钟彬娴在清华学子时代论坛上的演讲

Andrea Jung

Tsinghua University - (Beijing) Oct. 23rd

Good afternoon everyone. I can't tell you how honored I am to be here with you to talk about my thoughts on leadership and to share my experiences as one of only a handful of women today running a major global corporation.

As I look out at all of you .... some at the beginning stages of your careers....some well along the road to your future.... wherever you are on your own personal path I can promise you a world of opportunity and excitement. Anything you choose to do is within your reach. How far you go will depend on how high you set your dreams and how hard you work to achieve them. But whatever path you take, the foundation provided by a good education will make success come that much easier, I promise you.

I have shared my experiences on leadership with many different groups of people all over the world. But being here in the country where my parents and grandparents were born - a country to which I continue to feel strong emotional and intellectual ties -- is an enormous privilege and a dream come true.

I consider myself a relatively recent member of a new generation of business leaders faced with a dizzying pace of change and a global economic and political environment that are redefined by the day in this tumultuous 21st century.

I was offered the job as CEO of Avon four years ago, and it has certainly been an experience of a lifetime for me ever since. We've had a spectacular success, modernizing everything about the company from top to bottom.

With sales that this year will top $6.7 billion USD and a stock price which is at an all-time high, we've certainly had some incredible results. Avon has been named one of Fortune magazine's most admired companies and we've made Business Week's list of the world's most valuable brands for three years in a row.

You may not realize this, but Avon does business in 143 countries and we sell our products through more than four million independent sales representatives through our now-famous direct selling distribution model.

Of all the countries where Avon does business, China is without doubt our fastest growing market. Avon entered China in 1990, and we were the first international direct selling company to open our doors here. Over the years we have adapted our selling techniques to the unique needs of the Chinese consumer. Today, we sell our products in a variety of different ways, with broad distribution through 5,000 independent Beauty Boutiques, owned and operated by entrepreneurs who are building successful Avon businesses.

The majority -more than three-quarters-- of these Beauty Boutique owners are women, in keeping with Avon's founding principles of providing business and financial opportunities for women. This is really the core of our business vision and it is consistent from market to market all over the world.

Today, Avon is proudly known as "The Company for Women" in every country in which we do business. And our ability to provide women with both quality products and a significant earnings opportunity has become an important competitive advantage.

It is one of the reasons our business in China has grown so rapidly right from the start. Over the past four years we have experienced robust sales growth of 30% annually. In 2003, we expect to achieve total sales of $150 million to $200 million U.S. dollars. We have become the number one brand of skin care for Chinese women, and we're also one of their top three favorite makeup brands. Our facilities include 74 Branches in 27 provinces, plus a $41 million state-of-the-art global manufacturing facility in Guangzhou.

Going forward, our strategy for Avon recognizes China as the number one market in the world for future expansion, reflecting our strong commitment to bring new business opportunities to entrepreneurial women in every corner of this great country.

(pause)

As I look back to all that we have accomplished over the past decade and particularly over the past four years, it has been a real period of breakout success for our company .... breathtaking, but also exhausting. The roller coaster ride has opened my eyes to many things....about the increasingly complex demands of running a business today, about my own competencies and the need to constantly challenge and renew my own commitment to being a better leader.

I had no idea at the moment I became CEO that I would experience such great fortune and such great challenge both at the same time....and how enormously my life would change as a result. No idea what privilege, yet what responsibility comes with being the first woman to lead the company, to be constantly scrutinized as one of less than a handful of women CEOs today - what it would be like to balance my Chinese cultural background - what the responsibilities of the office would entail in this unparalleled environment. And what it would mean to be a business leader that could distinguish him or herself in today's world where the game is changing by the minute.

As I reflect on my rapid rise to the top as one of the few women running a major global corporation, I have found myself thinking a great deal about my Chinese heritage and how enormously fortunate I am to have been given this very precious gift.

I was raised in a traditional Chinese family where achievement was not demanded, but expected. My father, born in Hong Kong, was a successful architect. My mother, born in Shanghai, was the first female chemical engineer in her graduating class at the University of Toronto in Canada. They arrived in America not speaking a word of English but through hard work, both were able to fulfill their full potential, and their success has set a wonderful example for me.

