職場(chǎng)心經(jīng)：職場(chǎng)配角如何從幕后走向前臺(tái)

It is easy to get pigeonholed at work. Finding a way out is another story.

在工作中，非常容易就會(huì)把自己固化為一個(gè)狹隘的角色，要改變這個(gè)狀況就不是那么容易了。

Becky Johnson, 30, shook off her old identity as a deferential helper and took on an expanded role at her organization. Here's how she did it.

30歲的貝姬？約翰遜（Becky Johnson）擺脫了她原來(lái)作為謙卑助手的身份，在組織內(nèi)部承擔(dān)了更大的角色。她是怎樣做到的？

The Problem: A loyal follower needed to become more of a leader.

問(wèn)題：忠誠(chéng)的追隨者需要進(jìn)一步向領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者角色轉(zhuǎn)變

Ms. Johnson, a former Commerce Department staffer, was hired by Lisa Gable as project coordinator in 2009 to help her start a foundation. As the organization grew from 16 to 250 members, Ms. Gable promoted Ms. Johnson three times, to senior director, and started asking her to fill in for her in meetings and conference calls with the corporate chief executives who lead the group, the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, a coalition of food, beverage, restaurant and other companies and groups aiming to reduce obesity.

約翰遜女士曾是美國(guó)商務(wù)部（Commerce Department）的幕僚，2009年被麗莎？蓋布爾（Lisa Gable）聘為項(xiàng)目協(xié)調(diào)員，幫她成立一家基金會(huì)。在這家組織從16人擴(kuò)大到250人的過(guò)程中，蓋布爾三次提拔約翰遜，一直到高級(jí)總監(jiān)職位，并開(kāi)始要求她代替自己出席與理事單位負(fù)責(zé)人之間的當(dāng)面會(huì)談和電話會(huì)議?；饡?huì)名叫“健康體重**基金會(huì)”（Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation），是一家由食品、飲料、餐飲等公司和一些減肥機(jī)構(gòu)共同成立的聯(lián)合組織。

But Ms. Johnson, 30, lacked the presence and air of authority needed to command a room. In conference calls, 'I'd turn to her and say, 'Becky, what do you think? ' And she'd be startled,' says Ms. Gable, the foundation's president. If Ms. Gable asked Ms. Johnson to run a meeting in her absence, she deferred decision-making until Ms. Gable returned. 'I needed her to learn how to speak up,' Ms. Gable says, 'to embrace the fact that she was no longer just a participant. It was time to be a driver.'

但30歲的約翰遜缺乏鎮(zhèn)住全場(chǎng)的風(fēng)采和氣場(chǎng)。身為基金會(huì)會(huì)長(zhǎng)的蓋布爾說(shuō)，在電話會(huì)議期間，“我會(huì)扭過(guò)頭去問(wèn)她，‘貝姬，你怎么看？’然后她總是一幅吃驚的樣子”。如果蓋布爾要求約翰遜在自己不在場(chǎng)的時(shí)候主持會(huì)議，她就會(huì)推遲到蓋布爾回來(lái)的時(shí)候再做決定。蓋布爾說(shuō)，“我需要她學(xué)會(huì)講出自己的觀點(diǎn)，接受她已經(jīng)不再只是一名與會(huì)者的事實(shí)。當(dāng)‘司機(jī)’的時(shí)候到了。”

Ms. Johnson had essentially pigeonholed herself. In her previous job as deputy scheduling director for former Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, being a loyal staffer meant staying behind the scenes, orchestrating events. Her job, she says, was to help her boss 'look as good as possible. The story is never about you.' She had built a mental 'barrier, a line in the sand,' against taking the spotlight.

在事實(shí)上，約翰遜是把自己的角色固化了。原先為前商務(wù)部長(zhǎng)卡洛斯？古鐵雷斯（Carlos Gutierrez）做日程安排副總監(jiān)的時(shí)候，做一名忠誠(chéng)的幕僚意味著要躲在幕后協(xié)調(diào)各種活動(dòng)。她說(shuō)，她的職責(zé)是幫助老板“顯得盡量光鮮”，自己永遠(yuǎn)不能成為主角。她在頭腦中建立了一道“屏障”，劃了一條紅線，不讓自己接受聚光燈的照射。

At the Washington, D.C.-based foundation, she developed website content and oversaw the launch of a school curriculum on exercise and nutrition. But she hadn't made the mental shift from working in a bureaucracy where rank is explicit to helping run an entrepreneurial organization with four full-time and three part-time employees and a boss intent on stretching her skills. 'Getting past my perspective on rank was the biggest' roadblock, she says.

