Mentors make for miracles

导师教我们的那些事儿

Many of the successful business people were once unknowns, drawing their inspiration and determination from a role model or mentor. The need for advice and guidance is as real and pressing for today’s aspiring entrepreneurs.

很多商界精英都曾默默无闻过，他们从自己的偶像或精神导师身上汲取灵感和决心。时至今日，一些有抱负的创业者仍旧迫切需要一些指导建议。

21st Century invited Chen Xi, a senior career consultant at Zhaopin.com.cn, to discuss the mentor stories of US real estate tycoon Donald Trump and Twitter co-founder Biz Stone.

《21世纪英文报》特邀智联招聘网高级职业顾问陈曦，来同大家一起讨论美国房地产大亨唐纳德?特朗普以及Twitter联合创始人比兹?斯通同他们导师之间的故事。

Biz Stone

比兹?斯通

“It might sound a bit corny but my other mentor is Evan Williams, my Twitter co-founder. We’re very different. He’s patient and takes a long view. He never shoots down my outlandish statements. He gets to the core of a problem by looking at things from various angles.”

“尽管这听起来有些老套，但我还是得说，我的另一位导师是与我联手创办Twitter的埃文?威廉姆斯。我们俩截然不同。他有耐心，有远见。他从不批驳我那些稀奇古怪的言论。他会从各种角度来看待问题，从而找到问题的核心。”

— Biz Stone, 34, co-founder and Creative Director of Twitter, talks to the Financial Times.

——Twitter联合创始人兼创意总监，34岁的比兹?斯通在接受《金融时报》采访时表示。

In Chen’s opinion, a successful relationship between mentors and apprentices must be interactive. “You need to express your own point of view, even if it goes against your mentor’s,” Chen said. “Your mentor’s point of view will help you analyze problems from angles you can’t see.”

陈曦认为，一段成功师生关系应该是建立在相互交流的基础上。他表示：“你需要表达自己的观点，即使与导师的观点相悖。导师的观点有助于你从一个全新的角度分析问题。”

Moreover, you will also get experience working with various kinds of people. “Usually those who understand and respect individuality win long-term success for their companies.”

此外，通过与不同类型的人共事，你还可以收获足够多的工作经验。“通常，那些理解并尊重个性的人们会为自己的公司赢得长期的成功。”

Donald Trump

唐纳德?特朗普

“He (Donald Trump’s father) told me to ‘know everything you can about what you’re doing’. He was extremely knowledgeable and could even help out the carpenters. His four-step formula for success was simple: get in, get it done, get it done right and get out.”

“他（唐纳德?特朗普的父亲）告诉我‘对于自己做的事情，要尽可能有全方位的了解”。他的知识极其渊博，甚至能帮木工解决问题。他的成功四步曲很简单：进入、动工、做好、退出。”

— Donald Trump, 64, chairman and CEO of Trump Organization, host and executive producer of The Apprentice, talks to the Financial Times.

——特朗普公司董事长兼首席执行官、《飞黄腾达》节目的主持人兼执行制片人，64岁的唐纳德?特朗普在接受《金融时报》采访时说到。

Chen agrees that entrepreneurs should become experts at their work.

创业者需要成为自己工作领域的专家，陈曦对此表示赞同。

“You have accountants and HRs to hand in taxes and buy insurance for you if you are an employee. But you must be hands-on in all these areas if you start your own business,” said Chen.

陈曦说：“如果你只是个公司职员，会计和人事会替你缴纳税金并购置保险。但如果你要开创自己的事业，你就必须要所有事情都亲力亲为。”

As for the four-step formula for success, Chen emphasized that the last step, “get out”, is important.

对于唐纳德提出的“成功四部曲”，陈曦特别强调最后一部“退出”尤其重要。

“Entrepreneurship is not the whole of your life. You also need time for rest,” said Chen. “Even if making money is your sole purpose, you still should know when it’s the right time to slow down, or even quit.”

“生意并非你生活的全部。你还需要休息。即使赚钱是你唯一的目的，你仍然要记得适时放慢脚步，甚至是全身而退。”