My parents were always, and continue to be today, the single biggest influence in my life. They raised my brother and I with a respect for the values and traditions of our Chinese heritage, yet also with an unwavering commitment to bring us up with all the opportunities for higher education and a desire to prepare us to adapt to American society and to succeed in this world of great change.

My brother and I were given all the opportunities of our American friends - the same schools, the same tennis lessons, the same piano teachers....but we had the wonderful advantage in my mind of a cultural heritage that we were always taught to be proud of. Mom and Dad always wanted us to be proud of being Chinese - my brother and I smile today when we reminisce on growing up in our house. We grew up believing that being Chinese was the greatest advantage in life; in our house, everything important in life came from China, was invented in China, owed all to the Chinese.

We went on elementary school field trips to pulp plants, where they taught us how paper was made. paper was invented in China, Mom said, after we relayed the process in awe. Our favorite neighbors were Italian and invited us over for spaghetti. When we came home and raved, Dad would remind us that Marco polo brought pasta home from China. Not Italian....Chinese....and so it went. And how wonderful they were to instill in us the sense of pride in our heritage that we have never forgotten.

When I first became CEO, a famous American television journalist interviewed my dad and asked him if he always knew I would be successful in business. No, he said, quite to the contrary, he worried for years that raising me to be a respectful Chinese daughter would hinder my ability to compete in a world with what he considered the aggressive, cut throat traits of typical America CEO's. In fact, he passed on a letter to me that I keep, translated from Chinese to English, in my desk drawer. The letter reads:

"Remember, there are distinctive qualities that set apart the successful Chinese....strive to excel in all you do; be a superb parent willing to curtail your own pleasure for the sake of better nurturing your children; be generous, fair, tolerant, eager to learn from other cultures while sharing your own. But beyond these attributes, remember to have an absence of arrogance and boastfulness; have unfailing courtesy, forbearance, sensitivity of others' feelings and above all, the ability to diffuse your anger and grievance, not by surppressing them but by transforming them into helpful, positive emotions. In an age and environment of pretension, you have a precious Chinese cultural heritage which we are proud to pass down to you....."

(pause)

And so, with my parents definition of distinguished leadership in my drawer at all times, I have pushed forward to redefine aggressive as assertive, yet hopefully never abrasive, to insure that I'm tough enough to make the hard decisions, but never unfairly, always treating people well...reminding myself at all times to have the humility and sensitivity which is expected in the Chinese culture, adapted to the needs of the pressing business environment which requires a healthy dose of outwardly expressed confidence and courage.

In a way, my own experiences reflect those of many women in the business arena who struggle to retain the best of who they are while carving out a successful management career. During my visit here, I have met and talked with so many women, and I am truly heartened that the doors of opportunity are beginning to open for women in every field. But I also know that real change is a slow process, so I am hopeful that my own experiences as a woman and as a leader will provide a valuable perspective.

As the company for women, Avon's commitment to providing developmental opportunities for women is second to none. As you might expect, Avon has a solid representation of women in senior management. In fact, this was one of the reasons I joined the company a decade ago, working my way up the ranks through areas of increasing responsibility.

But interestingly, it has only been in recent years that "the company for women" has also emerged as the company for women in senior leadership positions. Until the last decade, women were not well represented in the executive suite. With few exceptions, middle management was about as far as they could go. Here was a company with virtually 100% women customers and sales representatives, yet capable women simply could not get to the top.

This not only proved unfair, it also proved to be a poor business decision. The lack of women in management came to hurt Avon. Between 1975 and 1985, more than twelve and a half million women entered the United States work force. These working women had to be served in new ways. But, at that time, Avon's leadership team was still made up entirely of men. Women's voices weren't heard as we planned our marketing strategy and as a result, sales in our largest market suffered.

Fortunately, Avon learned to change. Men and women now work together as equal business partners. They learn from each other and respect each other. We still offer our male executives an outstanding career opportunity, but now women have an equal chance to succeed.

Today, six out of eleven of Avon's board of directors are women. My number two executive is a woman. Almost half of our management staff around the world are women. And importantly, we have put in place special programs to develop the next generation of women who are being trained and prepared to become General Managers in markets all over the world.

I am equally excited about our progress with the development of the next generation of Avon's women leaders in China. Women now account for 78% of our total workforce here. Even more impressive, 75% of our managers and supervisors are women, and 30% of our most senior executive are women.

