????星巴克（Starbucks）CEO霍華德?舒爾茨對(duì)自己的頸部手術(shù)恢復(fù)情況非常樂觀。在上周一寫給員工的信中，他對(duì)員工的支持表示了感謝，并讓他們放心，自己很快就能痊愈。緊接著，舒爾茨用相似的語(yǔ)氣描述了星巴克所面臨的類似困境：最近的經(jīng)濟(jì)動(dòng)蕩使公司面臨一次真正的威脅，但尚可控制——公司上下需要齊心協(xié)力，全力應(yīng)對(duì)。相信我們最終能夠取得勝利。

????這封信展示了公司CEO在面臨經(jīng)濟(jì)困境時(shí)，試圖表現(xiàn)出自己控制局面的能力。而隨著上周五標(biāo)準(zhǔn)普爾（Standard & Poor's）調(diào)低了美國(guó)的信貸評(píng)級(jí)，美國(guó)的經(jīng)濟(jì)情況更加令人擔(dān)憂。自從新的評(píng)級(jí)結(jié)果公布之后，美國(guó)股票市場(chǎng)始終處于大起大落的狀態(tài)，甚至在上周四出現(xiàn)了大幅跳水；而投資者正絞盡腦汁，想弄明白目前糟糕的國(guó)內(nèi)外經(jīng)濟(jì)形勢(shì)究竟會(huì)如何演變。

????目前的時(shí)局，像舒爾茨這樣的CEO們必然會(huì)成為人們關(guān)注的焦點(diǎn)。達(dá)特茅斯大學(xué)塔克商學(xué)院（Dartmouth's Tuck Executive Education school）的管理學(xué)教授悉尼?芬克斯坦稱，與其他時(shí)期相比，在經(jīng)濟(jì)形勢(shì)不明朗的時(shí)候，他們的決定更加舉足輕重。

????但當(dāng)前的經(jīng)濟(jì)困境不僅僅是對(duì)CEO們勇氣的考驗(yàn)。尤其是對(duì)于大公司來(lái)說(shuō)，掌門人們的決策甚至?xí)绊懻麄€(gè)國(guó)家的經(jīng)濟(jì)。

????西北大學(xué)凱洛格管理學(xué)院（Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management）倫理學(xué)與管理學(xué)教授亞當(dāng)?加林斯基稱，在困難時(shí)期，大公司的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者與普通人一樣，也會(huì)變得保守，并努力削減開支?！拔覀兌荚谄诖齽e人率先做出決策，以供我們效仿。如果我是一家公司，而我的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手正在裁員，我也會(huì)開始裁員。”

????裁員現(xiàn)象在最新一輪的經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退中非常普遍，目前，有一些公司，尤其是在銀行業(yè)，又開始重施故技。就在上周，匯豐銀行（HSBC）裁掉了大約30,000名員工，占全球員工總數(shù)的十分之一。

????有時(shí)候，CEO之所以做出裁員決定也是迫于無(wú)奈，因?yàn)樗麄冃枰焖僮龀鲋卮笞兏铮蟛糠植脝T行動(dòng)都過于猛烈。

????弗吉尼亞大學(xué)達(dá)登商學(xué)院（University of Virginia's Darden School of Business）的企業(yè)戰(zhàn)略教授亞歷山大?霍尼曼表示：“目前，公司的裁員行動(dòng)已經(jīng)到了傷筋動(dòng)骨的地步?！比绻M(jìn)一步裁員的話，即便最終經(jīng)濟(jì)形勢(shì)好轉(zhuǎn)，公司也會(huì)面臨風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。

????作為經(jīng)理人，他們需要努力控制自己的自然心理反應(yīng)。加林斯基表示，從心理學(xué)角度來(lái)看，壞消息通常會(huì)被人們過度放大，進(jìn)而導(dǎo)致人們做出夸張的反應(yīng)。能否控制住這種過度反應(yīng)取決于CEO們。如果他們擁有足夠的經(jīng)濟(jì)手段，他們就應(yīng)該能夠杜絕從眾心理。

????例如，加林斯基便認(rèn)為，實(shí)際上，目前是招聘的最佳時(shí)機(jī)，而不是進(jìn)行裁員?！霸诮?jīng)濟(jì)低迷時(shí)期，公司可以從其他公司挖來(lái)明星員工。等到經(jīng)濟(jì)好轉(zhuǎn)時(shí)，公司便能有更強(qiáng)大的人才儲(chǔ)備可供利用?！?/p>

????其實(shí)，這是一個(gè)充滿挑戰(zhàn)的平衡游戲。要想打破現(xiàn)狀，經(jīng)理人需要先控制好自己的情緒。但在公司內(nèi)部進(jìn)行交流中又需要調(diào)動(dòng)員工的情緒。

????芬克斯坦稱：“理性的論證說(shuō)服不了對(duì)某件事存在情感偏見的人。不論是在日常生活當(dāng)中，還是在公司事務(wù)中，都不可能奏效。”

