全球最不合格的領導者榜單
過去一年,無論是CEO還是政治家們都有過工作中的失誤、挫敗和值得反思的決策,其中一些實在特別,還有一些則錯得離譜,值得一提。 |
The past year or so has produced an avalanche of bungles, failures, and questionable decisions among CEOs and politicians—many so distinctive or outsize that they merit special acknowledgement. |
密歇根州州長,里克?斯奈德。攝影:Al Goldis,美聯社圖片
“別怪我,我只是州長”獎 ——里克?斯奈德,密歇根州州長。 里克?斯奈德和他的團隊為了省錢選擇的供水方案造成密歇根州弗林特市自來水供應出現鉛污染,調查發現鉛超標可導致疾病和大腦損傷,對孩子的傷害更大。此事曝光后引起舉國憤怒。曾在州長選舉中吹噓自己能力的Snyder在國會聽證會上說,此事是他一生中“最羞愧”的經歷——接著開始轉移矛盾。他說這次事件是“政府失職”并抨擊環保署,稱其供水系統鉛含量標準是“愚蠢且危險的”。擴展閱讀:《弗林特水危機事件暴露危機管理法缺陷》 |
Don’t Blame Me, I’m Just The Governor Award Rick Snyder, Governor of Michigan Snyder and his team sparked national outrage after an attempt at cost-savings left the impoverished city of Flint, Mich. with a lead-tainted water supply that is being blamed for illness and brain damage, especially among its youngest residents. Called to testify before Congress, Snyder, who touted his competence in his gubernatorial campaign, labeled the experience the “most humbling” of his life—then attempted to shift blame. He described it as a “failure of government” and blasted the Environmental Protection Agency for its “dumb and dangerous” rules on allowable amounts of lead in water systems. Also read: Flint Water Crisis Highlights Problems in Emergency Management Laws |
“輪胎燒焦”獎 ——馬丁?溫特科恩,大眾汽車(Volkswagen)前董事長 溫特科恩執掌大眾期間,其工程師在1100多萬量柴油汽車上安裝篡改排放數據軟件的消息遭曝光,種種不當行為令公司深陷巨大丑聞的深淵,至今仍為完結。溫特科恩堅稱不知情,但他向來以什么都管著稱,所以評論者并不買賬。另外還有明擺的事實,即大眾公司已經承認溫特科恩至少在事件發展后期收到過警告,提醒可能存在不當行為。大眾公司文化一向出名的嚴苛冷酷,溫特科恩上任后卻表示要把公司打造成全球最大的汽車制造商,排放欺詐事件證明兩者的結合沒有什么好果子。擴展閱讀:《大眾柴油排放欺詐內幕》 |
The Burned Rubber Prize Martin Winterkorn, former chairman of Volkswagen Winterkorn led VW during most of the behavior that led to a disastrous scandal (which is far from over), as company engineers installed software that manipulated emissions on about 11 million diesel vehicles. Winterkorn has asserted ignorance of any wrongdoing. Critics have been skeptical, given that he is known as a micro-manager. Then there’s the fact that the company has acknowledged that, at least in the latter stages, a warning of potential wrongdoing was sent to him. VW was known for a ruthless culture and, under Winterkorn, an ambition to become the world’s largest automaker. The combination proved toxic in the case of its emissions cheating. Also read: Inside Volkswagen’s Diesel Fraud |
“黑盒子”獎 ——伊麗莎白?福爾摩斯,Theranos創始人 由伊麗莎白?福爾摩斯領導的初創公司Theranos宣稱能提供更便宜且創傷更小的驗血方法,顛覆傳統醫療方式,也由此成為硅谷明星。但在密切監督之下,Theranos聲譽嚴重受損。《華爾街日報》的調查曾對該公司的主要技術提出質疑,福爾摩斯一面為公司的測試方法辯護,一面拒絕外部科學監督或同行評價。聯邦監管者調查后,公司的兩個實驗室中有一個因不符合最基本的規范被關停。監管者總結稱,實驗室中有五項“嚴重不合規”之處,其中有一項會“直接危害到病人健康和安全”。 |
The Black Box Award Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos Once a Silicon Valley wunderkind, Holmes leads a startup that seeks to disrupt health care by offering cheaper and less invasive blood tests. But Theranos’s reputation has wilted under heavy scrutiny. After an investigative report by the Wall Street Journal cast doubt on some of the company’s key claims, Holmes continued to defend Theranos’ testing and methods—all while refusing to allow outside scientific scrutiny or peer review. Meanwhile she was unable to keep one of her company’s two labs in minimally acceptable order, according to findings by federal regulators. They concluded that the lab suffered from five “serious deficiencies,” one of which “posed immediate jeopardy to patient health and safety.” |