(pause)

With Avon's reputation for promoting women and my own career success, I am often asked for advice on how people can prepare themselves to be the leaders of tomorrow. In fact, over my career, I have come to believe that there are indeed some very special qualities that distinguish all leaders - and help them stand out in today's competitive arena.

First is passion. You have to love the work you do. You have to be excited to come to work every day. They taught us the four principles of marketing when I went to school: product, price, place, promotion. But they didn't teach us the fifth, most critical principle which as far as I'm concerned is passion, the key to being truly successful as a leader over the long run.

No matter what career path you choose, I believe you have to love what you do. My own personal experience proves this point. There was a time in my Avon career when I was passed over for a promotion to be the CEO. I had a job offer to be the head of another company, but a woman I respected gave me some good advice. She told me always to follow my heart, not my head. So I followed my heart and stayed at Avon. In the end, I got the promotion, but most important, I have always loved my work, and that has made all the difference.

The next distinguishing quality of leadership is Compassion - caring about people. In my four years as CEO at Avon, I've had to make some tough decisions and difficult calls -eliminating jobs and closing factories. Actions that affect good people. The horrible part of the job. But I believe we demonstrate compassion and treat people fairly, with respect and dignity during those tough decisions. And it is the responsibility for those of us wanting the privilege of being tomorrow's corporate leaders to honor the commitment to compassion and the protection of the human spirit, in spite of the pressures and demands of business today.

Along with compassion comes Humility. Many people are surprised to learn this is one of Avon's core values. None of us has all the answers. And all of us must listen to each other, because listening makes us stronger. One of the things I've learned about myself is that I tend to be impatient in solving problems. Instead of listening to the opinions of others, I try right away to find solutions. I have had to learn that other people can give me valuable input and that listening makes me a better leader.

To be a better listener, I now bring employees from all over the world - including China - to New York City four times a year to hear their suggestions for how to improve our business. I meet with them for a full day and spend most of my time listening. This is one of the most important things I do.

Balance is another essential leadership quality in today's complex world, and it's a quality that is especially critical for women who are juggling many and sometimes competing roles. As a working mother with two children -- my daughter Lauren is 14 and my some Jamie is 6 -- I constantly struggle with the issue of balance. people always ask me how I do it, and my answer is....it's never easy to balance work and family.

I'll give you an example. I belong to an executive committee of CEOs from the business world. Recently we were invited to Washington for a meeting with the president of the United States. This was very exciting to me. What an incredible opportunity. The only problem was, the meeting occurred at the same time as my daughter's first big trip away from home. It was a big moment for her and her friends - to go on a multiple day trip - and my daughter needed me to be there.

What should I do. There was never a doubt in my mind. The president wouldn't know if I was there or not. But my daughter would. So I went to the bus with her and I never looked back. It didn't affect Avon that I didn't go to the White House. But I also tell women that it is even all right if your job does sometimes come second to your personal priorities. Sometimes the job is more important.. But sometimes your family has to be more important.

There are two final qualities of distinguished leadership that I want to share with you today. These may be the most important qualities of all and how lucky we are that both are a fundamental part of our Chinese culture - something we all learn from our parents virtually from the day we are born.

First is perseverance. I'm talking about simple hard work and a commitment to stay the course even when times are tough. In today's fast-pace business environment, unexpected challenges come at you from all directions, with no end in sight. Sometimes I read articles about myself and my career path and it makes it sound so easy. But believe me, it hasn't been easy for a single day. I work far harder now than I ever have in my life. I've had to embrace constant change, and every time I think I've finally mastered the situation a new challenge comes along I hadn't anticipated.

There will be many days when the challenges each of you confront will seem overwhelming. We all have those days; they go with the territory when you are trying to achieve something great.

perseverance and hard work will see you through the tough times. My parents instilled these qualities in me and it has made all the difference. Sometimes I watch young Americans quit when things are difficult, and I always advise them to try again....and again....and again. Never give up until you achieve your goal. That's what distinguishes those who make it to the top from those who don't.

Hard work is essential.....but all the hard work in the world won't take you anywhere unless you know where it is you want to go.

That's why it's so important to have a dream. This is the final important quality of leadership. Everything great that has ever happened in this world began with a dream.

Avon has big dreams. In fact our company theme this year is "Dream Bigger." We want to be number one in beauty worldwide and number one in satisfying our customers and sales representatives. We want to be the best place to work. We want to be the leader in philanthropy. And we want to be one of the world's most successful companies.

