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2010-5-30 03:26
The Problem
I'm a director of an industrial equipment distributor and, as our business is facing a downturn, it seems a good time to invest in my education and apply for a two-month programme at Harvard Business School. But my chairman is refusing to pay for the course and has made clear he does not think it is a good use of my time. I really want to do this and can afford to pay for it, but I wonder if it is mad to invest in myself when it may alienate my current employer? Director, male, 42 LUCY'S ANSWER Yes, you are mad. I've just checked the Harvard website and see you are proposing to spend $60,000 on something that promises flatulantly to turn “senior executives into indispensable leaders”. I have hardly ever come across people who were indispensable leaders and the idea that anyone could become one by dint of an eight-week course is fantasy. The website goes on to promise that “participants [will] leave equipped to make the tough decisions required to manage through the downturn”. The first tough decision on how to manage in a downturn has already been made by your boss: ban all management training courses that serve to make employees more attractive to rival employers. You say you see this course as an investment in yourself. In that case, you need to think of the likely returns. If you intend to stay with your present employer, these returns will be negative. You will irritate your chairman by going away and irritate him even more when you come back spouting the stuff that you have picked up in your short time there. If, however, you see this course as a way out, there might be some point to it. Harvard is a badge, and some employers are still impressed by it. You might make contacts that could be worth something, too. If this is what you have in mind, then I'd put it on hold. You claim that this is a good time for such an investment as business is slow; I think it's a rotten time as no one is hiring. I suggest you try to forget about it for a year. If you are then still wedded to the idea and if the economy is picking up a bit, perhaps you should think again. But I can think of other things I'd rather do with $60,000. YOUR ADVICE Invest in skills Investing in one's skills is always a good idea. Knowledge is power. Sharpening one's management and analytical skills by following the advanced management programme at an excellent business school will increase your chances of staying at the top management level in spite of the economic downturn. So go for it and you will not regret it. Anon, male Don't be vain Don't be an idiot. What you're learning on the job during tough times is 10 times more valuable in the real world than a programme. Check your vanity at the door and get to work. Executive, male, 50 Hold fast I wouldn't step out for two months while your company is in trouble – you might come back to find the company sunk, and you with it. Mind you, if your job goes, you should have plenty of time to go and further your studies. Except that studying will be the last thing on your mind, as getting a new job will become your sole focus. Believe me, I know! Unemployed banker, male Be original Do something that makes you stand out from the crowd – take a narrowboat from Scotland to Bristol, work in a soup kitchen, take your kids to India for a month to teach them some humility . . . Do something that makes you more interesting to potential employers and differentiates you from the corporate robots that you are benchmarking against. Female, anon Glamour? A Harvard degree is glamorous but who wants glamour in an industrial equipment distributor? Anon Next Problem My wife is expecting our first child. Ten days before the expected delivery date, I am due to go on a business trip to Los Angeles with my boss. The trip is important to the company and it is an honour that I have been picked.If I say I can't go, I expect my boss will be nice about it, but I fear it will mark my card as someone not serious about work and will also mean that a sly colleague (who is always trying to get one over on me) will go instead. I've no reason to think the baby will come early but, if it does, LA is an eight-hour flight away and if I miss the birth, my wife will never forgive me. Manager, male, 29 问题
我是一家工业器材经销公司的董事，由于我们这行正处于低迷时期，现在似乎是我投资自身教育的大好时机，我打算报名参加哈佛商学院(Harvard Business School)一个为期两个月的课程。但我们公司的董事长拒绝支付课程费用，并明确告诉我，他认为这不是利用时间的好办法。我真的很想参加这一课程，也掏得起学费，但我不知道，这种到头来可能破坏我在当前公司前途的自我投资，是不是一种疯狂之举。 董事，男性，42岁 露西的回答 是的，你十分疯狂。我刚刚查了一下哈佛大学的网站，发现你打算花费6万美元，参加一个号称将“高管转变为不可或缺的领导人”的课程。我几乎从未遇到过不可或缺的领导人，而任何希望凭借一项为期8周的课程就能成为这种领导人的想法，无异于白日做梦。哈佛在其网站上进一步承诺，“学员们”（将）学完课程后，能够做出所需的艰难决定来渡过低迷时期。 你的老板已经做出了如何在低迷时期进行管理的第一个艰难决定：禁止所有员工参加管理培训课程，这种课程将让员工在竞争对手公司眼里变得更具吸引力。 你说你把该课程视为一种自我投资。在这种情况下，你需要考虑可能的回报。如果你打算呆在你目前的公司，这些回报将是负面的。你去上课将激怒董事长，而当你学成归来、并滔滔不绝地谈论自己在短短两月内学到的东西时，他甚至会更加生气。 不过，如果你把此次学习看作一种出路，或许还有些意义。哈佛是一种象征，某些雇主仍对其仰慕不已。此外，你或许还能建立一些有价值的关系。 如果这是你内心的想法，那我就没什么可说的了。你声称由于经济低迷，现在是进行此类投资的大好时机，但我却认为这是一个糟糕透顶的时机，因为没有人在招聘。我建议你一年内不要考虑这个课程。如果一年后你仍有这种想法，而且经济也有所好转，或许你可以重新考虑。 但我认为，我宁愿把6万美元用到其它地方。 读者建议 投资技能 在技能上投资总是一个好主意。知识就是力量。在一所优秀的商学院修习高级管理课程，强化管理和分析技巧，将会提升你担任高级管理职位的机会，因此，去参加培训吧，你不会后悔的。 匿名，男性 不要徒劳无功 不要做傻事。在现实世界中，你在艰难时期从工作中学到的东西，比一项课程的价值高出10倍。在门口检讨一下自己的虚荣心，然后开始工作。 高管，男性，50岁 与公司共患难 我不会在公司陷入困境的时候离开两个月——或许你回来后发现公司倒闭了，你也失业了。记住，如果你失业了，你会有大量时间去进修你的课程。只可惜那个时候，学习将是你最不想做的事情，因为你只关心如何找到一份新工作。听我的，我清楚这些！ 失业的银行家，男性 特立独行 做一些特立独行的事——驾一叶扁舟从苏格兰划到布里斯托尔；在赈济处做义工；带上你的孩子到印度呆一个月，教会他们谦逊…… 做一些让潜在雇主对你更感兴趣的事情，并将自己与那些作为基准参照物的企业机器人区别开来。 女性，匿名 魅力？ 一个哈佛学位是颇具吸引力的，但在一家工业器材经销公司，谁想要这种吸引力？ 匿名 下一个问题 我的妻子即将临产，这是我们的第一个孩子。在她的预产期前10天，我要与老板一起去洛杉矶出差。此行对公司来说十分重要，我能被选中也是一种荣耀。如果我说不能去的话，估计老板也能够理解。但我担心这将给人留下对待工作不认真的印象，而且，这还意味着一个阴险的同事（他总是试图超过我）将代替我去。我没有理由认为孩子将提前出生，但如果出现这种情况，洛杉矶距离这里有8个小时的航程（我恐怕赶不回来）。如果妻子分娩时我不在身边，她永远都不会原谅我。 经理，男性，29岁 译者/君悦 |