“什克雷利”獎 馬丁?什克雷利,圖靈制藥(Turing Pharmaceuticals)創始人和前CEO 由于馬丁?什克雷利去年表現過度雷人,他也成為第一個榮獲以自己名字命名獎項的人。什克雷利遠比你聰明得多(不信可以問他),他的過人之處在于,低價購買藥品后再以天價賣出,“當之無愧”地獲得醫藥界斯耐利?惠普拉斯 (美國動漫惡棍角色)稱號,還引發了整個行業全國大調查,哦對了,還有遭到起訴(他稱自己無罪)并丟了飯碗。這些都是他所謂宏偉藍圖的一部分,白癡才看不懂呢。 |
The Shkreli Prize Martin Shkreli, founder and former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals So striking was Martin Shkreli’s performance in the past year that he is the first person to merit having a category named after himself. Shkreli is waysmarter than you are (just ask him). He’s so brilliant that he hatched a strategy to buy cheap drugs, sell them at astronomical mark-ups, proudly embrace a role as the Snidely Whiplash of pharmaceuticals,attract searing national scrutiny to the entire industry and, oh yeah, get himself indicted (he has proclaimed his innocence), and lose his job. It’s all part of his master plan. Only a moron could fail to grasp that. |
“我沒主意了”特別獎 瑪麗莎?梅耶爾,雅虎CEO 瑪麗莎?梅耶爾一上任時就面臨重振雅虎這個1.0時代巨頭的任務,很顯然挑戰巨大。四年過去了,公司利潤依舊下滑,失敗接連而來。簡單舉個例子,她關閉了之前斥重金打造的“雜志”業務,還曾說這是公司策略重心之一。她為留住關鍵員工支付不惜重金,顯得很絕望。她對待激進的股東態度時而拒絕又時而歡迎;她在阿里巴巴的問題上左右搖擺,似乎想不清是否該剝離持有的高額阿里巴巴股份,還是剝離大部分業務,讓雅虎單純變成阿里巴巴控股公司。 |
I Lost My Strategy Under the Sofa, Special Citation Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo Nobody thought Marissa Mayer faced an easy challenge when she signed on to try to revive the fading Web 1.0 icon. But nearly four years into her tenure, the profits continue to sag and the fiascos continue to mount as, to take just one of many examples, she shutters expensive “magazines” that she previously launched and described as central to her strategy. Paying hefty ransoms to keep key employees has made Mayer look desperate. She has alternated between resisting and embracing shareholder activists and zigzagged on whether she should spin off Yahoo’svaluable stake in Alibaba or spin off the bulk of the company’s businesses and leave Yahoo as largely a holding company for the Alibaba stake. Also read:Here’s How Much Marissa Mayer May Make If She Gets Fired |
因公司重組獲得“列夫?托洛茨基(注:馬克思主義革命家)”獎 謝家華,Zappos CEO 謝家華是個怪咖,他住在拖車里,養了兩只羊駝當寵物,他也是個領導力大師,曾因在賣鞋網站Zappos建立滑稽而自由的公司文化而獲得贊譽。他有過一系列大膽決策,比如賭上3.5億美元將拉斯維加斯市中心改造為繁華的創業中心。但他大膽得過了頭——徹底顛覆了Zappos的管理秩序,解散了管理層,打算以“合弄制”(holacracy)的方式運營公司,目前正努力達到“水鴨式”的啟蒙階段。結果卻是企業遭遇一波離職潮,在一年內流失了29%的員工。直到現在,公司還沒完全站穩腳。 |
The Leon Trotsky Prize for Reorganization Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos Hsieh is both a quirky mogul who lives in a trailer with two pet alpacas outside and a leadership guru who previously won plaudits for the zany, free-flowing culture at the online shoe-seller. He has made bold moves, such as a $350 million gamble to transform downtown Las Vegas into a bustling entrepreneurial hub. But Hsieh topped that by radically overturning the order at Zappos. He eliminated all bosses in favor of a self-management model known as holacracy, now aimed at reaching a state of organizational enlightenment known as “teal.” The result: A wave of exits, as 29% of the staff turned over in a single year. The company has yet to fully regain its footing. Read: How a Radical Shift to Self-Management Left Zappos Reeling |