I have a personal dream as well. My dream is to make a real difference for women all over the world and to help transform lives. Every time a woman opens an Avon Beauty Boutique, we are making her dream of business ownership come true. This is the dream of unlimited opportunity This is the dream of hope. It is also the dream of China - where everything is possible and success can be as great as the size of your imagination.

In many ways the dream of China is really the biggest dream of all -- and it's a dream we all share. And we're not alone. The dream of China has captured the world's imagination since the beginning of history. From Columbus to Marco polo, explorers have traveled long and far to unlock China's mystery and discover its riches.

The dream of China is a gift given to each of us as part of our cultural heritage. As China emerges as one of the world's leading powers, this dream grows stronger and brighter every day. The world is looking on in awe. And nothing makes me prouder than to watch this growth and success. Nothing makes me prouder than to know that this is my culture. Like all of you, I am very proud to be Chinese, and very grateful that I have been given the gift of this wonderful heritage. It is a gift that serves as a source of strength and as a guiding compass every single day in my life and in my career.

(pause)

In closing, I encourage all of you to take full advantage of the gifts you have been given.

You have the benefit of a precious cultural heritage, including a respect for the value of hard work. You know what is important and you work to achieve it. And your are tenacious in pursuing your goals.

As you pursue these goals, I encourage you to aspire high.

Dream big dreams. Dream bold dreams. Dream as far as your imagination will take you.

Whatever it is you dream of, there is no doubt in my mind you can do it. The world is open to you. So go out there and make all your dreams come true.

雅芳董事会主席兼首席行政长官钟彬娴

在清华学子时代论坛上的演讲

各位晚上好！我感到无比荣幸能来到这里和大家探讨对领导力的认识，并分享我作为目前管理着一个主要跨国企业的为数不多的女性所经过的历程。

我现在注视着你们大家，你们中间有些人正处在职业生涯的起点，有些人已经在通向未来的道路上前进了，不管你在自己的道路上走了多远，我向你们保证前面有无数的机会和令人兴奋的东西等待着你。不管你想做什么你都可以做到。你能走得多远取决于你有多大的梦想和为了实现它们付出多大的努力。但无论你选择哪条路，我保证，有良好的教育背景作为基础，成功会来得容易得多。

我曾和来自全世界不同的人群分享过我的经历。但是在这个我父母和祖父母出生的国度，这个我一直被强烈的情感和文化纽带所维系的国度，能同各位分享我的成功感受是我极大的荣幸，也圆了我的一个梦。

我认为自己属于相对新一代的商业领导者，我们面对的是令人目眩的变化节奏以及被充满动荡的21世纪重新定义的全球经济和政治环境。

四年前我被任命为雅芳的首席执行官，开始了改变我一生的经历。我们获得的令人瞩目的成功，全方位地将整个公司推向现代化。

今年的销售将达67亿美元，我们的股票达到了历史新高，我们的确取得了骄人的业绩。雅芳被财富杂志评选为最令人敬佩的公司之一，并连续三年被商业周刊评为全球最有价值的品牌。

大家可能还不知道的是，雅芳已在143个国家开展业务，我们运用直销模式，通过超过四百万独立销售代表销售我们的产品。

在雅芳开展业务的所有国家中，中国毫无疑问是发展最快的市场。雅芳1990年进入中国，是最早采用直销模式在此地经营的跨国性企业。这些年来，雅芳不断改变销售方式来适应中国市场和消费者的特殊需求。今天我们的产品通过5000家独立的产品专卖店进行销售，这些专卖店的拥有者都是极具魄力的本地企业家，是她们推动了雅芳业务的成功。

这些产品专卖店的拥有者大部分是女性，体现了自雅芳成立之初就制定的为女性同胞提供业务和收入机会的一贯原则。这是我们远景的核心部分，它在全世界所有业务市场上都是一致的。

今天，在所有销售雅芳产品的国家，我们很自豪地被公认为"比女人更了解女人的公司"。为女性用户提供高质量的产品和收入良好的创业机遇成为我们一个重要的竞争优势。

这也是我们在中国的业务发展如此之快的原因之一。在过去的四年里，我们取得了销售业绩每年30％的强势攀升。2003年我们预期的销售总额将达1亿5千万到2亿美元。我们已成为中国女性中的第一护肤品牌，也是她们最钟爱的三个化妆品品牌之一。我们在27个省市开设了74个分公司，另外在广州，雅芳还拥有一家投资额达4100美元的先进全球生产基地。

