向奧巴馬學習管理之道

Obama became a master of compartmentalizing his time and focus over the course of his presidency.
在總統任職期間,奧巴馬成爲了一位合理劃分個人時間與精力的大師.

Based on the photos of Obama kiteboarding off the coast of billionaire Richard Branson’s private island in the Caribbean, few of us will ever have the chance to vacation like our former president. But by examining the daily habits he developed over his eight years in one of the most intense working environments in the world, we can all learn how to work like Obama.
從奧巴馬在億萬富翁理查德布蘭森位於加勒比海上的私人島嶼岸邊玩兒風箏衝浪的照片看來，普通人很少有機會可以像我們的前總統一樣休個這樣的假期。但通過驗證其八年如一日的緊張總統生涯，我們仍舊能從奧巴馬的日常習慣中學到很多工作之道。

This Presidents Day, whether you’re a creative professional, budding entrepreneur, or seasoned CEO, studying Obama’s modern approach to the pressures of presidential life will provide you insights into how you too can better manage the stress and responsibilities in your own day-to-day.
總統日的這一天，不論你是創意顧問，合夥創業人還是已經很老練的CEO，學習奧巴馬管理任職總統高壓的現代方法都能幫助你更好地應對日常工作中的責任與壓力。

Put Your Body to Work: Obama started most days of his presidency with 45 minutes in the gym, alternating between lifting weights and cardio. It was a way to clear his mind and prime it for the day to come, especially since he steered clear of caffeine. Obama told journalist Michael Lewis, “You have to exercise, or at some point you’ll just break down.”The Lesson: Although it doesn’t have to be as soon as you wake up, all of us need to incorporate exercise in our lives. Studies show that the simple task slows aging, and improves cognition, among a slew of other benefits.
喚醒身體更好地投入工作：任職總統期間，奧巴馬總以45分鐘的健身開啓一天的工作，一般將有氧和無氧穿插進行。這樣有助於理清大腦併爲接下來的一天做好準備，特別是在奧巴馬停止攝入咖啡因之後，這種方式成了很好的替代。奧巴馬曾這樣告訴記者米歇爾劉易斯：“人人都需要運動，否則身體隨時會垮臺。”這告訴了我們：雖然不用一起來就去運動，但是在生活中我們都應該安排時間給運動。研究表明，運動能帶來很多益處，例如減緩衰老以及提高認知能力等等。

Preserve Decision Making: Look back at pictures of Obama over the course of the presidency and you may notice that he is usually wearing a blue or gray suit. Using the latest neuroscience findings, our former president attempted to extract all the little decisions one makes in a day (what to wear and eat, for example) so that he could avoid “decision fatigue,” and have more energy to decide on the life-or-death matters that come with leading a country. The Lesson: Form habits and routines that eliminate tiny and inconsequential decision from your day, so you can focus on the important stuff.
節省做不必要的決定的時間：回顧奧巴馬任職期間的照片，我們會發現他一般以一身藍色或灰色西裝出現。據最新神經科學發現成果，前任總統的單一着裝目的原來是儘量節省在不必要的事情上作決定的時間（穿什麼、吃什麼等），以避免“決定疲勞”，確保把更多的精力用於治國理政中要做的生死攸關的大決定上。從中我們可以學到的是：養成避免在不重要的小事決定上花功夫的習慣，這樣便可更好地集中於重要問題的處理。

Understanding How You and Others Think: Obama recommended reading Daniel Kahneman’s book about decision-making, Thinking Fast, and Slow to better understand why and how people make decisions. In the book, Kahneman, a Nobel Prize-winning psychologist, explains the pros and cons between going with your gut (called a System 1 thinker, like George W. Bush) and thinking things through (or System 2 thinker, like Obama). The Lesson: Knowing your biases and approach to decision making, allows you make better decisions and understand competitors, partners, and employees’ mindset.
讀懂自己和他人的思維模式：奧巴馬曾薦書《快慢思考》（丹尼爾卡恩曼），對於理解人們怎樣做決定，以及爲什麼這樣做決定能起到很大幫助。心理學家卡恩曼作爲諾獎獲得者，在書中揭示了感情用事（被稱爲一系統思考者，如喬治布什）和三思而行（二系統思考者，如奧巴馬）各自的優缺點。我們可以學到的是：瞭解自己做決定的方式和缺陷，可以讓你更好地做決定並且瞭解競爭者，合作人以及員工的心理。

Compartmentalize to Survive: Obama became a master of compartmentalizing his time and focus over the course of his presidency. There’s no better example of his skill than the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner, where, just before Obama got up to poke fun at our current president for his insistence that was not a U.S. citizen, he had just ordered the raid to capture Osama Bin Laden. The Lesson: Have the discipline to compartmentalize the challenges and roles you need to play in your professional life.
分配精力以在職場中求得生存：在總統任職期間,奧巴馬成爲了一位合理劃分個人時間與精力的大師.最好的例子是2011年白宮記者協會年度晚宴上，面對特朗普堅稱其不是美國公民時，奧巴馬以剛剛發出的追捕本拉登指令對此說法予以嘲笑。這揭示了一點：嚴格遵守職業要求和挑戰間的劃分對你的職業生涯十分關鍵。