????相反，有效的信息需要言之有理，而且，相對(duì)于那些為了制定決策所提供的商業(yè)案例中的數(shù)字來(lái)說(shuō)，要更有說(shuō)服力。CEO們要以真情實(shí)感贏得共鳴。斯坦福大學(xué)商學(xué)院（Stanford University Graduate School of Business）行為實(shí)驗(yàn)室負(fù)責(zé)人尼可拉斯?霍爾表示，引用歷史事實(shí)是有效的方式。他認(rèn)為最有效的一條信息是：“之前，我們?cè)?jīng)有過類似的經(jīng)歷。這次情況不同，形勢(shì)艱難，但我們擁有戰(zhàn)勝困難的能力?！?/p>

????從積極的一面來(lái)看，手握可靠策略的CEO們將有機(jī)會(huì)大放異彩，因?yàn)閷?duì)于經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退，他們大部分人已經(jīng)做好了充足的準(zhǔn)備。竅門就在于將自己的戰(zhàn)略有效地傳達(dá)出去?；裟崧硎荆骸芭c穩(wěn)定時(shí)期相比，當(dāng)形勢(shì)不容樂觀時(shí)，CEO們應(yīng)該更活躍、更包容。”

????星巴克CEO舒爾茨在他的策略中就借鑒了這種做法，他寫道：“過去發(fā)生的一切一再證明，不論外部環(huán)境如何惡劣，星巴克的命運(yùn)都掌握在自己手中。我堅(jiān)信，這次我們也一樣能做到！”

????只有時(shí)間能證明一切。不過專家們認(rèn)為，舒爾茨的策略應(yīng)該會(huì)奏效：承認(rèn)危機(jī)客觀存在，但并非不可戰(zhàn)勝，然后對(duì)公司的核心戰(zhàn)略進(jìn)行微調(diào)——但不要進(jìn)行大刀闊斧地改革。目前，他已經(jīng)邁出了堅(jiān)實(shí)的第一步：鼓勵(lì)員工更加士氣高漲地銷售咖啡。

????譯者：劉進(jìn)龍

????Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has a can-do attitude about his recovery from neck surgery. In a letter to employees sent Monday, he thanked them for their support and assured them that he will heal soon. Schultz then outlined a similar narrative for Starbucks: the company is responding to a real but manageable threat -- the latest economic turmoil -- but everybody is in it together, and Starbucks will wind up on top.

????The letter is one CEO's attempt to demonstrate control in the face of economic concerns, which have grown even more concerning since Standard & Poor's downgraded the U.S. credit rating on Friday. The stock market has been see-sawing since the announcement and it took a significant dive yesterday, as investors struggle to wrap their heads around gloomy economic conditions abroad and at home.

????Times like these put CEOs like Schultz on the spot. Their decisions matter more during uncertain economic times than just about any other, says Sydney Finkelstein, a professor of management at Dartmouth's Tuck Executive Education school.

????But the current malaise is more than just a test of management mettle. Especially for big companies, the decisions that leaders make could have an impact on the economy as a whole.

????Just like the rest of us, big business leaders grow conservative and try to shrink spending during tough times, says Adam Galinsky, a professor of ethics and management at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management. "We also tend to look towards what everyone else is doing to try to find our way. If I'm a company and one of my competitors is slashing jobs, I'm going to slash jobs too."

????Job slashing was certainly common during the most recent recession, and some companies have restarted the process now, especially in the banking sector. Just last week, HSBC cut a tenth of its global workforce, about 30,000 jobs.

????Sometimes, CEOs are forced to cut because they need to make big changes quickly, but most job cuts are more aggressive than they need to be.

????"Business today has cut the workforce pretty much to the bone," says Alexander Horniman, a strategy professor at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. Even more cuts could put companies at risk when the economy eventually rebounds.

????Managers also need to fight to keep their natural psychological reactions in check. Bad news looms disproportionately large in the mind, which encourages exaggerated reactions, Galinsky says. It's up to CEOs to curb that overreaction. And if they have the financial means, they should dodge the corporate pack mentality altogether.

????For example, instead of cutting jobs, now may actually be one of the best times to hire, Galinsky says. "In the downturn, you go after star people in other organizations and steal them. Then, when the economy turns around, you're going to have better talent and capitalize on that."

????It's a challenging balancing act. To buck the status quo, managers need to check their gut responses. But when they communicate internally, they have to appeal to their employees' emotions.

????"Rational arguments do not convince people who have emotional biases about something. It doesn't happen in everyday life, and it doesn't happen in business," says Finkelstein.

????Instead, a good message needs to make sense and transcend the sort of numbers that make the business case for decisions. CEOs need to strike a chord without appearing disingenuous. Citing the past is an effective way to do that, says Nicholas Hall, manager of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business behavioral lab. He says one of the most useful messages is, "We've gone through something like this before. This is different, this is tough, but we have these specific strengths that will handle it."

????On the bright side, CEOs with solid strategies will have an opportunity to shine, since most of them will be adequately prepared for a downturn. The trick is to communicate that strategy effectively. "You ought to be more engaging and inclusive when things are going to hell than when things are going along smoothly," says Horniman.

????Starbucks (SBUX) CEO Schultz's memo takes a page out of this playbook: "We've proven more than once that Starbucks can determine its own destiny, regardless of external circumstances. And I promise we will do it again," he wrote.

????Only time will tell. But Schultz is using tactics that experts say should work: acknowledge the crisis, say its surmountable, and tweak -- don't gut -- the company's core strategy. For now, he's taken a solid first step: getting the troops jazzed to sell some coffee.