展望未来，雅芳的战略是把中国作为全球第一的市场进行拓展，这一战略也是我们为身处这个伟大国家的所有具企业家精神的女性同胞带来新机遇这一强烈愿望的体现。

(停顿)

当我回首过去十年尤其是最近四年中获得的成就，的确是雅芳获得突破性成功的阶段，惊险刺激，同时也付出了很多辛劳。乘坐过山车似的感觉令我见识了很多有关当今对经营企业越发复杂的要求，关乎我自身能力和常常挑战自己的需要，以及要做一个更好的领导人的不断更新的自我期望。

在我刚成为CEO的时候从未想到过会有这么大的幸运同时又接受这么大的挑战，以及它们会给我的生活带来如此大的变化。我不知道作为领导这家公司的第一位女性意味着怎样的特殊性和责任；或者是作为当今为数不多的女性CEO怎样为我的华裔文化背景取得平衡、并时刻处于被审视之中；或者是在前所未有的环境下担任这一职位所肩负的责任；还有在今天这个每时每刻都在变动中的世界里做一名优秀的商业领袖所代表的意义。

作为极少数领导着主要全球性企业的女性中的一员，在我回想我的迅速成长过程，我发觉自己不断地想到我的中国文化传统这一宝贵的赠与所带给我的极大幸运。

我在一个传统的中国家庭里成长，家人不强求我成功，但期望我成功。我父亲出生在香港，是一名成功的建筑师。我母亲生于上海，是当时加拿大多伦多大学研究生班里培养出来的第一位女性化学工程师。他们刚到美国时一句英语都不会，但他们勤奋工作，都充分发挥了自己的潜力。他们的成功为我树立了非常好的榜样。

我的父母从过去到现在始终是我唯一和最大影响力的来源。在教育我和我弟弟时他们尊重我们的观点和传承的中国文化，但也不遗余力地把握所有让我们接受教育的机会，以及帮助我们适应美国社会并在这个变化不断的世界里获得成功。

我和我弟弟同我们的美国同龄人获得的机会是均等的：同一个学校、同样的网球课、同一个钢琴老师……但我们被中国传统文化熏陶的思想是一个很大的优势，我们为此感到骄傲。父母亲一直教导我们要为自己是中国人感到自豪，今天我和我的弟弟回想在家的成长历程还会由衷地微笑。我们始终相信作为中国人是生命中最大的优势，在家里所有重要的东西都是中国来的，在中国发明的，都是中国人的。

我们念小学时去纸浆厂参观，教我们纸是怎么生产的。我们回家崇拜地描述一番后，母亲说，纸是中国人发明的。我们最喜欢的邻居是意大利人，他们邀请我们去吃意大利面。我们兴奋无比，父亲会提醒我们马可波罗是从中国把面团带回去的，不是意大利的，而是中国的……不断如此。我们永远无法忘记他们是如何教导我们为自己的传统感到自豪。

当我最初成为CEO的时候，一个著名的美国电视记者采访我的父亲时，问他是否早就知道我会在商界获得成功。不，他回答，正相反，他好多年一直担心教育我成为一个孝顺的中国女儿会妨碍我在一个他认为充满了具有攻击性和残酷无情的典型美国CEO们的圈子里和别人竞争。实际上，他写了封信给我，我还保存在我办公桌抽屉里。信是由中文翻译成英文的，信里这样写道：

“记住，成功的中国人具有和其他人不同的特质……所有事情都要努力做得最好；做一个愿意为培育子女放弃自己的快乐的杰出母亲；慷慨、公正、宽容、和人分享你的文化还要热情学习别人的文化。但除此之外，记住远离傲慢和自吹自擂；保持礼节、容忍、理解对别人的同情心，还有最重要的，要化解你的怒气和悲痛，不是压抑它们，而是把它们转变成有帮助的、正面的情感。在虚伪的年代和环境中，你有一个珍贵的中国文化传统，我们为能把它传递给你而骄傲……”

(停顿)

于是，伴随着我抽屉里我父母对杰出的领导力的定义，我敢于将攻击性重新定义为决断性，但希望永不具有伤害性，来确保我在做出硬性的决定时能足够强硬，但又不失公正，始终善待别人……提醒自己既要具有中国传统所鼓励的谦卑和感性，同时也要有商界高压力环境所要求的外显的自信和勇气。

