Bartleby
巴托比
Unshowy competence brings drawbacks as well as benefits
低调能干有利也有弊
Dullness and its discontents
老实人也有不满
The charismatic corporate climber is a common target for resentment in office life. He—and research suggests men are particularly given to such narcissism—hogs the spotlight in meetings, is adept at grabbing undeserved glory, and is a pro at self-promotion. More often than not, he is the boss’s pet. But he rises on the back of another, unsung, corporate archetype: the competent, diligent but unexciting achiever.
在职场上，高调张扬、一心往上爬的人往往会招人厌憎。他（研究表明男性往往更具有这种自恋特质）在会议上出尽风头，特别能邀功请赏，还是自我推销的行家。他往往是老板的宠儿。但他是踩着公司里另一类不起眼的人晋升的——那些能干、勤勉但低调的人。
- narcissism 自我陶醉、自赏、自恋（尤指对自己的容貌）
- hog 多占、独占
- adept 泛指“擅长的、熟练的、内行的”，主要表示非常熟练或精通某个需要用心和技巧的事，常意味着聪明且有着特殊的天资（参见：小词详解 | adept）
- archetype 典型、代表、典范
Studies find that plenty of confident egomaniacs, unsuited to the subtleties of management, get a leg-up for being, well, confident egomaniacs. Companies disproportionately promote narcissists. Perhaps a fifth of chief executives fit the description, researchers have found, a far higher proportion than within the wider population. Self-absorbed CEOs can sap morale and, evidence suggests, produce poor financial results.
研究发现，许多自信的极端利己主义者不适合做微妙的管理工作，他们被扶上马靠的正是做一个自信的极端利己主义者。公司更多时候会晋升自恋的人。研究人员发现，大概五分之一的首席执行官属于这一类型，远高于在整体人口中的比例。自恋的CEO会打击士气，而且有证据表明他们会产生糟糕的财务业绩。
- egomaniac 利己主义者、自我主义者
- sap 使虚弱、削弱、逐渐破坏
- morale 士气、精神面貌（参见：小词详解 | morale）
A strong case for the dull striver was made by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, a psychologist at University College London, in an article for the Harvard Business Review in 2015 entitled “The best managers are boring managers”. Understated competence does not intuitively scream leadership. Many totemic bosses of the age, from bankers to tech founders, come with big egos, showy antics and volatile tempers. Elon Musk may be accused of many things. Dullness is not one of them. Even so, Mr Chamorro-Premuzic argued, conscientious but unprepossessing characters tend to have little-noticed but precious advantages. They can be depended on to make decisions calmly, manage teams deftly and be emotionally mature. They deserve promotion ahead of co-workers with “flash and vision, and bold displays of confidence”.
在2015年发表在《哈佛商业评论》上的文章《最好的管理者是无趣的管理者》（The best managers are boring managers）中，伦敦大学学院（University College London）的心理学家托马斯·钱莫罗-普雷姆兹克（Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic）为沉闷的奋斗者做了有力辩护。低调能干并不能直观突显领导力。从银行家到科技公司创始人，现代很多标志性老板都有着妄尊自大、高调张扬和反复无常的脾性。马斯克有很多地方可被指摘，呆板无趣却不在其列。尽管如此，钱莫罗-普雷姆兹克认为勤勉但不张扬的性格往往有一些不被注意但很宝贵的优势。可以依赖有这样性格的人冷静决策、巧妙娴熟地管理团队，他们在情绪上也很成熟。他们应该先于“高调敢想，大胆展示自信”的同事得到晋升。
- totemic 图腾的、图腾制度的
- antics 滑稽可笑的举止；荒唐行为、危险举动
- volatile 表示“易变的、易怒的、喜怒无常的”，强调情绪容易迅速变得愤怒或暴力（参见：小词详解 | volatile）
- deft 人的动作熟练的、灵巧的、机敏的（参见：小词详解 | deft）
