The more I thought about it，the more convinced I was that my friend was taking a remarkably10 enlightened app roach to thiscalamity7.Most people who have been suddenly put out to pasture tend to panic，when，in fact，they really should be maintaining their poise11 and sorting out their options.The interesting thing about career panic is how many ways it manifests itself.Panic isn't just the sweaty－browed terror of searching for the next job.It can also be a failure to say no to a job that's wrong for you，a failure to consider all your options，or a failure simply to put the unpleasant memories of your old employer behind you.
All these mental errors，which might be obvious if you could distance yourself from an admittedly stressful situation are forms of panic，as are the following two points that even the smartest people often overlook.
1.Don' t feel you have to show everyone you were wronged.The normal impulse when you've just been axedand this applies whether you've been axed from your job or fired by a client or lost a major accountis to show the world that you w ere some－h(huán)ow wronged.People regard the loss as an attack on their image and self－esteem.So，in a slight state of shock，they immediately pe into the same situation，as if that will show the world that they haven't lost their touch.In other words，they panic.They fail to step back and ask themselves whether they should be doing that job in the first place，or if they like handling clients or servicing accounts.
Some years ago I knew the chairman of a n American industrial company who was forced out of his post after a losing bitter takeover battle with a foreign conglomerate7）。This chairman，already in his 60s，could easily have moved on to a second career as a well－paid consultant，giving speeches，lecturing at business schools，and functioning as an eminence8） grise in his field.But losing his company rankled14 himto the point where，within weeks of his departure，he announced that he had acquired control of a new company and planned to compete directly with his old company.I'm sure this decision was totally ego－driven；he wanted to show the world that he hadn't lost a step.Unfortunately，running a start－up company is nothing like running a large organization.Tasks that he could delegate to several layers of staff in his previous life were now his alone to do.Without his old company's resources，he couldn't function at his best.
Within a couple of years，he realized he was miserable15，and it showed in his company's miserable performance.He lost money and prestige by this misbegotten9） attempt to show the world it was wrong.I can't help thinking that he could have rounded off his career m ore gracefully16 if he hadn't pressed the panic button，if he had waited a few months to get a more objective look at his options and perhaps watch some interesting offers roll in.
2.Don' t bad－mouth your exemployer.Feeling bitter towards a former employer（or client or customer）who has treated you badly is one of the more interesting forms of panic，because it's so predictable.For that reason alone，people should be shrewd enough to swallow their bitterness.Over the y ears，I've met dozens of people who have literally17 made second careers out of bad－mouthing their ex－employers.I don't know what perceived injustices18 or psychological pressures force them to behave this way，but it's not rational and it rarely helps their cause.
