有些事情不能教授

作者：李 臻 (Oscar Lee)
2018年7月14日刊於《信報》

上星期和一群中大人聚餐暢飲，敍舊之外，還暢談由中大校友會聯會主辦的慈善舞台劇《摯愛》的創作和籌備過程。這套籌款劇來頭不少，不單會在香港和溫哥華等四地巡迴演出，創作和演出團隊更是粒粒皆星，包括幾任中大校長和副校長、校董會成員、大師級的鍾景輝、冼杞然、何文匯、陳健彬及編劇梁鳳儀等等。雖然小弟不是中文大學的舊生，但看到這群大師的熱誠和積極性，也確實有點被感染。

席間問到梁鳳儀劇的內容，她賣了少少關子，只說故事涉及金融、愛情和香港人及中大人的奮鬥故事等等，時空大約是五十年代至沙士肆虐期間。寫金融圈故事和恩怨情仇是梁鳳儀的強項，小弟也拜讀過她的作品。原來高峰期她一年可以出版14本小說！作品總數更達103本，實在很驚人！她說還有很多本小說寫到中段寫不下去，就乾脆掉進垃圾桶，否則產量可能更多。

然後大家又談起中大歷代的大儒、創作之道及寫小說的技巧等。說到創作，梁鳳儀和其他幾位文化界朋友也異口同聲說，寫小說和創作不能教，亦真的沒有方法教得好。有大師也說過，不是不想開班授徒，而是寫小說之道不可能傳授他人，主要還是靠自己的修為，多讀多想多寫，慢慢領悟出來。

時日磨練再領悟

事實上世間很多事情，諸如管理、創業甚或待人處事，都只能教授基本的道理，一本本「How To」和「Self Help」書籍也只能歸納一些過來人心得和理論。坊間大量的企管書籍和商學院的研究，很多都是已經成功的名人談及奮鬥過程，和一些empirical studies。這些或者都是重要的參考，但沒有人會讀遍有關Steve Jobs的書籍，就可以照辦煮碗地走同一條路。

可以肯定的只是，讀愈多前人名人的故事和多點管理大師的研究，愈容易有書到用時的一天。而最終能領略多少，境界去到多高，確實要時日磨練、累積經驗和靠領悟回來。

大公司的管理團隊除了在招聘過程中找尋最適合的人選，和提供一系列培訓課程提升他們的技能外，最終也得靠員工本身的經驗和臨場判斷，去解決每日的難題及避免引發災難。你可以說最重要是請到轉數快，或能善解人意的員工，但所謂高轉數和醒不醒目，也是基於經驗和汲取教訓換回來的本能。正如有經驗的酒店大堂主管，一眼就能看出客人大概有什麼需要，主動提供適當的協助，這也很多時區分了酒店的服務等級。

拚勁和經驗互補

對於一些在公司工作了很長時間，或經驗豐富的員工，有人愛冠以「老海鮮」這個難聽的形容詞。雖然某些人在位太久或許會尸位素餐，不過大部分有一定資歷的員工的在職經驗、解決難題的技能及對內對外的關係網，又確實是很多公司重要的人力資產，也不是金錢和學歷可以換取回來的。就算能傳授給別人，都可能是長時間跟着亦師亦友的老闆學回來的管理技巧，不是去幾個workshops，聽幾場seminars就會明白。

在人工智能的世代，很多初創企業也英雄出少年，愈來愈多年輕人創造出一隻又一隻成功的獨角獸。年紀和創意未必有直接關係，但無可否認青年人有拚勁又貼地，或者比起部分有經驗的企管人更能衝鋒陷陣。不過每間企業，甚至每個部門，如果團隊裏有些富經驗和有歷練的員工，可能會更加健康和平衡。這不是說資歷高的人要永續下去或阻礙年輕一輩上位，而是很多東西是相輔相成，拚勁和經驗也應該是互補的。

很多未能教授的事情，共通點是通過實戰才知龍與鳳。有些人早些悟出成功之道，有些人會晚些。而最終能成功的，甚至再進一步，能創立出獨特的創作和處事風格的大師，都是勇於嘗試，不怕摸着石頭過河的不確定性，及不怕可能面對的困難與失敗。

這是一個既看過程，也看結果的學習。

作者為香港科技大學工商管理碩士校友會會員

#李臻 #經管智慧 #經管錦言 #有些事情不能教授 #摯愛 #training #HR #HKUST #MBA #EMBA #香港科技大學工商管理碩士校友 #HKUSTMBAAA

好巧 我另一個同學貼了中文版...........

「信耶穌不合科學。」一個哲學教授上課時說。

他頓了一頓，叫了一個新生站起來，說：「某某同學，你是基督徒嗎？」
...Continue Reading
Professor : You are a Christian, aren’t you, son ?

Student : Yes, sir.

Professor: So, you believe in GOD ?

Student : Absolutely, sir.

Professor : Is GOD good ?

Student : Sure.

Professor: Is GOD all powerful ?

Student : Yes.

Professor: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn’t. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?

(Student was silent.)

Professor: You can’t answer, can you ? Let’s start again, young fella. Is GOD good?

Student : Yes.

Professor: Is satan good ?

Student : No.

Professor: Where does satan come from ?

Student : From … GOD …

Professor: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?

Student : Yes.

Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?

Student :Yes

Professor: So who created evil ?

(Student did not answer.)

Professor: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?

Student : Yes, sir.

Professor: So, who created them ?

(Student had no answer.)

Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son, have you ever seen GOD?

Student : No, sir.

Professor: Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?

Student : No , sir.

Professor: Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your GOD, smell your GOD? Have you ever had any sensory perception of GOD for that matter?

Student : No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.

Professor: Yet you still believe in Him?

Student : Yes.

Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?

Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.

Professor: Yes, faith. And that is the problem Science has.

Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

Professor: Yes.

Student : And is there such a thing as cold?

Professor: Yes.

Student : No, sir. There isn’t.

(The lecture theatre became very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.

(There was pin-drop silence in the lecture theater.)

Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?

Professor: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?

Student : You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it is, were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?

Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man ?

Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Professor: Flawed ? Can you explain how?

Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good GOD and a bad GOD. You are viewing the concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.

Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Professor: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going.)

Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor. Are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?

(The class was in uproar.)

Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?

(The class broke out into laughter. )

Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Professor: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.

Student : That is it sir … Exactly ! The link between man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that keeps things alive and moving.

P.S.

I believe you have enjoyed the conversation. And if so, you’ll probably want your friends /colleagues to enjoy the same, won’t you?

Forward this to increase their knowledge … or FAITH.

By the way, that student was EINSTEIN