巴菲特致股东的信（1991年）②第二份工作

A Second Job

In 1989 when I - a happy consumer of five cans of Cherry Coke daily - announced our purchase of $1 billion worth of Coca-Cola stock, I described the move as a rather extreme example of putting our money where my mouth was. On August 18 of last year, when I was elected Interim Chairman of Salomon Inc, it was a different story: I put my mouth where our money was.

第二份工作

1989 年当我以每天五瓶樱桃可乐的爱好者身份，宣布买进价值 10 亿美元的可口可乐股票时，我曾形容这项举动其实只是反映出我们的投资回报怎么跟着我的行动走。在去年 8 月 18 日当我被推举为所罗门公司的临时主席时，则完全是另外一件事，这次我不得不跟着我们的投资行动起来。

You've all read of the events that led to my appointment. My decision to take the job carried with it an implicit but important message: Berkshire's operating managers are so outstanding that I knew I could materially reduce the time I was spending at the company and yet remain confident that its economic progress would not skip a beat. The Blumkins, the Friedman family, Mike Goldberg, the Heldmans, Chuck Huggins, Stan Lipsey, Ralph Schey and Frank Rooney (CEO of H.H. Brown, our latest acquisition, which I will describe later) are all masters of their operations and need no help from me. My job is merely to treat them right and to allocate the capital they generate. Neither function is impeded by my work at Salomon.

我想大家应该都已经从报上看过有关我个人任命为所罗门董事会临时主席的报导，我之所以愿意接受这个职位具有一个深刻且重要的意义，那就是伯克希尔旗下事业的经理人是如此的优秀，让我可能很放心的把时间放在别的工作之上，而完全不必担心公司的营运会走样，Blumkins 家族、Friedman 家族、Mike Goldberg、Heldmans 家族、Chuck Huggins、Stan Lipsey、Ralph Schey 与 Frank Rooney(我们最新并购的布朗鞋业的CEO，后面还会有详细的介绍)等人，都是所属产业的龙头，因此根本就不需要我个人的协助，我的工作只是要思考如何更公平合理地对待他们，同时有效地运用他们所生产出来的资金，而这两方面都不会因为我在所罗门的工作而受到影响。

The role that Charlie and I play in the success of our operating units can be illustrated by a story about George Mira, the one-time quarterback of the University of Miami, and his coach, Andy Gustafson. Playing Florida and near its goal line, Mira dropped back to pass. He spotted an open receiver but found his right shoulder in the unshakable grasp of a Florida linebacker. The right-handed Mira thereupon switched the ball to his other hand and threw the only left-handed pass of his life - for a touchdown. As the crowd erupted, Gustafson calmly turned to a reporter and declared: "Now that's what I call coaching."

查理跟我在这些成功的企业所扮演的角色，可以由迈阿密大学著名的四分卫-George Mira 与他的教练-AndyGustafson 的故事来作说明，有一回在与佛罗里达大学比赛时，在球门线前 Mira 接球并准备传球，他看到有一个队友有空档，但他的右手边却有一位难以摆脱的防守球员在侧，右撇子的 Mira 于是将球换到左手，并丢出生平第一次的左手传球，并触地得分。当所有的球迷疯狂地簇拥而上，教练 Gustafson 镇定地转向一位记者说到：“这都是因为我平常训练有素的缘故！”。

Given the managerial stars we have at our operating units, Berkshire's performance is not affected if Charlie or I slip away from time to time. You should note, however, the "interim" in my Salomon title. Berkshire is my first love and one that will never fade: At the Harvard Business School last year, a student asked me when I planned to retire and I replied, "About five to ten years after I die."

以我们现有的梦幻明星级的经营团队阵容来说，伯克希尔的表现绝不会因为查理或是我偶尔跷班而有所影响，大家必须知道，我在所罗门的名衔只是暂时的，伯克希尔才是我的最爱，而且是至死不渝的爱，去年在哈佛商学院，有学生问我何时会退休，我的回答是：“大概要等到我死后五到十年吧！”。