Sometimes the most mundane issues are the really important ones. For example, how do entrepreneurs actually spend their time? What do they do all day?
有时平凡之中才会见真章。例如，实际上企业家如何分配他们的时间？他们一整天都在干什么？
One thing is for sure: leaders need to be as good at time management as they are at staff management. They must understand the difference between urgent and important. And they have to know how to prioritise ruthlessly.
有一点可以肯定：管理者既需要善于管理员工，也需要善于管理时间。他们必须分得清轻重缓急，他们也必须明白如何客观冷静地确定做事的优先次序。
Some bosses are ingenious at doing the minimum but making sure they maximise efficiency. Gerry Robinson, former chief executive of Granada, the television company, and now an onscreen star, was celebrated for never working late or cancelling holidays. He hired well, delegated and picked his targets carefully.
一些老板善于做得最少，却保证效率最高。曾担任电视公司Granada首席执行官、现在是影视明星的加里•罗宾逊(Gerry Robinson)以从不加班或取消休假闻名。他精心招聘，仔细分配任务和选择目标。
That rather contrasts with my philosophy, which has generally been that the harder you work, the more successful you are. The trouble with this approach is that work can seep into the rest of your life – evenings, weekends and vacations. If your obsession with business becomes too extreme, then you become exhausted and a workaholic. I prefer managers who are genuine grafters but who also have a hinterland – not an easy trick to pull off.
这完全不同于我的理念——我通常信奉越努力越成功。这种理念的麻烦在于，工作可能渗入到你的生活——晚上、周末和假期。如果你过于痴迷于工作，就会感到筋疲力尽，成为一个工作狂。我喜欢那些真正努力工作但也有自己生活的管理者——做到这一点可不容易。
Perhaps the first activity any founder must undertake is to have the idea. I frequently meet would-be entrepreneurs who do not know what business to start. I recommend that they find a partner with a plan – or copy someone else, but with a twist. And they should remain the champion of the concept, exhibiting a creator’s pride and passion to everyone – staff, customers, suppliers and the media.
或许每个创业者首先必须有想法。我经常碰到一些希望创业、但不知道做什么项目的企业家。我建议他们找一个有计划的合伙人，或者模仿他人项目但略作改动。他们应该始终是该想法的倡导者，向所有人（员工、客户、供应商和媒体）展示出首创者的骄傲和热情。
Hence most leaders must be promoters – always selling. In this they should lead from the front. Their audience is not simply people who might buy their goods: it includes potential recruits and shareholders. Many schemes never gain traction because the founders cannot raise finance. Meanwhile, lots of second-rate ideas obtain backing thanks to brilliantly charismatic leaders who persuade financiers to support their venture – even when it is a bad bet.
因此大多数管理者必须是推销员，时刻不停地推销。在这方面他们应该以身作则。他们的观众不仅仅是可能购买商品的顾客：还包括潜在的雇员和股东。许多项目之所以永远无法启动，就是因为发起人无法筹得资金。与此同时，大量二流想法获得支持，原因是管理者表现出极大魅力，说服金融家支持他们的冒险，即便它并不是一个好的想法。
The wisest investors, such as Warren Buffett, know that business is about capital allocation. So the best managers think about this task very hard indeed. They analyse deeply which projects to back and which to forget, which companies to buy, and which products to launch.
沃伦•巴菲特(Warren Buffett)等最聪明的投资者知道，企业与资本配置有关。因此最好的管理者实际上非常认真地考虑资本配置问题。他们深入分析支持什么项目，放弃什么项目，收购什么公司，以及推出什么产品。
Senior hiring and firing should be carried out at the top, so bosses spend much of their time doing interviews. Employing the best individuals and referencing them thoroughly is key for any founder.
高级雇员的招聘和解聘应由最高管理者负责，因此老板们花费大量时间进行面试。对所有创业者来说，招聘最优秀的员工并全面了解他们非常关键。
A boss must be a spokesperson, so critical media relations should be handled by the leader. Similarly, senior government and regulatory figures must be dealt with by the CEO. And if there is a sophisticated board of non-executive directors and a chair, then the CEO must devote time to them too. High-level industry networking is also part of the remit.
老板必须是发言人，因此管理者必须处理关键的媒体关系。同样，政府和监管部门的高官也必须由首席执行官应酬。如果公司有一个包括非执行董事和董事长的复杂董事会，首席执行官还必须花时间和他们打交道。拓展行业内高层次的人脉也是首席执行官的份内之事。
Some entrepreneurs I know like to meet face-to-face. Others feel no such compulsion and spend most of their time on the phone or emailing. Either method works: I like to meet people initially, to get to know them, but much of the time other forms of communication are essential to boost productivity.
我认识的一些企业家喜欢面对面交流。其他人则感觉无此必要，大多数时间通过电话或邮件交流。这两种方式都不错：我一开始喜欢通过见面了解对方，但许多时候为了提高效率，采取其他形式的交流方式也非常重要。
Meetings themselves can be black holes of time. Internal meetings are often the worst. And meeting effectiveness is usually inversely proportional to the number of attendees. One reason large institutions can be cumbersome and bureaucratic is that their meetings are too large. By contrast, owner-driven organisations tend to have smaller, punchier gatherings, which allow for swifter decisions.
会议本身是时间的“黑洞”。内部会议通常最为糟糕。会议效率通常与与会人数成反比。大型机构效率低下、官僚作风严重的一个原因是，他们的会议规模过于庞大。相比之下，个人企业的会议规模更小、效率更高，使企业可以更迅速地做出决策。
I like morning meetings, when everyone is fresher – they avoid the post-lunch slump. And I like meetings that deal with the big issues first, rather than coming to them later when all those around the table are tired and bored.
我喜欢晨会，那时所有人都更为精神，而没有午后的倦怠。我还喜欢一开始就处理重大事宜的会议，而不是在所有与会人员都疲惫不堪之际才进入主题。
Not many entrepreneurs are great listeners, but those who have that skill are frequently the most impressive. They learn more. And I like bosses who are always well-informed about their market and competition – never too arrogant to copy rivals, and modest enough to understand that there is always room for improvement.
没有多少企业家擅长倾听，但那些擅长倾听的企业家往往最为令人印象深刻。他们获得了更多的信息。我喜欢那些始终对市场和竞争了如指掌的老板，永远不会傲慢得不去模仿竞争对手，他们也足够谦逊，知道始终存在改进的空间。
My favourite entrepreneurs are well-organised but not perfectionists. They see the big picture and do not fritter away energy on trivia. They juggle the multiple calls on their time well, and know what matters.
我偏爱做事有序、但并非完美主义者的企业家。他们纵观全局，不会在琐事上浪费精力。他们合理安排时间处理各种事务，知道什么才是最重要的。
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