For one thing，trashing your former employer is a classic case of looking backward rather than forwards.Perhaps more important，speaking ill of your old company doesn't speak well of you.A friend who had been particularly ill-served by his longtime employer once told me the smartest decision he made after negotiating his severance9 was to promise himself never to say anything bad about his old company.I suppose it made me look like a noble fellow to some people，that I could let bygones10） be bygones.But I had a more practical motive：I didn't want to sever8 my ties with all the talented people I knew at the company.I doubt if my ex－colleagues would be so co－operative if they knew I was going around trashing the company that was signing their paychecks.
by Mark McCormack
我的一個(gè)朋友在一家盈利豐厚的媒體公司做經(jīng)理，這家公司后來(lái)與它的一個(gè)對(duì)手合并。根據(jù)合并協(xié)議，他被選入新企業(yè)的高級(jí)管理層任職。然而在重大問(wèn)題上他和總經(jīng)理建議不合，于是失去了工作。當(dāng)我有機(jī)會(huì)向他表示同情，獲悉他的下一步意圖時(shí)，他對(duì)我說(shuō)：馬克，說(shuō)真的，我并沒(méi)把這個(gè)事業(yè)上的小小不順當(dāng)回事。但我的朋友和家人卻感覺(jué)這是個(gè)了不能的大災(zāi)難似的。我已50來(lái)歲了，憑手里的股票加上辭職金，用不著快點(diǎn)再找工作。可愛(ài)人都催我立刻再找一份職業(yè)。我失業(yè)時(shí)間越長(zhǎng)，找工作就越難。我就得成'廢品'了。可我理所當(dāng)然應(yīng)該休息休息，并不覺(jué)得這是在拿我的事業(yè)冒險(xiǎn)。
我越琢磨這件事，越確信我的朋友面對(duì)這一災(zāi)難采取的是一種很豁達(dá)開(kāi)明的態(tài)度。多數(shù)被忽然解職的人容易驚惶失措，而事實(shí)上他們應(yīng)該維持鎮(zhèn)靜，選擇出路。有意思的是，事業(yè)上的恐慌可在多方面表現(xiàn)出來(lái)。恐慌不止是頭上冒汗，心里害怕，急著再找一份工作。它也使你面對(duì)一份不合適你的工作說(shuō)不出不字，忘記考慮所有其他的選擇，也不可以把關(guān)于以前雇主的種種不愉快的記憶從你腦海里抹去。所有這類(lèi)思維上的錯(cuò)誤都是恐慌的表現(xiàn)形式，你如果從大伙公認(rèn)的艱難環(huán)境中脫身出來(lái)，就能對(duì)它們看得非常了解。下面還有兩種應(yīng)防止的恐慌形式，即便絕頂聰明的人也常常忽視。
1.不要老感覺(jué)你應(yīng)付所有人說(shuō)你遭到了冤枉。你一旦被解雇這里既指失去了工作，也指失去了當(dāng)事人或主要顧客最容易見(jiàn)到的沖動(dòng)是向全世界宣布你多少遭到了委屈。大家感覺(jué)失業(yè)是對(duì)他們形象和自尊心的一次打擊。為此在輕微的震撼之中，他們立即再度陷入同樣的窘境，好像以此就能向所有人表明他們?nèi)晕词ツ芰ΑQ句話說(shuō)，他們變得驚惶失措。他們不可以退一步問(wèn)問(wèn)自己，是否剛開(kāi)始應(yīng)該做那份工作，是否喜歡和當(dāng)事人交際或?yàn)轭櫩头?wù)。
幾年前，我認(rèn)識(shí)一位美國(guó)工業(yè)企業(yè)的經(jīng)理，他和一家外國(guó)聯(lián)合企業(yè)展開(kāi)一場(chǎng)相互吞并的角逐，結(jié)果失利被迫離職。這位經(jīng)理已是花甲之年，完全可以另辟蹊徑，去做收入不菲的顧問(wèn)，四處演講，到商學(xué)院講課，在他的范圍當(dāng)一個(gè)無(wú)冕之王。但失去他的公司使他氣憤不已，以致他在離開(kāi)幾周之后就宣布他又買(mǎi)斷了一家新公司，并計(jì)劃直接與他過(guò)去的公司展開(kāi)角逐。我敢擔(dān)保這一決定純屬是受自尊心的驅(qū)使；他是想叫人們瞧瞧，他沒(méi)失利。不幸的是，管理一家新公司和管理一個(gè)大企業(yè)完全是兩碼事。過(guò)去他可以把任務(wù)交給層層下屬去做，現(xiàn)在他只得事必躬親。沒(méi)了他過(guò)去企業(yè)的左右依仗，他沒(méi)辦法發(fā)揮其才能。
不出幾年，他意識(shí)到自己痛苦不堪，這悲慘的局面也體目前他企業(yè)的經(jīng)營(yíng)上。他想叫人們了解他遭到了冤屈，但這一幼稚可笑的企圖卻讓他失去了資金和名譽(yù)。我禁不住想，倘若他沒(méi)按下恐慌的按鈕，倘若他再等幾個(gè)月，愈加客觀地審視他的選擇，或等待一些叫人有興趣的機(jī)會(huì)的即將來(lái)臨，他本是可以為他的事業(yè)畫(huà)上一個(gè)圓滿句號(hào)的。
2.別說(shuō)你以前雇主的壞話。對(duì)以前曾待你不善的雇主（或當(dāng)事人及顧客）產(chǎn)生憎惡情緒是恐慌的一種更應(yīng)該注意的形式，由于這種情緒是完全可以預(yù)料到的。僅由于此，大家應(yīng)該放聰明一些，盡可能忍受心中的不快。過(guò)去若干年中，我曾遇到過(guò)好幾十個(gè)人，他們沒(méi)說(shuō)以前老板的壞話，但卻創(chuàng)出了第二份事業(yè)。我不了解是一種哪種委屈感或心理重壓強(qiáng)使某些人去說(shuō)其他人的壞話，但如此做是不理智的，對(duì)他們的事業(yè)無(wú)補(bǔ)。
第一，詆毀你的老雇主是典型的向后看而不是向前看的做法。或許更要緊的是，對(duì)你以前的公司進(jìn)行攻擊并不可以說(shuō)明你就肯定好。我有一個(gè)朋友，遭到了他共事多年的雇主的特別不公平的待遇。他對(duì)我說(shuō)，在他談妥解雇費(fèi)后，他所做的最明智的決定就是永不說(shuō)他企業(yè)的壞話。我感覺(jué)我的做法使某些人覺(jué)得我特高尚，能既往不咎。可是我有一個(gè)更實(shí)質(zhì)的動(dòng)機(jī)：我不期望斷掉我在那家公司結(jié)識(shí)的與所有有本事人的關(guān)系。如果我以前的同事了解我到處說(shuō)發(fā)給他們工錢(qián)的企業(yè)的壞話，他們還能再跟我合作才怪呢。
panic n. 驚慌， 恐慌
slate3 vt. 提名為
commiserate4 v. 憐憫， 同情
hiccup6 n. 打嗝
calamity n. 災(zāi)難， 不幸事件
severance n. 斷絕
conglomerate12 n. 集團(tuán)企業(yè)，聯(lián)合大企業(yè)
eminence13 n. 出眾， 顯赫
misbegotten adj. 幼稚可笑的，設(shè)計(jì)得非常拙劣的
bygone n. 過(guò)去的事