Are you a bridge, a bridge builder, or a member of bridge maintenance team?

When you look for a job, have you thought about something else beyond the requirements and responsibilities of the position you apply for? Sitting on the opposite side of the table, when you interview applicants, have you thought about if something is there for your company, other than to fill the position as quickly as possible? Sadly to said, I did not when I had many opportunities to sit on both sides of the table before. Not until I took a second look at how companies strive for their long term success recently, then I realized something indeed is out there other than the usual job requirements and responsibilities listed.

Be a bridge

Most companies, I met with before, looked for a person who seems to be a bridge. Better yet, a candidate who was a bridge in his/her previous job. I believe because these companies thought they could just simply learn or copy from the way another company done. Armed with this mentality, they hope it is easier to start with a template, even though they knew this template might not be the best fit. However these companies probably end up with a unfitted “cookie cutter” and claim their success in the end by not examining how they started with in the beginning. And worst of all, they probably never think what will happen if their bridge is gone later. I can easily image how they will behave. They will again repeat the same step by looking for another bridge to start with.

Be a bridge builder

A few companies, I met with, realized having bridges is not enough to ensure their long term success. These companies knew they either don't have enough bridges or have unfitted bridges so what they really needed is not just a person who can provide templates but is innovative in bridge building. They looked at a person to see if he/she can transform their culture to achieve the next level where they have some chance to be successful. Thus they did not just look at the applicants' resume, they truly respected how applicants viewed their company. They did not seek peoples who can fit in their culture, but are capable of building better bridges for their bright future.

Be a member of bridge maintenance team

Bridges fit perfectly today may not fit well tomorrow, and some of them fall apart over time or their functions need to be improved as time goes by. As it as common as it looks, this is one of the reasons, I believe, many innovative companies disappeared in the past. In order to be qualified, the person needs first to learn how the company operates and the next to identify a bridge is a good fit or not, then last to know where and how to improve the bridge is not only functional but is able to provide the best quality all the time. And further this person must expect the difficulty of changes which have never been popular in any company culture. Now you can image how difficult it is to seek a fully qualified person to join such a team. It requires such an effort so that most companies do not look into this area when they interview candidates.

I believe, it depends on where the company is today and the company wants to go tomorrow. Sometimes we need to be a bridge to start with, however that should not be the only goal. To ensure a company I work for will enjoy a long term success, we do need to be a team member someday.

If you have an opportunity to interview or be interviewed by people next time, you may ask them what they think of the position. Of course, you will get different answers, however I am sure their answers will reveal how well they will perform if they are applicants, and how good their leadership is if they are hiring managers.

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你是一座橋，一座橋樑的建設者，或橋樑維修團隊的一員？

當你找工作時，你有沒有想過在申請職位的工作要求和職責之外，有其他隱含的東西？當你面試的申請者坐在桌子對面，除了盡快填補該職位，你是否思考過其他面向？可悲的是，過去當我有很多機會坐在桌子兩邊成為面試官或面試者，我從未有其他的思考層面。直到最近我在研究企業如何爭取他們長期的成功，才意識到除了職位本身的工作要求和責任，確實是有其他東西是我們需要去關切的。

一座橋樑

我以前接觸過的公司，大部分只是想尋找一座橋樑，並且最好的情況是：應徵的候選人在他之前的工作中已經是一座橋樑。我想，這些公司認為他們可以僅僅是學習、複製另一家公司的營運方式。他們認為這是比較容易下手的方式，儘管他們知道這個營運方式的「模板」可能不是最適合自己的。然而，這些公司可能到最後仍帶著不合身的「俗套」，並聲稱他們成功了，但他們從未探究過自己是如何開始的。更糟糕的是，他們可能從來沒有去想過：如果他們的橋樑走了，將會變成怎樣的局面。可以想見，他們將再次重複同樣的步驟，尋找另一座橋樑。

一座橋樑的建設者

根據我過去的經驗，只有少數幾家公司意識到：橋樑不足以確保公司長期的成功。這些公司知道，自己沒有足夠的橋樑，或擁有的是「不適合的橋樑」；他們真正需要的，不只是一個可以提供模板的人，還必須是一座橋樑的建設者來提供創新。他們會看應徵者是否可以改變公司的文化，給予公司一些成功機會，以達到嶄新的水準。因此，他們不只是看應徵者的簡歷，他們真正去尊重應徵者如何看待公司。他們不是尋求誰最適合他們的文化，而是「誰最能建立更好的橋樑」，開始他們美好的未來。

一個橋樑維修團隊隊員

橋樑也許適合今天的環境，卻可能不適合明天的，有些橋樑會隨著時間的推移而瓦解，有些則需要做功能上的改進。這些看起來稀鬆平常，但是我相信這是許多創新的公司在過去的蕭頹的原因之一。為了成為合格的橋樑維修員，首先需要了解該公司如何運作，再來確定橋樑的合適度，最後了解如何提高橋樑的功能，以及如何讓橋樑維持最好的品質。這樣的人必須預見環境變化所帶來的困難。我們可以想像，要尋得這樣一位完全符合資格的人加入團隊是一件多麼困難的事。正因為尋求這樣一個人才需要付出相對的努力，多數企業在面試時通常不會去思考這一層面。

我相信，公司是否需要一座橋、橋樑建設者、或橋樑維修者，取決於公司當下的環境，和該公司將來希望實現的目標。起頭之時，我們必須是一座橋，然而，我們不應該認定這是自己唯一的目標。為了確保自己的公司能維持長期的成功，我們必須期許成為一個團隊中的橋樑維修員。

將來若你有機會面試或接受面試，你可以問他們對該職位的想法。當然你會得到各式各樣的答案。但我相信，如果他們是面試者，他們的答案會透露他們將如何履行工作；如果他們是面試官，則會顯露出他們的領導風格。