因辦公室胡鬧獲“喬治?科斯坦薩”(注:美國電視劇愚蠢角色)獎 帕克?康拉德,Zenefits前CEO 員工福利軟件公司Zenefits在成立頭兩年內成長迅速,員工人數達到1000人,估值45億美元。可好景不長,去年Zenefits年報顯示公司未完成營收目標,富達投資集團將持有該公司的股份估值下調48%。之后,Buzzfeed報告又指出,康拉德在任期間,公司在華盛頓州健康險產品有80%是由沒有資質的經紀人售出的。2月份,調查發現員工集體作弊,并未完成強制的保險經紀培訓,這成為壓倒公司的最后一根稻草,康拉德也被掃地出門。接替康拉德的新任領導禁止員工在辦公室喝酒,并稱Zenefits的文化“對于一家管理嚴格的公司來說是不合適的”。據《華爾街日報》后來報道,康拉德在任期間,Zenefits員工經常在辦公室聚會、在公開場合摔跤,甚至還有樓梯間性愛行為。 |
The George Costanza Medal for In-Office Frolics Parker Conrad, former CEO of Zenefits In its first two years, the employee benefits software company grew at an astonishing pace, reaching more than 1,000 employees and a $4.5 billion valuation. Then things turned: Last year, Zenefits reportedly missed its revenue targets, causing Fidelity Investments to mark down the value of its shares in the company by 48%. Later, a Buzzfeed report found that, under Conrad, as many as 80% of Zenefits’ sales of health insurance in Washington state were made by unlicensed brokers. The final blow came in February, when employees were found to be systematically cheating on mandatory insurance-broker training. Conrad was pushed out.His replacement banned drinking at the office, calling Zenefits’ culture “inappropriate for a highly regulated company.” A subsequent Wall Street Journal report found that under Conrad, Zenefits employees held frequent office parties, wrestled with each other in public, and had sex in the office stairwell. |
“歡迎回來,但現在請離開”獎 麥克爾?皮爾森,將離任的威朗(Valeant) CEO 皮爾森剛剛結束兩個月的肺炎病假并重返崗位沒幾天,威朗就宣布準備尋找新CEO,原因是這家加拿大醫藥公司正因承認偽造財報,“行為不當”而深陷困境。此前,威朗因高昂藥價獲利豐厚并一直是股市的寵兒,而現在,公司也因為同樣的原因遭受譴責。具體來說,失當的行為是指威朗下屬的一家名為Philidor的藥品郵購公司通過暗箱操作讓保險公司為威朗的藥品買單。(威朗前CFO否認有任何不當行為)。 |
The “Welcome Back, Now Please Leave” Certificate Michael Pearson, outgoing CEO of Valeant Valeantannounced plans to find a new CEO only days after Pearson returned from two months of convalescence for pneumonia as the Canadian pharmaceutical company grappled with what it has conceded was “improper conduct” in misstating its financial results. The departure capped a stunning turnaround as the company went from being a stock market darling for its ability to jack up drug prices… to being vilified for much the same conduct. The “improper conduct” related to recognizing revenue from a mail-order pharmacy called Philidor, which was accused of using shady tactics to get insurers to pay for Valeant medications. (Valeant’s former CFO has denied any wrongdoing.) |
“對賄賂行為我們很震驚,相當震驚!”獎 賽普?布拉特和米歇爾?普拉蒂尼,國際足聯前高官 國際足聯前主席賽普布拉特和繼任者米歇爾?普拉蒂尼曾被國際足聯道德委員會禁足八年——雖已做出判決,但一拖再拖的態度導致沒人再相信國際足聯能清掃門戶并實施改革。兩位高官在位期間,體育界丑聞持續擴大,最終經過瑞士警察突襲,美國以洗錢和敲詐罪名起訴了9名足球界官員和16名其他人士。布拉特和普拉蒂尼都極力辯白,但提到2011年國際足聯為普拉蒂尼支付的200萬美元(他倆稱是一筆十年前的服務款)一事,他們卻都拿不出書面合同。 |
