Roy Leighton asks you to imagine yourself at work. Everything's going well until a certain person comes in. You know who we're talking about -that one, the energy taker. The person who seems to draw the life force out of you as though they were some kind of sponge!

Roy Leighton请您想象一下工作中的自己。一切进展顺利，直到某个人的到来。你知道我们在说谁——就是那个人：精力吸食者。他们就像某种海绵一样吸食着你的能量。

To start infecting your environment

开始影响你的环境

Where previously¹ you were quite relaxed and focused, you now tense up and question your ability. Your energy is going by the second. This certain person chatters² on at you about something, not listening to your responses, while only seeking to talk about their issues and how you can help them. You stammer³ some feeble responses by way of reply, feeling your strength ebb⁴ away until you find an excuse to leave.

之前你很放松、精力集中，现在却神经紧张、开始怀疑自己的能力。你的精力每秒钟都在流失。这个人对你喋喋不休，从不理会你的反应，只是谈论他们自己的事情，还有你怎么能够帮助他们。你结结巴巴地作出一个无力的回应，同时感觉自己的力量在消退，直到你找到一个借口离开。

Sitting in the toilet cubicle⁵ a few minutes later, you reflect on what has just happened. Why does this person have such an impact on you and how can you overcome it so that work ceases to be a place of torture?

几分钟后坐在厕所马桶间，你开始思考到底发生了什么。为什么此人对你有这么大的影响，如何能战胜这种影响，从而使办公室不再是受虐场。

What you can do

你能做的

One solution is look at things from a military-style perspective---when you want to make a change to an environment or situation you can do it in two ways: infection or explosion. There are several practical things that you can do.

一个解决办法是用军事眼光看待问题——当你想要改变一下现状时，你有两个方法可用：慢慢影响环境或者激烈爆发。这里有一些切实可行的办法。

Explosion is radical⁶ and immediate⁷ - there are usually casualties and fall-out. Infection is about making slow, positive change - influencing others by your positive example. Its effects are more lasting⁸ and often more beneficial.

爆发激烈而且直接——往往会有伤亡和损失。而影响是指做出缓慢、积极的改变——通过自己的积极榜样影响别人。其效果更持久、往往好处也更大。

At work we usually wait until we've had enough of a particular situation and explode, leaving a lot of bad feeling and damage. If we can begin to infect our environment in a positive way on a daily basis, the changes will be lasting, less damaging and sustainable.

工作中我们往往一直等到再也忍受不了才彻底爆发，导致很多坏情绪和伤害。如果我们能通过每天以积极的方式去影响我们的环境，那么改变将更持久、伤害更少并且可以接受。

To start infecting your environment

开始影响你的环境

* Move around as though you're confident - and this goes for standing⁹ and sitting also. You'll feel confident as a result - it's that simple, but our minds can get in the way. Ignore your mind for a while. We are psycho-physical beings. If we change our physical behavior we change our mindset; if we change our mindset we can change our behavior.

* 到处转转，好像你很自信的样子（站立或坐着也行）。结果你会感受到自信——就是这么简单，但是我们的想法却会成为障碍。先不要管想法。我们是有心理活动的生命存在。如果改变身体行为，我们也会改变思维方式；如果我们改变思维方式，我们也能改变行为。

* Learn to listen. Nod and smile, question and encourage. Try to actually find out if this energy-taking person you find so hard to deal with has something to say - you might be pleasantly surprised. Also, if you give an example of how to do something well, others may be encouraged to follow your example.

* 学会倾听。 点头、微笑，询问、鼓励。试着找出这位难以应对的精力吸食者究竟有什么要说——也许你会感到惊喜。而且，如果你做出表率, 把事情做好，别人也许会受到鼓舞、向你学习。

When we find ourselves in a work environment that is predominantly and increasingly one of 'positive infection', this will lead to a general mood of confidence. Individual and group performance, and therefore productivity, will all improve.

当我们身处的工作环境越来越积极，就会总体上产生一种自信情绪。个人和团队的表现，乃至整个生产力都将得到提升。

In short, a confident company is a successful company. And companies are made up of every person that works there - so everybody's confidence is important to the work environment. Our work space is a constant bombardment of influences, both positive and negative from the physical environment, the people in it and our own self-confidence.

简而言之，自信造就成功的公司。因为公司由每个员工组成——所以每个人的自信对工作环境都很重要。我们的工作空间不断受到各种因素的影响，即有好的也有坏的。这些影响来自实际环境、环境中的每个人以及我们的自信。

Be aware of this and remember that it's your responsibility to develop your confidence at work, otherwise you run the risk of becoming the energy-draining 'life taker' that forces people to flee to the nearest exit when you pass by.

要知道和记住，在工作中培养自信是你自己的责任，否则你就可能会成为一位精力耗竭的“生命掠夺者”，让人避之不及。