Seek Advice: Obama is known for tapping experts from a wide range of disciplines, like Reid Hoffman, John Doerr, and Malcolm Gladwell for advice for his presidency and beyond. And although not all of us have the ability to set up meetings with famous writers and venture capitalists, we can consult our networks to get different perspectives and strategies. The Lesson: Broaden and nurture your network.
尋求建議：人盡皆知奧巴馬會吸取各領域之長，比如霍夫曼，約翰德爾和馬爾科姆格拉德瓦都曾是他請教的對象。儘管我們可能沒有和專家或著名作者交流的機會，但是我們仍能通過自己的社交圈尋求不同的見解和策略。學到的是：要儘量擴展和培育自己的社交圈。

Communicate Decisions Clearly: Obama utilized a memo system with his aides, so that majority of them would come with three options: agree, disagree, or discuss. Stating clearly and concisely about how he felt about each issue allowed the president to communicate his decisions to his staff more effectively. The Lesson: If you have people relying on your decision, make sure you are clear in both what your decision is and the way you communicate it.
簡明的決定傳達:奧巴馬使用了一個他和助手們改良過的便條系統,通過使用該系統的受衆下屬只要同意,不同意和需要商議三個選項中做選擇即可。清楚精確地陳述觀點可以讓奧巴馬與下屬的交流效率更高。可以學到的是：當你的決定對他人有重要作用時，不僅要保證決定內容明晰，傳達工作一必須做好。

Be Prepared and Punctual: Unlike some other presidents (former and current), there was rarely a memo that passed by Obama’s desk that he didn’t read. Obama’s economic advisor, Larry Summers, stated it was a certainty that if someone had a meeting with the former president and had sent him a memo, he would have read and understood it, and would be irritated if the author tried to explain it. Obama would start the meeting on time, and end the meeting on time. The Lesson: Time is your most precious resource. Don’t waste yours or others because of a lack of discipline and expectations.
準時地有備而來：與其前後總統不同的是，奧巴馬幾乎會親自審閱所有遞交給他的文件。拉里薩默斯作爲奧巴馬的經濟諮詢人，如果有人傳信希望與他預約見面，奧巴馬會仔細閱讀其留言，但如果此人之後悔改約定，奧巴馬會有所不悅。我們可以學到的是：時間是最寶貴的資源，不要因爲紀律和信任的缺失而浪費自己或他人的時間。

Make Time for Family: Nearly every night of his presidency, Obama would sit down with his family at 6:30 p.m. to have dinner, despite the constantly emerging crises around the world. Obama would reconnect with his daughters and the First Lady to find out about their day and decompress. The Lesson: If the president can make time for his family, so should the rest of us.
留時間給家庭：在職的每一天，若非有世界性緊急危機發生，奧巴馬都會在6；30和家人一起用晚餐。晚餐時他會和妻子及女兒們交談，傾聽她們一天裏的遭遇併爲她們減壓。我們可以從中學到的是：如果總統都能承諾每日陪伴家人的時間，那麼我們也都能做到。

Focus on Others: Good entrepreneurs know that the best way to evolve a company or product is to not only listen to your staff, but, most importantly, the end users themselves. Obama had his aides sort through his mail to choose ten letters that he would read each day. The Lesson: Know your customers and develop strategies to make sure you hear them no matter how high up you rise.
關注他人：優秀的創業者都知道了解公司和產品走向的最好方式不僅是聆聽員工的觀點，更重要的是知道終端用戶的看法。奧巴馬讓他的助手們每日從他的郵箱中篩選十封來自人民的郵件給他讀。從中可以學到：瞭解客戶羣體，並且制定戰略保證不管多麼成功都要堅持聽他們的看法。

Find Some Me Time: Maybe it’s the early morning, or the late afternoon, when you can finally attend to all the built up items on your to-do list, but for Obama, the self-proclaimed“night guy,” it’s the wee hours — that distraction-free time when he could hide away in the White House’s Treaty Room. There, he could take his time fine-tuning speeches, watching ESPN, or playing Words With Friends. He also went out of his way to read fiction and history, which gave him perspective and an escape from the daily grind. The Lesson: Find time every day to get away from work, rejuvenate, and put your mind in a different space.
給自我留空間：可能是在早晨，或者半下午，當你終於可以一一完成清單上列出的必做事項時，對於我們自稱爲“夜間工作者”的奧巴馬來說，卻是“輕鬆一刻”——可以無憂無慮地躲進國務部的條約廳。在那裏，他儘可以完善自己的演講詞，看看ESPN上的體育節目或者玩玩填字遊戲。他也會讀科幻類或歷史書籍，在讓他產生見解的同時也能短暫地逃離一天裏的高壓。我們可以學到的是：每天都要拿出一部分時間從工作中脫身，恢復精神，讓思想遊走於不同的維度。