The “We Are Shocked—Shocked!—To Discover Payoffs” Award Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, former FIFA chiefs FIFA president Sepp Blatter and heir apparent Michel Platini were both banned from the sport for eight years by FIFA’s ethics committee in a belated display of zeal that has convinced no one of its ability to clean house and reform. The two presided over the sport at a time of scandal on an epic scale, resulting in, among other things, a Swiss police raid that culminated in the U.S. indictment of nine senior soccer officials and 16 others for money laundering and racketeering. Both Blatter and Platini have vehemently protested their innocence, but neither has been able to provide a written contract for the $2 million paid to Platini by FIFA in 2011 (for services rendered a decade earlier, according to the pair). |
“唐-德雷柏(美劇《廣告狂人》角色)口無遮攔”獎 古斯塔沃?馬丁內茲,智威湯遜(J. Walter Thompson)前CEO 對古斯塔沃?馬丁內茲是種族和性別歧視者的指控自然令人震驚,此外還引發了一些反響,因為指控內容讓人聯想到美劇《廣告狂人》(值得一提的是該劇的背景是50年前并且是虛構的)中不知廉恥的性騷擾畫面,而馬丁內茲可謂有過之而無不及。智威湯遜的媒體負責人艾琳?約翰遜就曾起訴馬丁內茲對她有多次言語冒犯,甚至掐過她的脖子。例如,據稱馬丁內茲曾在其他員工面前公然對她說“來找他,這樣他就可以在衛生間‘強奸(她)’”。馬丁內茲否認了該指控。 |
The “What Wouldn’t Don Draper Say?” Medal Gustavo Martinez, former CEO J. Walter Thompson The accusations of racist and sexist comments lodged against Martinez were shocking, and had an extra resonance because they echoed—well, exceeded—the picture of unabashed harassment in the advertising industry seen in “Mad Men” (which, it should be noted, was set a half-century ago and wasfictional). Martinez stepped down after J. Walter Thompson’s communications chief, Erin Johnson, filed a lawsuit alleging he had made numerous offensive comments, and even grabbed her by the throat. For example, Martinez allegedly told her, in front of other employees, “to come to him so he could ‘rape [her]’ in the bathroom.” He has denied the allegations. |
“年度最膽小到驚人的政治決策”獎 克里斯?克里斯蒂,新澤西州州長 這是我們競爭最激烈的一個獎項,克里斯蒂因此前批評特朗普現在又迅速改口而獲此殊榮。克里斯蒂曾評論特朗普的選舉活動說:“我們現在不需要白宮真人秀”,“美國總統的位子不是為表演者準備的”。但這位新澤西州州長在競選中失利后,立刻開始了為爭取副總統位置的競選表演,論調完全不同:“我了解臺上所有人,沒有人能比唐納德?特朗普更適合領導美國在國內和國際上發揮作用了”。對一個他曾諷刺“太過盲目信任自己男人味”的候選人,現在卻要不斷吹噓他的好,好斗的克里斯蒂自此常被比作ISIS的人質、一個“傀儡”和“極品哈巴狗”。 |
Prize for the Most Breathtakingly Craven Political Move of the Year Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey This is our most hotly contested category, but Christie won it running away… in this case from his past criticisms of Donald Trump. “We do not need reality TV in the Oval Office right now,” Christie said of Trump on the campaign trail. “President of the United States is not a place for an entertainer.” But after the New Jersey governor dropped out of the race—and reportedly began entertaining fantasies of a vice-presidential slot on the ticket—he sang a different song: “I’ve gotten to know all the people on that stage and there is none who is better prepared to provide America with the strong leadership that it needs both at home and around the world than Donald Trump.” Since then, the pugnacious Christie has been likened to an ISIS hostage, a “puppet,” and the “ultimate lapdog,” prompting memories of another candidate who was once lampooned as having “put his manhood in a blind trust.” |