从某种意义上，我自己的经历映射了商界中的许多女性，她们也在为保持最佳的自我和追求成功的管理生涯而奋斗。在我访问期间，我遇见了很多女性，同她们交谈，我感到欣慰的是在所有领域、机会的大门已经为女性同胞打开。但我也知道真正的改变是漫长的，我希望我自己作为女性和领导者的经历会提供一个有价值的视角。

作为一家“比女人更了解女人”的企业，雅芳对于为女性提供发展机会的信念是第一位的。你们可能知道雅芳的高级管理层很多是女性。实际上，这也是我十年前加入这家公司的原因之一，然后不断努力工作，得到升迁，承担更多的职责。

但有意思的是，只有在近几年这家“比女人更了解女人”的公司才让女性出现在高级领导层的职位上。十年前，执行层队伍中几乎没有女性，而中层管理人员中也最多只有零星几个。这是一个客户和销售人员几乎100％是女性的公司，但有能力的女性偏偏无法上升到高位。

这不仅不公平，也是一个很糟糕的决策。没有女性参与的管理层开始给雅芳带来损害。1975到1985年间，超过1千2百50万妇女加入了美国的劳动力。这些职业妇女需要新的服务。但是，那时雅芳的领导团队还是全部由男性组成，我们计划市场战略时听不到女性的声音，结果便是美国这个我们最大市场上的销售情况受到冲击。

幸运的是，雅芳学会了改变。男性和女性现在作为平等的伙伴一起共事。他们互相学习，互相尊重。我们仍向男性高级管理者提供最佳的职业发展机会，但现在，女性有了同样的成功可能性。

今天，雅芳的11位董事会成员中有6位是女性。我的助手是一名女性。我们全球的管理层几乎一半是女性。重要的是，我们设立了特殊的项目来培养下一代的女性职员，她们接受培训准备将来成为各个全球市场的总经理。

我感到同样兴奋的是雅芳在中国培养下一代女性领导者的成果。这里有78％的成员是女性，女性更在经理和主管队伍里占75％，在最高层的管理人员中占30％。

(停顿)

随着雅芳在为女性服务方面的声誉和对我个人职业成功的宣传，我经常被问及对如何成为明日的领导者有何建议。其实，回想我的职业生涯，我逐渐相信的确有一些非常特殊的要素决定了哪些人会成为领导者，并帮助她们在今天高度竞争的环境中显露锋芒。

首先是热情。你必须热爱你的工作。你为每天去工作感到兴奋。我念书的时候老师教我们市场营销的四p原则：产品(product)，价格(price)，地点(place)和促销(promotion)。但他们没有告诉我们第五个，就我的体会也是最重要的原则：热情(passion)——这是成为一个真正的长期成功的领导者的关键。

不管你选择哪一条职业发展之路，我相信你必须热爱你所做的。我的个人经历证明了这一点。在雅芳我曾经错过了一次晋升为CEO的机会，那时我可以得到一份领导另一家公司的工作。但一位我所尊重的女性给了我很好的建议。她让我听从内心的选择，而不是头脑的。于是我听从了内心留在了雅芳。最终，我获得了晋升，但最重要的是，我始终热爱我的工作，这才是最主要的。

第二个领导力的特质是同情心：关心别人。我在雅芳任CEO的四年里，不得不做出一些很难做出的决定和通知，例如取消某个职位和关闭一个工厂。这些都会伤害别人。这是工作残忍的一面。但我相信在这些决定中我们表现出了同情心和公平性，以及对人的尊严的尊重。尽管面临着环境的压力和要求，但那些希望成为明天的企业领导者的人有这个责任承担起这份同情心和维护人的精神。

同情心和谦卑是相通的。许多人在得知这是雅芳的价值观之一时感到很惊讶。我们没有人能回答所有问题。我们必须相互倾听，因为倾听让我们更强大。我了解我自己一方面就是我在解决问题时会很不耐烦。我直接去寻找解决方案而不是先听别人的意见。我必须要学习了解其它人能给我有价值的建议，而倾听使我成为更好的领导者。

