《紙牌屋》只有陰暗面? 那你的打開方式不對

As many of us start binge watching the third season of Netflix’s House of Cards, which aired last week, it’s clear that top dogs from Washington to Silicon Valley and everywhere in between can identify, at least to some extent, with the main character, Frank Underwood. The scheming politico obsessed with keeping his post in the Oval Office has few, if any, friends, and countless enemies and frenemies, but viewers actually have much to learn from Underwood.

讓衆多粉絲翹首以盼的Netflix公司熱播劇《紙牌屋》第三季終於在上週開播，而不論是華盛頓、硅谷，還是其他地方的當權派，肯定會與主角弗蘭克o安德伍德產生一定程度的共鳴。這位善耍陰謀詭計的政客費盡心機想要保住他的總統寶座，他沒有什麼朋友，卻有無數的敵人和友敵，但事實上，觀衆們可以從安德伍德身上學到許多道理。

Even though he would probably have said of this piece, “If you need a magazine to tell you how to be a good leader, then you don’t belong in the leader’s chair at all,” the show serves as a rich source of leadership advice for ambitious men and women looking to navigate and conquer the corridors of power — not just in politics, but in the business world, too.

如果安德伍德看到這篇文章的話，他可能會說：“如果你要讓一本雜誌來告訴你如何成爲優秀的領導者，這表明你並不適合做這個位子。”儘管如此，不論是政壇還是商界，那些雄心勃勃，一心想要進入和征服權力中心的男男女女們，都可以從這部電視劇中發現很多領導之道。

So here are 5 leadership lessons from House of Cards:

下面是《紙牌屋》中蘊含的5條領導之道：

Never leave your wingman (or woman)

永遠不要丟下你的事業夥伴

A central arc of House of Cards is the love-hate relationship between Frank and his wife Claire, who represent the ultimate yin and yang of a power partnership – two quirky souls who echo each other’s neuroses and potential to help the partnership reach great heights. Yet when either of them feels abandoned, that glorious marriage quickly turns into a destructive dance of betrayal. In the current season, Frank strips Claire of her ambassadorship to the UN for his own gain. Even though she agrees, it sows the seed of distrust between the two and risks losing Frank his only real ally and confidant, not to mention his biggest source of moral strength. So remember that no matter what the stakes or what happens, never leave your wingman (or woman). Flying solo may be satisfying for the ego but a great co-pilot can help you weather much bigger storms and fly much further than you can by yourself.

《紙牌屋》的劇情核心是弗蘭克和妻子克萊爾之間愛恨交織的關係。夫妻二人分別代表了權力合作關係中的兩面——兩個詭詐的靈魂彼此呼應着對方的神經症和潛力，讓這種合作關係達到了不起的高度。而一旦其中一方感覺被對方拋棄，這樁美好的婚姻很快就會變成毀滅性的背叛。在第三季中，弗蘭克爲了自身利益剝奪了克萊爾的聯合國大使職位。雖然她接受了這樣的安排，但這件事卻在兩人之間播下了不信任的種子，令弗蘭克面臨失去唯一真正的同盟和知己的風險，而且克萊爾還是弗蘭克最大的道德力量來源。所以，切記不論面臨怎樣的風險或發生什麼，不要離開另一半。獨自飛翔或許自我感覺良好，但一位出色的“副駕駛”卻可以幫助你經受住更大的風暴，讓你飛得更遠。

Be careful what you reveal, even to your friends

要嚴守祕密，即便對你的好友

In the first two seasons, Frank confides sensitive information to an investigative reporter who is willing to help him destroy his opponents on Capitol Hill. But when the reporter becomes a threat to himself, he has to take drastic measures to silence her. In the new season, he fears that a former right-hand man might betray him by selling incriminating information about Claire to a political challenger. When playing power games, indiscretions are never a good idea. That doesn’t mean you should harm anyone to protect yourself, but smart leaders know that even trusted friends can sometimes become enemies, and therefore hold their cards close to their vest at all times. Unlike Frank, don’t give ammunition to anyone who could use it against you on a rainy day, even if the short-term gain is tempting.

在前兩季中，弗蘭克向一位調查記者透露了一些敏感信息，這位記者願意幫助他擊敗國會山裏的對手。但後來這位記者倒戈，變成了對他自己的威脅，他不得不採用極端的方法讓她閉嘴。在新一季中，他擔心之前的得力助手可能會背叛他，向政治競爭對手出賣關於克萊爾的歸罪證據。在權力遊戲當中，不明智的行爲從來都不是好主意。這並不意味着你應該傷害他人來保護自己，但聰明的領導者都清楚，即便最值得信任的朋友有時候也會變成敵人，所以要收好自己的底牌。不要像弗蘭克那樣，爲任何人提供倒戈相向的武器，即便面對誘人的短期好處。

Treat your subordinates with respect

尊重下屬

One of the guilty pleasures of the show is watching Frank be the natural tyrant that he is and keep everyone, especially his underlings, under strict control. It’s a fantasy most of us have but never get to live out (thankfully). It also, however, has its limits, which Frank discovers to his detriment when he publicly humiliates his choice for vice presidential running mate and the former protégé turns against him in a spectacular way. The lesson here is that while it’s necessary for leaders to exert authority and demand loyalty, it’s also necessary for them to treat everyone with respect and dignity. The moment that line is crossed, even the most diehard of supporters can become bitter nemeses, and even the most capable of leaders can’t perform without a dedicated team.

