勇敢地對你的老闆大聲說"不"

Imagine going to your boss with news of a delayed project or cost overrun, and hearing "thank you" in response.
你去找老闆，告訴他項目被延誤或者成本超支，得到的迴應卻是“謝謝你”，你能想象這樣的情景嗎？

That's the rule at Menlo Innovations, a software company based in Ann Arbor, Mich., which trains project managers to smile and thank employees even when they're bearing bad news.
實際上，門羅創新公司（Menlo Innovations）就是這樣規定的。這家位於美國密歇根州安阿伯市的軟件公司對所有項目經理進行了培訓，要求他們面帶微笑，即使從員工那裏聽到的是壞消息，也要表示感謝。

"My job is to say, 'Thank you for letting me know,' not 'I need you to work an extra 10 hours tonight,'" says Lisa Ho, 26, a Menlo project manager. "Sometimes it's hard to do because we have this deadline we're trying to meet. But I respect them for telling me and as long as we're very transparent… I can call the client."
26歲的麗莎•何便在門羅公司擔任項目經理，她表示：“我需要說的是：‘謝謝你能告訴我。’而不是：‘你今晚上得加10小時的班。’有時候，這做起來會有些困難，因爲我們必須努力在最終期限之前完成’。但他們把問題告訴我，我就應該表示尊重；而且，只要我們的工作非常透明，我就可以跟客戶解釋。”

In corporate America, many employees are afraid to report bad news because they're essentially saying no to the boss -- telling her that a business goal hasn't been met. But companies that foster a fear-free culture enjoy better decision-making, more ethical behavior and the ability to truly harness the collective brainpower of the workforce, according to Menlo CEO Rich Sheridan and other business leaders.
在美國企業界，許多員工並不敢向老闆報告壞消息。因爲他們認爲，告訴老闆業務目標沒能實現，實際上是在跟她說“不”。但是，門羅公司的首席執行官裏奇•謝里頓以及其他企業領導人卻認爲，鼓勵員工說真話的企業文化，可以幫助公司做出更好的決策，培養員工的職業道德，並可以真正挖掘員工的集體智慧。

Encouraging employees to say no to the boss ensures that smart new ideas bubble to the top levels of an organization, Sheridan says. He sets such a high priority on healthy dissent that he's baked it into the corporate culture through training, procedures, regular communications to employees and a willingness to take risks based on staff suggestions.
謝里頓認爲，鼓勵員工對老闆說“不”，可以使企業高層獲得一些新的好點子。他格外重視那些富有建設性的異議，並且願意冒險採納來自員工的建議，通過培訓、制訂流程、與員工的定期溝通，把它融入到企業文化中。It's all too easy to fall into a yes-man culture, especially when workers feel insecure about their jobs. To create an environment of open communication, leaders must reward and publicize new ideas, encourage dissent from staff and even challenge employees when everyone seems too agreeable.
公司很容易陷入一種“應聲蟲式”的企業文化，尤其是當員工感覺工作缺乏安全感的時候。爲了形成一種開放溝通的氛圍，企業領導者必須獎勵和公佈新的點子，鼓勵員工提出異議，甚至當所有人都太過順從的時候，要對員工提出質疑。

"The company and the CEO and the chairman have to set the right tone," says Peter Handal, president of Dale Carnegie Training. "The worst, fatal flaw in the leadership of companies is the 'not invented here' mentality: 'If it's not my idea, I don't want to hear it.'"
戴爾•卡耐基培訓（Dale Carnegie Training）的董事長彼得•韓鐸表示：“公司以及首席執行官和董事長都必須設定正確的基調。公司領導層最糟糕的，也是最致命的弱點，就是‘非我發明’的心態：‘如果不是我的主意，那就別講給我聽。’”

Employees will work harder and more efficiently because they feel listened to and invested in the venture, he says. "It really does help the morale and the spirit and the dedication of the people in the company because they feel like they're part of it; they've given their input," Handal says.
如果員工感覺他們的意見得到傾聽，並對公司充滿了希望，他們會更努力地工作，效率也會更高。韓鐸表示：“這確實會鼓舞員工的士氣和奉獻精神，因爲他們會感覺自己是公司的一份子；他們爲公司付出了自己的努力。”