为了成为一个好的倾听者，我现在每年4次把员工从世界各地集合到纽约，以便听她们对改进业务的建议。我会一整天与她们见面，主要是倾听。这是我做的最重要的事之一。

在当今复杂的世界中，获取平衡是另一个主要的领导能力，尤其对于女性这个挣扎于许多有时还相互矛盾的角色中的群体。作为一个有两个孩子的职业母亲，我的女儿Lauren十四岁，我儿子Jamie六岁，我经常在如何求得平衡中摸索。别人总问我是怎么做的，我的回答是——工作和家庭的平衡非常不容易。

我举个例子。我是一个商界CEO委员会的成员。最近我们应邀到华盛顿去和总统见面。这很令我兴奋。这个机会太难得了。唯一的问题是，这次会见的时间正好是我女儿第一次离家去旅行，这对她和她的朋友们很重要。她希望参加几天的旅行，更需要我和她在一起。

我怎么办？其实我心里从来没有犹豫。总统并不需要我是否在场。但我女儿需要。所以我义无返顾得和她一起去车站。不去白宫不会影响雅芳。但我也告诉女性朋友，有时候你的工作排在你私人的事情之后是完全正确的。有时候，工作很重要，但有时候你的家庭更重要。

我今天和你们分享的最后两点优秀的领导力特质可能是所有特质中最重要的，而我们如此幸运因为它们都是我们中华民族文化的根基，是我们几乎从出生那天起就开始向父母学习的。

第一是坚持。我所谈的是最基本的努力工作和在困境时也能如此的信念。在今天快节奏的商业环境下，意料之外的挑战来自四面八方，看不到尽头。有时候我读一些写我和我的职业生涯的文章，看上去好像一切都很容易。但相信我，没有一天是容易的。我现在要比以前任何时候都还努力工作。我必须接纳不断的变化，每次我认为终于掌握局面的时候一项新的没有预计到的挑战就会冒出来。

很多时候你们会感觉面对的挑战令人无法招架。我们每个人都会有这样的阶段。当你试着努力做出一些成就的时候，它们就会无影无踪了。

坚持和勤奋会帮助你度过困境。我的父母给我灌输了这些特质，的确很不一样。有时候我看到年轻的美国人在遇到困难时就放弃了，我总是建议他们再试一次，再一次，再一次。没有达到目标决不要放弃。这就是为什么有人能够到达顶峰，而有人却没有。

勤奋工作是最基本的，但是光有勤奋不会有用，除非你知道自己的目标要往哪里去。

第二是梦想。这是领导力的最后一个要素。这个世界上所有的伟大成就都始于一个梦想。

雅芳有很大的梦想。其实我们公司今年的主题就是“拥有更多的梦想”。我们想在美容方面成为世界第一；在客户和销售代表满意上也成为第一；我们想成为最佳的雇主；我们想成为慈善事业的领导者；我们想做世界最成功的企业。

我个人也有一个梦想。我的梦想是为全球的女性带来一个全新的体会和帮助改变生活。每次一位女性开设一家雅芳产品专卖店，我们就在帮助她实现创业的梦想。这是一个无限机会的梦想。这是希望的梦想。这也是中国梦：没有什么是不可能的，成功将和你的想象力一样大。

很多意义上，中国梦的确是最大的梦想，这是一个我们共有的梦想。我们不是孤独的。自从有历史以来中国的梦想吸引着世界的想象力。从哥伦布到马可波罗，探险家长途跋涉为了揭开中国的神秘和发现这里的财富。

中国梦是我们有幸从传统文化中继承下来的。在中国逐渐成为世界性的大国时，这个梦想成长地更快更明确。全球都投以崇敬的目光。我为能目睹这样的成长和成功而感到无比自豪，为这是我自己的传统文化而无比自豪。和你们一样，作为中国人我很骄傲，也为拥有这样的美好的传承而无比感激。这是我的生活和事业中指引我方向的根源。

(停顿)

作为结束，我鼓励你们大家充分利用你们拥有的这个优势。

你们拥有这份宝贵的传承，包括对勤奋工作的价值的尊重。你们知道什么是重要的并且努力实现它们。你们在追求目标的时候会坚持不懈。

在你们追求这些目标的时候，我鼓励你们树立更高的理想。梦想更多的东西。大胆地梦想。发挥你们的想象力可以达致任何的高度。

不管你梦想什么，我毫不怀疑你们可以做到。世界向你们展开。所以尽管去实现你们的梦想吧。