“年度第二膽小得驚人政治決策”獎 拉姆?伊曼紐爾,芝加哥市長 伊曼紐爾是個因好斗而著稱的政客,同樣也在可憐投降后重塑了自己的形象。《芝加哥論壇報》曾犀利地盤點伊曼紐爾在黑人少年拉卡?麥當勞遭白人警察槍擊事件中的180度態度大轉彎:“伊曼紐爾一開始說白人警官杰森?凡?戴克的舉動只是壞警官的個人行為,但后來又說他的警署需要‘徹底全面的改革’。他曾與前主管加里?麥卡錫站在一邊,后來卻開除了他。他一開始拒絕司法部的公民權利調查,后來又愿意檢查。他最初不愿公開槍殺視頻,可后來在法官的壓力下又承認自己的做法是錯的。” |
Second Most Breathtakingly Craven Political Move of the Year Rahm Emanuel, Mayor of Chicago Emanuel is another politician famous for his bellicose personality who redefined himself through abject capitulation. The Chicago Tribunetrenchantly summarized Emanuel’s dramatic 180 in the case of the shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald by a white police officer: “Emanuel initially characterized white Officer Jason Van Dyke’s decision to shoot black teen McDonald as the actions of one bad cop before later saying his Police Department needed ‘complete and total reform.’ He stood by former police SuperintendentGarry McCarthy before firing him. He objected to a Justice Department civil rights investigation before welcoming one. And he fought the release of the shooting video before admitting he was wrong to do so after a judge forced his hand.” |
“這次我們發誓改正了”獎 史蒂夫?埃爾斯和蒙哥馬利?莫蘭,Chipotle聯合CEO Chipotle曾號稱出售的是“良心食品”,如今卻被反咬一口。數年來,該卷餅連鎖店一直是快餐業高品質的代表,《財富》等媒體也對其贊譽有加。現在,呃,今非昔比了。一場噩夢般的食物中毒事件后,食品又被查出含有大腸桿菌,然后是沙門氏菌和諾羅病毒。危機當前,埃爾斯和莫蘭的應對之策堪稱反面教材。莫蘭不僅沒有承擔責任,反而先指責他人,說疾病控制中心和媒體借機炒作此事。接著,埃爾斯在國家電視臺說Chipotle已執行新的食品安全規定,是最安全的用餐選擇。然而隨后爆發的兩起諾羅病毒事件只能說明公司無法履行諾言。目前Chipotle股價和銷售額雙雙大幅下跌,同時面臨食品安全問題的聯邦調查。獲得該獎項榮譽獎的還有:Blue Bell 乳品公司。 |
The “This Time We Swear We’ve Fixed It” Prize Steve Ells & Montgomery Moran, co-CEOs, Chipotle Chipotle’s proclamations about “food with integrity” have come back to bite it. For years the burrito chain won accolades from the likes of Fortune, as it provided a high-quality counterpoint to the fast food industry. Now, um, not so much. A nightmare of foodborne illness has ensued—not just E. coli, but also salmonella, and Norovirus—and Ells and Moran provided a lesson in what not to do in a crisis. Rather than take responsibility, Moran first pointed fingers at everyone else—the Centers for Disease Control as well as media for sensationalizing the company’s problems. Then Ells went on national TV and said that Chipotle would be the safest place to eat now that it had implemented new food safety measures. It turned out to be a promise the company couldn’t keep. Two more Norovirus incidents have since occurred. Sales have plummeted, as has the company’s stock price, and Chipotle is facing a federal investigation over its food safety issues.Honorable Mention in the Same Category: Blue Bell Creameries. |
“揮金如土”獎 阿爾?佐丹奴和史蒂夫?那迪其,Wounded Warrior Project前COO和CEO 難以想象一家慈善老兵組織會把捐助款的40%都花費在工資和日常開銷(包括頭等艙機票和豪華會議)上,而沒有用于幫助不幸受傷的老兵。但根據《紐約時報》和哥倫比亞廣播公司對傷殘戰士救助計劃的報道,事實就是如此。(報道還提到,其他同類慈善機構一般把捐助款的10%-15%用于日常開銷)。《紐約時報》說那迪其在一年的工資達到47.3萬美元。該組織雖對報道中的一些說法予以反駁,但在一次內部調查后,董事會宣布“更換新領導層對組織來說是件好事,CEO 史蒂夫?那迪其和COO阿爾?佐丹奴已經離職。” |
