八大成功習慣：像成功人士一樣思考
1. Look at How They Think, Not at What They Do.
1.着眼於他們是如何想的，而非其所作所爲。
If you just observed the actions entrepreneurs take, you would conclude there isn’t that much to be gained from studying them. Each entrepreneur’s behavior is as idiosyncratic as they are. You would have to be Larry Page and Sergey Brin to start Google; Oprah Winfrey to found Harpo Productions.
如果你只是觀察企業家們所採取的行動，你會得出這樣的結論：研究他們沒有多少收穫。每個企業家的行爲和他們自身一樣獨具特色。創立谷歌（Google）的必須是拉里 佩奇（Larry Page）和謝爾蓋 布林（Sergey Brin）；成立哈普娛樂集團（Harpo Productions）一定要是奧普拉 溫弗裏(Oprah Winfrey)。
But—and it is a huge but—if you look at how they reason, you see remarkable similarities. The process just about all of them follows in creating their companies looks like this. They:
但是如果關注他們是如何思考的（這是一項龐大的工程），你就會看到明顯的相似之處。他們在創立自己公司時所遵循的思考過程就像下面所示：
A. Figure out what they really want to do.
A． 弄清楚他們真正想做什麼。
B. Take a small step toward that goal.
B． 向那個目標邁出一小步
C. Pause after taking that small step to see what they have learned.
C． 邁出一小步之後稍停片刻看看學到了什麼
D. build off that learning and take another small step.
D． 積累經驗，再前進一小步
E. Pause after taking that step.
E． 之後再停下來
F. Build off what they learned in step two. And then take another small step…
F． 積累第二步中的經驗。然後繼續前進……
If we were to reduce it to a formula, it would be Act. Learn. Build Repeat.
如果我們要把它提煉一下的話，那就是行動、學習、積累重複。
Put simply, in the face of an unknown future, entrepreneurs act. They deal with uncertainty not by trying to analyze it, or planning for every contingency, or predicting what the outcomes will be. Instead, they act, learn from what they find, and act again.
簡言之，在面對一個未知數時，企業家們採取了行動。他們應對不確定性時，沒有試着去分析它、爲每一個偶然性制定規劃，或者預測結果。相反，他們採取了行動，從他們的發現中吸取教訓，然後再採取行動。2. They Start with a Market Need.
2.他們從市場需求入手。
Ideas are easy—I bet you can come up with 10 new product or service ideas within five minutes right now, if you had to. And because new ideas are plentiful, they are not worth very much. As with anything else, if there is a glut—of ideas, in this case—the value goes down.
想法唾手可得——我敢打賭，如果趕鴨子上架的話，你能夠在五分鐘內提出關於產品或者服務的十個新點子。而且因爲從來不缺，這些新想法沒什麼價值。和任何其他東西一樣，如果供過於求，其價值會下降，在這裏指的是點子。
Besides, there is no guarantee anyone will buy the great idea you have come up with. If you start with the idea, you need to go in search of customers. If you begin with the need, you already have a market—the people who need what you have.
另外，未必會有人買你想出來的這個好主意。如果你從創意着手，就必須去尋找顧客。而如果你從需求入手，你已經擁有了一個市場——那些人需要你的想法。
If you can discover a market need you can make a fortune. But intriguingly, that is not the primary motivation of the most successful entrepreneurs, and that brings us to the next point.
如果你能發現市場需求，你就能賺得大錢。但有趣的是，那並非最成功的企業家們的主要動力，於是我們就研究出了下一點。3. Don’t Set Out to Be Rich.
3.別一開始就想着賺錢。
The best entrepreneurs don’t have making a fortune as their goal, as they start off. Wealth is just (an extremely pleasant) byproduct.
創業初期，最優秀的企業家沒有將財富作爲他們的目標。財富只是這個過程中一種令人非常愉快的副產品。
Why not focus on gaining wealth? Well, if your primary objective is to get rich quick, you are bound to cut corners, short-change your customers, and fail to take the time to truly understand what the market needs. And that is true whether you are trying to get your company off the ground, or are introducing a new product or service in order to make this quarter’s numbers.
