職場雙語:《黑道家族》教你提升領導力(2)

Nip it in the bud. -- Season 5, Episode 4: "All Happy Families …"

扼殺在萌芽中——第五季第四集：“所有幸福的家庭……”

Situation: Michele "Feech" La Manna is an original gangster, "made" in Italy, who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1950s. Feech was a contemporary of Tony's father and uncle; and Tony made his name, in part, by brazenly robbing a card game run by the elder mobster. After a 20-year prison stint, Feech returns to North Jersey in 2004 to "get back in the game." Long-dormant tension and resentment quickly boil over as Feech ignores Tony's authority and grows increasingly popular with the lower ranks.

背景：米切勒•拉曼納是個老牌幫派份子，原籍意大利，於20世紀50年代移民到美國。拉曼納和託尼的父輩是同一代人。而託尼之所以成名也與早年搶走了拉曼納的一家賭場有一定關係。度過了20年的監獄生涯後，拉曼納於2004年回到了北新澤西“再戰江湖”。雙方沉積已久的恩怨和仇恨立刻被再度點燃。拉曼納無視託尼的權威，還迅速在底層小弟中獲得了號召力。

Solution: Tony sets Feech up to be caught violating the terms of his parole. Feech is summarily sent back to prison.

解決方案：託尼設下毒計，讓拉曼納違反了假釋條例，拉曼納再次入獄。

Lesson: Learn to spot problems before they become serious. In the second season, Tony faces similar conflicts with another ex-convict, Richie Aprile. (In the end, Aprile was hauled out of Tony's sister's kitchen in a plastic garbage bag.) Contemplating the Feech dilemma, Tony asks himself, "Did I learn nothing from the Richie situation?" He concludes, "Nip it in the bud." There's no quicker way to fix a problem than to stop it from happening in the first place.

教訓：學會在問題變得嚴重之前發現問題。第二季中，託尼與另一個出獄後的幫派份子裏奇•艾普勒也有過類似的衝突。（最後，艾普勒被裝在一個塑料垃圾袋裏，被人拖出託尼妹妹的廚房。）面臨拉曼納造成的困境時，託尼問自己：“我難道還沒有從裏奇的事中汲取教訓嗎？”然後他總結道：“要把問題扼殺在萌芽裏。要糾正一個問題，最快的方法就是在第一時間防止它發生。”

When it doubt, Sun Tzu. -- Season 3, Episode 8: "He Is Risen" and others

事不決，問孫子——第三季第八集：“他崛起了”等集

Situation: The "Chinese Prince Machiavelli," as Tony refers to the master strategist, is a recurring allusion in the show. Sun Tzu's treatise The Art of War is introduced not surprisingly by Dr. Melfi in therapy and quickly spreads through the ranks of Tony's crew. Even his sister begins quoting the ancient general. (The book's mention on the show led to a boost in sales.)

背景：託尼在劇中曾經多次提及中國兵家孫子，稱他是“中國的馬基雅弗利王子。”因此梅爾菲醫生在劇中多次引用《孫子兵法》（The Art of War ）中的名言名句也就不足爲奇了，而且這些名言名句還在託尼的隊伍中流行起來。甚至連她妹妹也開始引用《孫子兵法》中的句子。（由於該劇多次引用，《孫子兵法》在美銷量大增。）

Solution: Axioms Tony and his associates find particularly useful include: "Balk the enemy's power; force him to reveal himself;" "If your opponent is of choleric temper, irritate him;" and, "A good commander is benevolent and unconcerned with fame."

解決方案：託尼和他的手下們發現《孫子兵法》中的一些道理特別有用，其中包括：“候而知動靜之理，形而知死生之地”、“怒爾撓之、卑而驕之”、“將者，智信仁勇嚴也”。

Lesson: Look to your predecessors' ideas for guidance, and use what will serve you best.

教訓：從前輩的思想中尋求指導，採用其中最能爲己所用的。