在這家總部位于華盛頓特區(qū)的基金會(huì)，約翰遜開(kāi)發(fā)了網(wǎng)站內(nèi)容，并負(fù)責(zé)推出了一套有關(guān)鍛煉與營(yíng)養(yǎng)的中小學(xué)課程。但她原來(lái)在一家等級(jí)森嚴(yán)的官僚機(jī)構(gòu)工作，現(xiàn)在是幫助運(yùn)營(yíng)一家只有四名全職員工、三名兼職員工的企業(yè)化組織，而老板又打算拓展她的技能，她的心態(tài)未能成功轉(zhuǎn)化。她說(shuō)，“克服我對(duì)等級(jí)的看法是大的”障礙。

The Solution: Rethinking the meaning of 'loyalty.'

解決方案：反思“忠誠(chéng)”的含義

Ms. Gable asked executive coach Michele Woodward to work with Ms. Johnson earlier this year on developing leadership. Ms. Johnson says she wasn't surprised, given that her boss often talked about the value of coaching.

蓋布爾在今年早些時(shí)候邀請(qǐng)經(jīng)理人培訓(xùn)師米歇爾？伍德沃德（Michele Woodward）來(lái)培養(yǎng)約翰遜的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)能力。約翰遜說(shuō)，由于老板常常談起培訓(xùn)的價(jià)值，對(duì)此她并不意外。

During the coaching, Ms. Woodward realized Ms. Johnson was deferring to her boss out of loyalty. 'Structure and respect for authority had become a real hallmark for her,' says Ms. Woodward, also of Washington. 'She didn't want to be disloyal to a CEO she admired very much by stepping on her toes.'

培訓(xùn)期間，伍德沃德意識(shí)到約翰遜對(duì)老板言聽(tīng)計(jì)從是出于忠誠(chéng)。同樣來(lái)自華盛頓特區(qū)的伍德沃德說(shuō)：“等級(jí)觀念和對(duì)權(quán)威的尊重已經(jīng)成為她身上一個(gè)實(shí)實(shí)在在的烙印?！彼f(shuō)：“她不想冒犯自己十分崇拜的一位CEO，覺(jué)得這樣是不忠的表現(xiàn)。”

Ms. Woodward told her that learning to stand in for Ms. Gable would be an act of loyalty, because it would help her reach the foundation's goals. That was a turning point, Ms. Johnson says. Once she understood 'this is what's expected of me, and this is what I need to do, that aligns your whole value system with the job at hand.'

伍德沃德對(duì)她說(shuō)，學(xué)會(huì)頂替蓋布爾會(huì)是一種效忠行為，因?yàn)檫@樣做會(huì)幫助她實(shí)現(xiàn)基金會(huì)的目標(biāo)。約翰遜說(shuō)，這一席話成了一個(gè)轉(zhuǎn)折點(diǎn)。一旦她理解了“這是對(duì)我的期待，是我應(yīng)該 做的事情，整個(gè)價(jià)值觀體系便與手頭的工作統(tǒng)一了”。

Personality tests helped Ms. Johnson see that her introverted style, coupled with her training as a staffer, made her hesitant to speak up when working with large groups. Spending more time preparing for meetings would increase her confidence and make it easier, Ms. Woodward told her. She also realized she would mesh better with more outgoing colleagues if she was more assertive in meetings and updated them more often on her work.

人格測(cè)試幫助約翰遜看到，內(nèi)向的性格加上她作為幕僚得到的訓(xùn)練，使她在跟一大群人一起工作的時(shí)候不敢把自己的觀點(diǎn)表達(dá)出來(lái)。伍德沃德告訴她，拿出更多的時(shí)間為會(huì)議做好準(zhǔn)備，將會(huì)使她變得更加自信，更加敢于發(fā)表觀點(diǎn)。她也意識(shí)到，如果在會(huì)議中更加果斷，并且更加頻繁地向同事報(bào)告自己的新工作情況，那么她跟更加外向的同事會(huì)更加融洽。

The Implementation: Ms. Woodward coached Ms. Johnson to strike a more authoritative stance, straightening her shoulders and making eye contact. In meetings, taking a seat near the middle of the table, rather than in the corner, would signal that she intended to take part. When speaking to others around the table, pointing her toes toward the person she was addressing would automatically square her shoulders to face the listener, Ms. Woodward said.