爲什麼不專注於獲取財富？好吧，如果你的主要目標是快速致富，你勢必會偷工減料，欺騙你的顧客，而不會花時間去真正瞭解這個市場的需求。的確如此，無論你是在努力推動公司起步，還是推出一款全新產品或者服務來完成這個季度的業績。
Instead, they identify the market need we talked about in point 2, and get to work.
相反，他們能夠識別我們在上述談到的市場需求，開始工作。4. Marketing. (Psst. Compete Differently)
4.營銷。（嘿!以不同的方式競爭）
The conventional wisdom—find a niche; zig when others zag—is right, but not particularly helpful. It lacks, to be kind, specificity. Far better is to describe what the best entrepreneurs do and that is “compete differently.”
像找到一個利基和隨大流等傳統經驗固然沒錯，但並不特別有用。至少可以說，它缺少針對性。不如說，最優秀的企業家們所做的是“以不同的方式競爭。”
How do they do it? Here are some examples:
他們是如何做到的？以下有幾個例子：
–Make small bets. Your resources are limited and starting anything new is risky. You don’t want to compound those risks by betting everything on one role of the dice.
——小試一把。你的資源有限，任何新嘗試都要冒風險。你不希望孤注一擲而讓風險大增。
–Make those small bets quickly. No, you don’t want to lose money. But, since you are not risking much, you can afford to fail. Get out in the marketplace fast and let potential customers tell you if you are onto something. Action trumps everything—especially planning.
——迅速押注。不，你不想賠錢。但既然押上的不多，你經受得起失敗。迅速進出市場，讓潛在的客戶告訴你是否該做下去。行動勝過一切——尤其是規劃。
–Where do you place those small bets? (I) Obviously, in areas where competitors don’t exist, or are weak. Not so obviously, in places where you feel strong. That confidence will help you overcome the inevitable hurdles you will face.
——押注哪個領域？(I)顯然是那些沒有競爭者，或者競爭力較弱的領域。此外，還應押注你感覺自己實力強大的領域，這也許沒那麼明顯。這種自信會幫助你克服你將面對的不可避免的障礙。
–Where do you place those small bets? (II) No customer wants to be entirely dependent on just one supplier, no matter who it is. Ask yourself, what your competitor’s customers want. Better yet, ask those customers yourself.
——押注哪個領域？(II)沒有哪一位顧客會完全依賴於一家供應商，無論是哪家供應商。問問自己，你的競爭對手的客戶想要什麼。然而更好的是，親自去問問那些客戶。
–Let the market define you. People will tell you what they like, and what they don’t, about your product. Incorporate their ideas with yours. Making the world’s best videocassette recorder does you no good, if what people really want are DVRs.
——讓市場來定義你。人們會對你的產品給出反饋意見，告訴你他們喜歡什麼和不喜歡什麼。把他們的想法和你的結合起來。如果消費者其實需要DVR，那麼生產世界上最棒的錄影機對你毫無益處。
–One step at a time. Be satisfied with making one significant improvement in a product or service. You’re bound to make mistakes just attempting one thing—many more if you try to do too much.
——一步一個腳印。滿足於在一件產品或者服務上實現的明顯改善。在只嘗試一件事的時候，你還未免會犯錯誤——如果你嘗試得太多，所犯的錯誤也會更多。
–Keep looking for places…where you have a genuine competitive edge. That’s where profitability and security lie. Tempting as it may be, don’t try to buy your way into markets where you offer the same product at a lower price. That’s where you’ll be vulnerable.
——不斷摸索……你在哪裏纔有真正的競爭優勢。那纔是可以賺錢的穩固領域。儘管看起來可能很誘惑，但是不要試圖以削減利潤空間的低價策略佔領市場。在這種情況下你很容易受到攻擊。5. Financing.
5.融資。
This is perhaps the biggest area people fail to understand. With all the attention paid to venture capitalists, there is a mistaken impression that the best entrepreneurs begin their companies with millions of dollars in start up financing. That simply isn’t true.