這部劇集給觀衆的一種罪惡快感就是看着弗蘭克這位天生的暴君，如何嚴格控制所有人，尤其是他的部下。大多數人都有過這樣的幻想但卻從未付諸實施（謝天謝地）。這種控制也有侷限性，弗蘭克曾公開羞辱他的副總統競選夥伴，最終這位曾經的門徒以一種驚人的方式背叛了他，並給他造成了損失。這告訴我們，雖然領導者有必要展示權威和要求忠誠，但他們同樣應該給予每個人必要的尊重。一旦越線，即便最堅定的支持者也會變成充滿仇恨的復仇者。如果沒有一支忠誠的團隊，最強大的領導者也寸步難行。

Be a problem solver

做一位問題解決者

Frank Underwood doesn’t waste much time feeling bad about setbacks. In a perfect display of this crucial ability of a leader to find solutions instead of complaining about problems, when his party’s leadership refuses to back him for a Presidential run in 2016, Frank turns the tables by dropping his immediate demand and focusing all his energy on an ambitious plan to create jobs for every American. His calculation is simple but potent. When confronted with an impossible obstacle, he decides to walk around the obstacle (by courting voters directly) instead of trying to punch his way through it. This episode, like others in previous seasons, demonstrates clearly that Frank is not just resilient but capable of finding even greater opportunity in a setback, as his America Works plan evolves into a potential legacy (if not necessarily a home run) over the course of the season. That’s great leadership.

弗蘭克o安德伍德從來不會因爲一時的挫折而把太多時間浪費在沮喪上面。當他的政黨拒絕支持他參加2016年總統競選時，弗蘭克不再直接提出要求，轉而把全部身心投入到爲全體美國人創造就業的宏偉計劃當中，最終扭轉了局面，完美展示了一名領導者最關鍵的能力——尋找解決方案而不是抱怨問題。他的考慮非常簡單但極其有效。在面臨難以解決的困難時，他決定繞過障礙（直接取悅選民），而不是嘗試衝破障礙。與前兩季一樣，這一季同樣證明在面對挫折的時候，弗蘭克不僅有韌性，而且可以從中找到更好的機會，比如在這一季，他的“美國就業”計劃便成爲一項潛在的寶貴遺產（甚至是一次偉大的勝利）。這便是優秀的領導力。

Nothing lasts forever

沒有什麼是可以永恆存在的

In clever symbolism, the third season of House of Cards shows Buddhist monks painstakingly create an intricate and beautiful mosaic with colored powder, only to wipe away the whole display when they’re done. This mirrors Frank and Claire’s relationship, which attains great complexity and beauty at times, only to crumble a part at others. The fact that nothing lasts forever is one that Frank doesn’t grasp. He alternately stumbles and blazes through his career, but is unable to find balance. He makes unnecessary mistakes because at some level he maintains the illusion of immortality. The best leaders realize that they are only as good as their performance and that arrogance is a fatal flaw. It makes you careless, self-centered, non-compromising, and prone to impulsive action – which in turn can lose you allies, create more enemies, and pave the way for your downfall.

《紙牌屋》第三季採用獨特的象徵主義手法，展示了佛教僧侶們如何嘔心瀝血用彩沙創作錯綜複雜、精美異常的壇城沙畫，僧侶們在繪製完成之後便將這些精美的圖案掃掉。弗蘭克與克萊爾之間的關係與此極其相似，這種關係的複雜和美妙程度曾經達到極高的境界， 結果卻陷入崩潰。弗蘭克並未理解“沒有什麼可以永恆存在”這句話。在職場中，他一路橫衝直撞，卻無法找到平衡。他犯下不必要的錯誤，因爲在某種程度上，他依舊抱有不朽的幻想。最出色的領導者會意識到，他們的好壞取決於自己的表現，自大傲慢是致命的弱點。自大會讓你疏忽、以自我爲中心、不懂妥協，可能做出衝動的決定——你會因此失去同盟，樹立更多敵人，一路走向毀滅。

Without giving away anything, Frank finds himself at just such a crossroads by the end of this season. The question is whether he will modify his ways or continue to hurtle obliviously, possibly to nowhere? But then, Frank Underwood would probably never read an article like this, so what will happen in season four is anyone’s guess.

無意劇透，但在本季結尾，弗蘭克終會站在這樣的十字路口。問題是他會改變自己的方式，還是依舊懵懵懂懂地橫衝直撞下去，最終或許一事無成？但到那時候，弗蘭克o安德伍德不會有機會讀到這樣一篇文章，所以誰也說不準第四季會發生什麼。