定要建立什麼樣的公司之後，應當儘可能多地積累信息，從各個角度抨擊你的假設和想法。當你在產品、營銷和戰略上做出決策時，保持這種做法。作爲一名領袖，你的工作就是每天都在大體正確的軌道上保持前進，而不是在一些大問題上跑偏，或是發現自己深陷錯誤的推斷中難以自拔。

I've seen many entrepreneurs who are so dedicated to an idea or invested in the product they've built that they are unwilling to listen to their gut and face harsh realities. A little paranoia can actually be a great asset because it keeps you hyper-tuned into the signs and signals of the market. However, the biggest challenge is not in gathering that information, but in interpreting it. Don't undervalue your intuition's capacity to synthesize the facts at hand to tell you which decision is the best one.

我見過太多企業家太過於專注某個創意或投資自己的某項產品，以至於他們不願意聽從自己的直覺，面對殘酷的現實。一點點偏執是可貴的財富，它能讓你時刻把握市場趨勢和信號。然而，最大的挑戰並不在於收集那些信息，而在於詮釋它們。不要低估你的本能，它能綜合考慮事實並告訴你哪種決策最好。

Ultimately, the next big thing is not just a brilliant idea. It is a company that tackles a large addressable market, responds to market trends, and grabs customers faster than anyone else. But it is also more than that. It is a company led by an individual or team who knows when to listen to their gut; who are driven by an intuitive sense that they are on to something big and can channel all the empirical, rational information into making their vision a reality.

最後，下一個傑作絕不僅僅是個絕妙的主意。這代表着一家公司進入了一個大型目標市場，響應市場需求，比對手更快地吸引顧客。還不止這些。這意味着一家公司的領導者或團隊知道何時傾聽自己直覺。在直覺的驅使下，他們努力追求偉大的事物，並利用所有的經驗和理性的信息將自身想法變成現實。

Intuition is like the bird's eye view that guides entrepreneurs through a maze, even when they have a map. It will help you make decisions faster and overcome self-doubt that stops startups in their tracks. Use facts to check your intuition, and intuition to check your facts.

直覺就像一張引導企業家穿過迷宮的鳥瞰圖，甚至當他們擁有一張路線圖的時候，也是如此。它會幫助你更快地作出決策，克服那些阻礙初創公司發展的自我懷疑。用事實來檢驗你的直覺，並用你的直覺來檢驗事實。