方案實(shí)施：伍德沃德教約翰遜形成一種更加威嚴(yán)的姿態(tài)，具體方法是端正肩膀、與人目光接觸。在會(huì)議中坐在桌子中央附近的位置而不是角落上，會(huì)表露出她參加討論的意愿。伍德沃德說(shuō)，在跟一桌的人講話時(shí)，把腳趾指向說(shuō)話對(duì)象將會(huì)自動(dòng)端正她的肩部，直面聽(tīng)她說(shuō)話的那個(gè)人。

Ms. Johnson made the same changes in her posture when talking on the phone, she says. 'When you have a more commanding presence physically, you feel even more prepared to speak up,' she says. She likens it to 'having a little more swagger when you go into a meeting.'

約翰遜說(shuō)，在電話中交談的時(shí)候，她也做了同樣的姿態(tài)調(diào)整。她說(shuō)：“當(dāng)你在身體上更加居高臨下的時(shí)候，你會(huì)覺(jué)得更愿意把話說(shuō)出來(lái)?！彼龑⑦@一點(diǎn)比作“開(kāi)會(huì)時(shí)稍微端些架子”。

Ms. Woodward also urged her to swap her classic pantsuits and button-down shirts for more stylish clothing, 'so that you look the part of chief of staff, you look like a CEO-- like somebody who owns the room.' Ms. Johnson bought a few dresses and gold bangle bracelets that 'add a little more excitement' than her customary silver jewelry, she says. The clothes helped her feel she is 'getting more polish and stepping up to more of a leadership role.'

伍德沃德也勸她把經(jīng)典職業(yè)套裝和帶領(lǐng)扣的襯衫換成更加時(shí)尚的著裝，這樣“你就像個(gè)參謀長(zhǎng)，像一位CEO，像一屋之主”。約翰遜說(shuō)，她買了幾件連衣裙和金手鐲，跟平時(shí)戴的銀首飾相比，“增添了一些亮色”。這些衣服讓她覺(jué)得自己“變得更加光鮮”，“在進(jìn)一步向領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者角色靠攏”。

The Outcome: Ms. Johnson is running more meetings for her boss and making decisions on the spot. Ms. Gable says 'she is much more self-confident. She is putting her ideas forward without any hesitancy.' Ms. Gable says Ms. Johnson is briefing board members during conference calls with confidence.

效果：約翰遜代替老板主持越來(lái)越多的會(huì)議，并當(dāng)場(chǎng)拍板。蓋布爾說(shuō)：“她比原來(lái)自信多了，總是毫不猶豫地提出自己的想法。”蓋布爾說(shuō)，電話會(huì)議期間，約翰遜充滿自信地向理事會(huì)成員匯報(bào)情況。

When Ms. Gable was asked in a recent meeting to describe a school project that had won one of the foundation's grant competitions, Ms. Johnson spoke up to explain how the school involved parents. Later, Ms. Gable says, she told her, 'That was an amazing point. I'm so glad you raised it.'

前不久的一次會(huì)議上，蓋布爾被要求描述一個(gè)曾經(jīng)贏得該基金會(huì)撥款競(jìng)標(biāo)的學(xué)校項(xiàng)目。這時(shí)候，約翰遜站出來(lái)解釋這所學(xué)校如何讓家長(zhǎng)參與的事情。據(jù)蓋布爾說(shuō)，她后來(lái)告訴約翰遜：“那是一個(gè)非常不錯(cuò)的要點(diǎn)，你把它說(shuō)出來(lái)了，我很高興。”

Ms. Gable is so pleased with the outcome of the coaching that she recently sent Ms. Woodward an email: 'I don't know what you've done with Becky, but thank you so much. It's awesome.'

蓋布爾對(duì)培訓(xùn)效果非常滿意，所以近給伍德沃德發(fā)了一封電子郵件，說(shuō)：“我不知道你是怎樣培訓(xùn)貝姬的，但是非常感謝。效果非常棒?！?/p>

For her part, Ms. Johnson says she is grateful to be working 'with a boss who looks for opportunities for growth for all of her employees.' Last week, Ms. Johnson was promoted to vice president.

約翰遜則說(shuō)，與“一位找機(jī)會(huì)讓所有員工成長(zhǎng)的老板”共事讓她心存感念。不久前，約翰遜被提拔為副會(huì)長(zhǎng)。