這或許是人們最沒能理解的地方了。隨着所有的注意力都投向風險投資家，這會給人以錯誤的印象——最優秀的企業家在創業時，都有數百萬美元的啓動資金。事實並非如此。
The actual number is $109,416, according to the Kauffman Foundation, and that figure includes the (relatively few) companies, such as biotech firms, that needs millions to begin.
據考夫曼基金會（Kauffman Foundation）稱，實際數字是109,416美元，而這一統計涵蓋了那些需要數百萬美元啓動公司（這種公司相對教授），如生物科技公司。
Sure, $109,416 isn’t chicken feed, but the figure is not particularly daunting.
當然，109,416美元也不是小數目，但是這個數字不會特別嚇人。
Why is it so relatively low? It relates back to the ways that the best entrepreneurs think about starting their companies. Since they are taking small steps, they only need sufficient financing to accomplish the next one.
爲什麼會這麼低？這又回到了優秀企業家們對創業的看法上來。既然他們每一步走得都很小，他們只需要籌措足以完成下一步的錢即可。6. Team Building.
6.團隊建設。
Yes, of course, the company founder needs to delegate early. You can try to micromanage but there are four large obstacles if you do:
沒錯，這家公司的創始人當然需要早早分派職責。你可以嘗試微觀管理，但如果你這麼做就會遇到四大阻礙。
--The business will never grow bigger than one person (you, the CEO) can handle effectively;
——這家企業絕不會發展到超出一個人（你,首席執行官）有效管理範圍之外的規模;
--Your company won’t be able to move very quickly. Since everything will have to flow through you, you will create a bottleneck;
——你的公司不可能實現快速轉變。既然所有的事情都要經過你把關，你將製造一個瓶頸。
--You won’t get the best ideas out of your people. Once they understand the company is set up so everything revolves around you, your employees are not going to take the time to develop their best ideas. “Why should I,” they’ll ask. “He is just going to do what he wants anyway.” And
——你不會從你的員工那裏獲得最棒的想法。一旦他們瞭解到，這家公司是這樣建立，那麼一切事情都會圍繞着你，你的員工將不會花時間自己去想好點子。“爲什麼是我，”他們會問，“不管怎樣老闆只會做他自己想做的事。”而且
--It’s exhausting.
——這樣做還很累人。8. Turning Obstacles Into Assets.
8.將障礙轉化爲資產。
I am not big on clichés like “every time God closes a door he opens a window,” or “there are no problems, only opportunities.”
我對那些陳詞濫調不感興趣，比如“當上帝關上一扇門時，他會在某處打開一扇窗”，又或者“不存在問題，只有機會。”
But the best entrepreneurs believe and act as if everything is a gift. Well, maybe not every single thing imaginable. But assuming that everything is a gift is a good way of looking at the problems and surprises you’ll encounter in any endeavor, such as getting a new venture off the ground, obtaining buy-in from your boss, or launching a new product line in an ultra-competitive market.
但是最優秀的企業家們相信並會採取行動，好像這一切都是上天賜予的禮物。好吧，或許並非每件事都都預料到。但是假定這一切都是禮物，有助於你看待在今後努力過程中遇到的問題和意外情況，比如，讓一個新事業起步，獲得你老闆的認同，或者在競爭激烈的市場推出一條新產品線。
Why take this seemingly Pollyannaish approach? There are three key reasons.
爲什麼要採取這種盲目樂觀的態度？有三大原因。
First, you were going to find out eventually what people did and did not like about your idea. Better to learn it as soon as possible, before you sink more resources into the concept, venture, or product line. You always want to keep potential loses to a minimum.
首先，你要找出弄清楚人們究竟喜不喜歡你的想法。在你向這個想法、事業，或者產品線投入更多資源之前，最好儘快瞭解。你總是希望將潛在損失降低到最低。
Second, the feedback could take you in another direction, or serve as a barrier to your competitors. You thought you wanted to start a public relations firm but a quick survey told you potential customers thought the field was saturated. But more than a few of them said they would love someone who could help with their internal communications.
