公司高管的性"動力"

I was interested that an Italian former deputy culture minister said last week that “men in power need lots of sex” and “if Berlusconi does not gain sexual satisfaction he governs badly”.
一位意大利前文化部副部長最近表示，“大權在握的男人需要很多性”，“如果貝盧斯科尼(Berlusconi)得不到性滿足，他的管理就會很糟糕”。

While the minister was no doubt referring to Mr Berlusconi's recent troubles as prime minister, I wondered how true this was of business leaders, who also wield lots of power.
這位部長指的肯定是意大利總理貝盧斯科尼最近的醜聞，但我想知道，對於同樣大權在握的企業領袖而言，這種說法是否適用呢？

In spite of the risks, ageing male leaders are forever tempting fate by misbehaving with young women. Perhaps they believe it enables them to manage better. I often think these are men who lacked confidence with girls when younger, and probably married in their early twenties.
儘管存在這些風險，但日漸老去的男性領導人永遠在冒險與年輕女性做出行爲不端的事情。他們可能認爲，這能夠提高他們的管理水平。我常常想，這些男人在年輕時缺乏與女性打交道的信心，或許20出頭就結婚了。

Perhaps they were too busy doing homework and holiday jobs – always striving to succeed and make a fortune. No time to attract the opposite sex. So maybe they didn't have a chance to sow their wild oats much, or indulge in the wild sex the younger generation talk about.
他們那時候可能正忙着寫作業，或是在假期打工——他們一直在打拼，以獲得成功並變得富有。他們沒有時間吸引異性。因此，他們也許沒有機會過放蕩的生活，或沉醉於年輕一代所說的狂野性愛。

But once such characters reach the top, their ego has expanded and their narcissism is running riot. And by then they have marvellous new levers at their disposal. As Henry Kissinger said: “Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.” Having seen him charming the ladies at a party once, I think he may just be right.
但一旦這些人升至高位，他們的自尊心就開始膨脹，自戀開始放縱。這個時候，他們手中擁有了強大的新工具。正如亨利•基辛格(Henry Kissinger)所言：“權力是最好的春藥。”我曾經目睹他在一次聚會上令女性傾倒，我覺得，他可能是對的。Of course, ambition and testosterone are intimately connected. It seems that alpha males invariably have lots of both, and are driven to conquer in various different directions – work, sport, sex.
當然，野心與雄性激素密切相關。在強勢男人身上，兩者似乎總是都很充沛，這促使他們從各個不同方向去征服——工作、運動、性。

All this takes money and energy but then top dogs usually have large quantities of both of those, too. Some psychologists put forward the theory that chief executives are not really driven by a desire to sell more products or amass great riches: in truth it is all a substitute for being a rock 'n' roll star and having lots of groupies.
這些都需要耗費金錢和精力，但擁有權勢的傢伙們通常在這兩方面都取之不竭。一些心理學家提出了一條理論，真正驅動首席執行官們的因素，實際上並非銷售更多產品或積聚大量財富的願望：實際上，這些都是成爲一位搖滾明星、擁有大批獻身於他們的少女的代名詞。

The examples of tycoons destroying their marriages – and sometimes endangering their careers and companies – thanks to their lusts are legion. So many of the business elite leave behind a trail of broken marriages, desperate infidelity and emotional chaos. Perhaps they need the drama to enliven the sterile atmosphere of the boardroom. Or possibly such forbidden fruits are available to them for the first time only when they have risen to great corporate heights, and the thrill of it all goes straight to their head and loins.
由於他們強烈的慾望，企業大亨們婚姻破裂——有時會危及他們的職業生涯和企業——的例子比比皆是。衆多企業精英留下的是一連串破裂的婚姻、嚴重不忠以及情感上的混亂。他們可能需要這種戲劇性的場面，來活躍董事會枯燥的氣氛。抑或，對他們而言，他們只有在升至公司高層的時候，纔有機會第一次品嚐這種禁果，由此給他們的身心帶來了極大的歡暢。

There is, of course, something disturbing about the idea that so many businessmen making all these serious decisions might be constantly distracted by their outsized sexual appetites. Yet we are all human, and far more influenced in our behaviour by our basic instincts than many of us care to admit.
當然，這種觀點讓人有些擔心：如此衆多做出這些嚴肅決策的商界男士，或許常常被自己超強的性慾搞得心神不寧。不過，我們都是人，我們的行爲受本能影響的程度，遠遠高出我們許多人願意承認的水平。

Sociologists, anthropologists and biologists should do more studies on the motivations of entrepreneurs and politicians, to help us understand better the secrets of power. Scientists should look at the interaction of adrenaline and testosterone, and work out how their combination can create a dangerous cocktail for certain high achievers.
社會學家、人類學家和生物學家應對企業家和政客們的動機進行更多的研究，以幫助我們更好的瞭解權力背後的祕密。科學家應研究腎上腺素和雄性激素的相互作用，並找出它們的共同作用是如何爲某些取得成就突出者調製出一杯危險的雞尾酒的。