通用首席娛樂官:了解自己是成功的基礎
????《財富》(Fortune)科技頭腦風暴大會正在科羅拉多州阿斯彭舉行。大會定期邀請科技創新領域最優秀、最聰明的智囊參加。每周,《財富》都會邀請一位與會者分享對商業、科技和企業家精神的獨到見解。我們本周邀請的是通用汽車公司(General Motors)首席娛樂官菲利普?艾布拉姆。他回答了十個問題,包括工作之外的生活,所收到的最好建議,以及對年輕企業家的行業建議。他的回答如下。 ????你收到的最好建議是什么? ????當時我還是一名年輕的工程師,有人建議我去尋找那些正在發生變革的領域,在公司的“商業層面”多花些時間,因為它關系到公司的決策。我的職業生涯一直從事科技和商業交叉領域的工作。這個交叉領域關注的是:什么是可能的,什么是可盈利的。 ????如今的就業市場競爭激烈,你想對即將踏進職場的年輕人說點什么? ????即便是在競爭激烈的市場,也要追隨自己的興趣和熱情。這樣,你會更加幸福,而且對雇主而言更具價值。 ????你在學校里學到的最重要的東西是什么? ????我在學校里學到的最重要的事是如何學習,也就是如何處理和記住新信息,同時把它們應用于解決新問題。我大學學到的電子工程知識經過這些年已經過時了。每天我都在學習新的東西,用來解決新發生的問題。 ????你的娛樂活動有哪些? ????盡可能多做戶外活動(對,即使是在底特律!)騎車,遠足,游覽國家公園和本地公園。 ????你取得的最大成就是什么? ????在過去50年最糟糕的經濟衰退中,在一個迅速成為銷售優質產品的初創公司的團隊中工作。2009年,整個消費電子行業規模縮減了30%,而我們的Sonos同比增長超過50%,與此同時我們還降低了運營成本。 ????你遭遇過的最大失敗是什么? ????太多了。我花了太多時間才意識到我擅長什么,不擅長什么。沒有很好地認識自我,這一點限制了我在許多工作上的發展。即便在從很多方面看上去“成功”的崗位,我也沒能發揮全部潛力。 |
????Fortune's Brainstorm Tech Conference (going on now in Aspen, Colo.) regularly brings together the best and brightest minds in tech innovation. Each week, Fortune turns the spotlight on a different conference attendee to offer his or her own personal insight into business, tech, and entrepreneurship. This week, we asked Chief Infotainment Officer at General Motors Philip Abram to answer 10 questions about life outside of work, the best advice he ever received, and industry tips for young entrepreneurs. His responses follow. ????What is the best advice you ever received? ????As a young engineer, I was advised to look for areas undergoing change and spend time on the "business side" of the company, because that is what drives decisions. I've spent my career close to that boundary between technology and business, the intersection of what is possible and what is profitable. ????What would you say to a group of young people looking to enter the tough job market? ????Even in a tough market, follow your interests and passions. You'll be happier and more valuable to your employer. ????What was the most important thing you learned in school? ????How to learn. How to process and retain new information and be able to apply it to solve new problems. My undergrad electrical engineering knowledge is quite dated after all these years. Every day I learn something new and incorporate that into how I tackle the issues that come my way. ????What do you do for fun? ????Get outside as much as I can (yes, even in Detroit!). Cycling, hiking, seeing our national and regional parks. ????What is your greatest achievement? ????Working on a team that rapidly grew a startup (Sonos) selling premium products during the worst economic downturn in over 50 years. Sonos grew more than 50% year-over-year in 2009 in a consumer electronics industry that was shrinking by 30% while we lowered our operating expenses. ????What has been your biggest failure? ????So many to choose from...Taking too long to realize what I'm good at and what I'm not good at. Not having good self-awareness limited what I could contribute to many of the jobs I've had in the past. Even positions that were "successful" in many ways, I did not do all I could have done. |