其二，這些反饋可能會將你引向另一個方向，又或者爲你的競爭對手設置障礙。你認爲你想要創立一家公關公司，但是快速調查告訴你潛在顧客認爲這一領域已經飽和。但是其中很多人也表示，如果有人能夠幫助他們的內部交流，他們很樂意接受。
Third, you got evidence. True, it was not what you were expecting or even wanted, but that still puts you ahead of the person who is just thinking about doing something (like opening another p.r. firm.) You know something they don’t, and that is an asset. You are ahead of the game.
第三，你獲得了證據。誠然，它並非是你所期待的或者想要得到的東西，但是這同樣會使你比那些還停留在空想階段（比如想創辦另一家公關公司）的人領先一步。你知道一些他們不知道的事情，這就是資產。你是在這個遊戲中的跑在前面的人。
But what if it’s really bad news? It’s a disappointment. You were absolutely certain that your boss would approve your idea for a new software program, and she said no in a way that is still echoing down the corridor. No reasonable person can define what you’ve encountered as anything but a problem, and most people will try to solve the problem. (“Maybe she will like the idea if I go at it this way instead.”) That’s fine if you can. The problem has gone away and, again, you’ve learned something that others might not know. (The boss hates Y, but she loves Z.)
但如果得到的確實是一個壞消息怎麼辦？這真令人失望。你非常有把握你的老闆會贊成你關於一個新的軟件項目的想法，而她否定的聲音依然在走廊裏迴盪。任何一位有頭腦的人都會把你所遇到的情況視作一個問題，而且大多人將會努力去解決這個問題。（“如果我換個角度闡述，或許她會喜歡這個想法。”）如果你能這麼做，那很好。這個問題已經解決，而你又學到了別人可能不知道的事情。（老闆討厭Y，但是她喜歡Z。）
But what if you can’t solve it? (She hated “Z,” too.) Accept the situation to the point of embracing it. Take as a given that it won’t ever change, and turn it into an asset. What can you do with the fact that it won’t ever change? Maybe it presents a heretofore unseen opportunity. Maybe you build it into your product or service in a way that no competitor (having not acted) could imagine. Could you do it on your own? Could you take the idea to a competitor and use it as your calling card to look for the next job?
但如果你解決不了這個問題呢？（她也討厭“Z”。）接受現實，並敞開懷抱。把它視作將不會改變的前提，把它轉化爲一種資產。你能拿這種無法改變的事實怎麼辦？或許，它呈現了一個前所未見的機遇。或許你會把它以某種方式融入到你的產品或者服務，是那些還未付諸行動的競爭對手們所想不到的。你能夠自行完成嗎？你會把這個想法獻給你的競爭對手，用它作爲你尋找下一份工作的名片嗎？
The thing to remember is this: Successful people work with what they have at hand—whatever comes along—and try to use everything at their disposal in achieving their goals. And that is why they are grateful for surprises, obstacles, and even disappointments. It gives them more information and resources to draw upon.
銘記這一點：成功的人充分利用現有資源——無論那是什麼——而且試圖利用一切能用的資源去實現他們的目標。這就是他們對意外、阻礙，甚至失望心存感激的原因。這讓他們獲得更多可以利用的信息和資源。
7.他們發揮自己的長處。
The biggest surprise, when it comes to people, is that the best entrepreneurs find a Yin to their Yang, someone who offsets their weakness and compliments their strengths. This allows them to concentrate on what they do best, leaving the things they are not good at to someone else.
對人們來說，最驚訝的莫過於：最優秀的企業會維持陰陽平衡，取長補短。這樣會使他們集中精力於他們最擅長的領域，將他們不擅長的領域留給別人來做。
Walt Disney had Roy Disney. Steve Jobs had Steve Wozniak and Orville Wright had Wilbur Wright. Wherever there is great innovation, there is a dreamer and an operator; an “idea man” and someone who turns those ideas into reality.
華特-迪士尼有洛伊-迪士尼 。史蒂夫-喬布斯有史蒂夫-沃茲尼克斯，歐爾威爾-萊特有威布爾-萊特。只要有一項偉大的創新，就會有一個夢想家和一個操作者；一位“創意家”和能夠將這些想法變爲現實的執行者。
