向前一步:第116期 真实地表达自己的想法与情绪(12)

 　　I have also learned the hard way that being open to hearing the truth means taking responsibility for mistakes. 我也曾辛酸地体会到，保持开放的心态迎接真相也意味着要为自己的错误负责。

　　In my first week as chief of staff at Treasury¹, I had the chance to work directly with the heads of the department bureaus. 在美国财政部做首席幕僚的头几个星期里，我有机会直接和各部门负责人一起工作。

　　There is a right and a wrong way to start a working relationship. I chose the wrong way. 一个人的工作方式难免有对有错，当时我恰恰选择了错误的方式。

　　My first call was to Ray Kelly, who was then commissioner² of the U.S. Customs Service and now serves as New York City's police commissioner. 我的第一个电话打给了雷·凯利，他那时任美国海关总署署长，现任纽约警察局局长。

　　The impression I made was that my job was to demand and his job was to listen. It was a mistake. 我的电话给他的印象是，我的工作就是提要求，他的工作则是听从要求。我显然犯了大错误。

　　Ray's response was quick and clear. 从凯利那头传来的回答快速又干脆：

　　"(Expletive), Sheryl," he explained. "Just because I'm not in Larry Summers's (expletive) thirty-year-old brain trust doesn't mean that I don't know what I'm doing! “（咒骂语）谢丽尔，我不在拉里·萨默斯（咒骂语）的30岁智囊团里，并不代表我不知道自己在干什么！

　　If Secretary Summers wants something from me, tell him to (expletive) call me himself!" 如果萨默斯部长想从我这里知道什么，让他（咒骂语）自己打电话给我！”

　　Then he hung up the phone. 随后他便挂了电话。

　　I thought, This is not going well. My first week on the job and I'd angered a man who knows a thing or two about firearms. 我心想这可不太妙，工作刚一个星期就惹恼了一个对枪支略知一二的男人。

　　After I stopped shaking, I realized that Commissioner Kelly had done me a huge favor. 镇定下来后，我意识到凯利署长其实帮了我很大的忙：

　　His "feedback" was extremely helpful and delivered in a way that I would never forget. 他的“反馈”非常有用，而且他用了一种我绝对不可能忘记的方式传达出来。

　　I reassessed my outreach strategy. 我重新评估了自己的外联策略。

1 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

2 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。