????“為王者無安寧?！?/p>

????——威廉?莎士比亞，《亨利四世》(Henry IV)

????領(lǐng)導不好當。莎士比亞早就說過了，公司CEO也深知個中滋味。在某段時期，掌舵者的日子會比平時更加難熬：那就是危機期間。

????此時此刻，通用汽車公司(General Motors)正處于一場嚴重的危機之中。這場由點火開關(guān)故障引發(fā)的丑聞還在持續(xù)發(fā)酵，通用汽車已經(jīng)接受了多輪國會質(zhì)詢，并發(fā)布了一份冗長的內(nèi)部報告，詳細說明這次的錯誤有多嚴重。此外，一個專項賠償基金有可能讓通用汽車付出高達4億到6億美元的代價。美國交通部和國家公路交通安全管理局也發(fā)來了一份3,500萬美元的罰單。司法部或?qū)拥恼{(diào)查有可能使通用汽車面臨刑事指控或巨額罰款。通用汽車已經(jīng)承認，這一錯誤直接導致13人死亡，這個數(shù)字還有可能繼續(xù)上升。

????經(jīng)歷如此多負面新聞之后，通用汽車CEO瑪麗?巴拉依然收獲了許多褒獎，她的人氣不降反升，這種結(jié)果出乎所有人的預料。

????上個月接受國會質(zhì)詢期間，參議員們似乎每次發(fā)言，都免不了對巴拉大加贊賞一番。

????“愿上帝保佑你，你做得很好，”加州民主黨參議員芭芭拉?博克瑟由衷地贊揚道。

????那么，為什么巴拉沒有像她執(zhí)掌的這家公司，或者其他許多深陷危機的公司領(lǐng)導人那樣，成為千夫所指的對象呢？

????看起來最主要的原因是，她呈現(xiàn)出了一副真誠悔悟的形象，從一開始就誠意十足，而不是不屑一顧，或躲在暗處，不向媒體和公眾發(fā)聲。

????“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”

????-William Shakespeare, Henry IV

????It isn’t easy being the leader of anything. William Shakespeare knew it, and so do corporate CEOs. And there’s one time when being in charge is even more trying than usual: during a crisis.

????General Motors is in the middle of a serious crisis right now. The ongoing scandal regarding faulty ignition switches has resulted in multiple rounds of congressional testimony, a lengthy internal report detailing just how badly the company screwed up, a compensation fund that could cost the company between $400 million and $600 million, and a fine from the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety administration of $35 million. An unconfirmed but widely speculated probe by the Department of Justice could yet result in criminal charges or a large fine. GM has already admitted that its mistakes led directly to the deaths of 13 people, and more could be coming.

????And through it all, CEO Mary Barra has come out looking better than anyone could have expected.

????During her congressional testimony last month, Senators heaped praise on Barra seemingly every time they spoke.

????“God bless you, and you’re doing a good job,” said Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)

????So why has Barra managed to escape the ire that so many have for her company, and that so many other leaders of companies in crisis have faced?

????Mostly, it seems to be because she has portrayed herself as truly contrite, and as honest as possible, from the start, rather than showing any sort of scorn or hiding in the shadows and not speaking to the press and the public.