The most successful entrepreneurs and executives are savvy business people first, and experts in their field second. This may seem counter-intuitive to technologists, especially in an era when technology seems to be driving the world. Yet the sad truth is that a technology not focused on a real problem is not a business, and will probably fail in the marketplace.
最成功的企业家和高管，首先都是头脑灵活的商业人士，其次是各自领域的导师。但是在这个看起来由技术推动世界发展的新纪元里，技术导师的看法可能与此正好相反。不过事实是如果技术不是旨在解决实际问题的话，它就无法在市场上立足。
1.Reserve time daily to research the market, as well as technology.
像钻研技术一样，每天都要花时间去做市场调查。
Learning is a never-ending requirement for every entrepreneur. At best, all they teach you in school is how to learn. In these days of rapid change, most experts believe that the facts college students learn as a sophomore are obsolete before they exit their senior year.
每一个企业家都必须要永不停息地学习。在学校，老师教你的最多就是怎么去学习。在瞬息变幻的社会里，很多导师都认为大学生在大学二年级学到的东西，在他们毕业之前就已经过时了。
2.Build relationships with key experts in your business domain.
和你所在的商业领域的导师建立良好关系。
Talk regularly with peers and advisors who have been there before you. Your focus should be on listening and asking questions, rather than defensively arguing that your situation is somehow different from all the others.
定期的和在你之前获得成功的同事和顾问们交流。你应该专注在听取和提问上，而不是防御性的争论说明你的情况就是和其他人的不一样。
3.Be proactive in contributing business ideas and follow through.
商业理念要有前瞻性，并坚持去执行该理念。
Talk is cheap when it comes to innovative ideas in business. You don’t really understand a new idea, until you try to write it down and succinctly communicate it to peers and critics.
光靠说，是说不出真正好的新点子的。如果你不把你的想法写下来，告诉你的同僚，告诉那些批评家，你就无法真正理解一个新的理念。
4.Network in the industry as well as outside.
建立圈内圈外的关系网。
The best entrepreneurs have the best “little black book”of expert contacts. Through personal outreach, as well as industry organizations, they are constantly on the lookout for people smarter and more experienced in their domain.
最成功的企业家都有本“小本本”，里面装着所有业内导师的联系方式。不管是通过个人能力还是机构组织，他们从不间断地去寻找在自己领域里更聪明更有经验的人。
5.Even the best have mentors they really use.
就算是最成功的人也需要导师来助自己一臂之力。
A mentor is someone who will tell you what you need to hear, while friends and associates often tell you what you want to hear. Of course, it’s good to have both, but don’t confuse the two. Above all, be accountable to yourself in your efforts to keep the big picture in perspective.
当你的朋友和伙伴告诉你“你想听的话”时，你的导师会告诉你“你需要听的话”。当然，既有导师又有朋友是的，但不要将两者混淆了。最重要的是，对自己负责，自己努力去规划未来。
6.Understand the business, then add value.
了解商业，为其增值。
The more business acumen you accumulate, the more likely you will be to bring real innovation and survive the deadly challenges. Ultimately, every business decision is a quest for maximum return on investment (ROI), utilizing cash, technology, and human resources.
你招揽的商业能手越多，那么在面临巨大挑战时，就有可能真正地创新并由此而渡过难关。归根结底，每一个商业决策都是为了投资利益的化，限度地利用资金，技术和人才。
You don’t have to have an MBA to understand that even the most complex multinational businesses are made up of five key drivers – cash, profit, assets, growth, and people. While each driver is unique, it is also completely dependent on all the other drivers. Experts in technology might thus only understand twenty percent of what they need to succeed in business.
你不一定非得有一个MBA文凭才能理解这些，即使是最复杂的跨国贸易都是由以下五个核心部分组成的——资金，利润，资产，发展和人才。每一个驱动力都是的，但又是互相依赖，相辅相成的。而技术导师可能只懂得商业成功所需的五分之一的内容而已。
The best entrepreneurs never lose sight of the big picture, and they never stop learning until they die.
最成功的企业家永远不会忘记他的宏大愿景，活到老，学到老。

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