Big Spenders Award Al Giordano and Steve Nardizzi, former COO and CEO of the Wounded Warrior Project A charity for veterans should be the last place that would fritter away 40% of donations on salaries and overhead (including first-class air fare and lavish conferences) rather than using them to help grievously injured soldiers. But that’s what the New York Times and CBS reported about the Wounded Warrior Project. (Other comparable charities typically use 10%-15% of donations on overhead, according to those reports.) For example, Nardizzi received $473,000 in compensation in one year, according to the Times. The organization disputed some elements of the reports, but after an internal investigation, its board announced that “the organization would benefit from new leadership, and WWP CEO Steve Nardizzi and COO Al Giordano are no longer with the organization.” |
“撓后背”獎 石志輝,聯合大陸(United Continental)前CEO 聯合航空前CEO石志輝去年9月突然下臺,據報道,聯合航空在紐瓦克到哥倫比亞航線乘客極少的情況下仍然堅持運營,只是因為時任紐約和新澤西港務局局長想乘坐飛機去自己的度假屋。報道還說,由于受港務局主管,石志輝希望通過討好相關負責人以獲得紐瓦克相關項目的批準。而司法部也展開了針對聯合航空可能獲得紐瓦克機場更多起飛和著陸場地項目(該項目可能被政府禁止)的反壟斷調查。事件爆出后公司聲譽受損,在反壟斷案件中的處境也相當不利。(公司說該項目是為了方便乘客;港務局前局長否認自己行為不當,目前石志輝沒被起訴)。 |
The Back Scratch Prize Jeff Smisek, former CEO of United Continental Smisek stepped down suddenly last September and news reports emerged that Unitedoperated flights from Newark to Columbia, S.C., despite little passenger demand, because the then-chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey needed to get to his vacation home. According to those reports, Smisek wanted to curry favor to win approval for projects at Newark, which is operated by the Port Authority. It meant bad press for United and certainly isn’t likely to help the company defend an antitrust suit filed by the Justice Department, in which the government is trying to block a deal in which United would acquire more take-off and landing slots at Newark Airport. (The company has said the deal would benefits customers. The former chair of the Port Authority has denied wrongdoing and no charges have been filed against Smisek.) |
“不要怪里約”獎 迪爾馬?羅塞夫,巴西總統 在巴西長達21年的軍事政權期間,羅塞夫曾是一名政治犯。而現在,反對派議員批評這位巴西總統通過操控政府賬戶隱瞞國家日益增長的赤字,導致巴西陷入幾十年來最嚴重的經濟蕭條,還有可能彈劾她。雖然羅塞夫極力為自己的行為辯護并發誓不會辭職,腐敗丑聞卻愈演愈烈。最近她希望任命前總統及導師盧拉擔任政府要職,其實主要是為了幫盧拉免遭起訴(巴西內閣成員可享受豁免權),因此遭受更多指責。此外,寨卡病毒肆虐,下半年即將舉辦的奧運會困難重重也讓巴西局勢雪上加霜。(財富中文網) 譯者:Charlie 審校:夏林 |
The “Don’t Blame It On Rio” Award Dilma Rousseff, president of Brazil Rousseff was once a political prisoner during the 21-year military regime in Brazil. Now the president is facing possible impeachment from opposition lawmakers who want to oust her over claims that she masked the country’s growing deficit—and the worst recession in a generation—by manipulating government accounts. Yet even as Rousseff defends her conduct and vows not to resign, the corruption scandal grows and she stumbles, most recently by attempting to appoint her predecessor and mentor, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, as her chief of staff in what appeared to be a transparent attempt to shield him from prosecution (cabinet members in Brazil enjoy immunity). The spread of the Zika virus and fears of a trouble-plagued Olympic games later this year haven’t helped. |