[00:00.00]Smith’s passion was flying.#
史密斯对飞行充满了激情。#
[00:03.20]At 15, he was operating a crop-duster over the skyline of the Mississippi Delta,#
15 岁时，他就曾驾驶一架作物喷粉飞机在密西西比三角洲的天际翱翔#
[00:09.70]a terrain so flat that there was little need for radar navigation.#
三角洲的地形平坦开阔，甚至都不需要雷达导航。#
[00:14.93]As a student at Yale University, he helped revive the Yale flying club.#
在耶鲁大学上学时，他参与重建了耶鲁飞行倶乐部#
[00:20.30]its alumni had populated naval aviation history, including the famous “Millionaires’Unit” in World War One.#
在美国海军航空史的每个时期都有这一俱乐部出来的校友的身影，包括一战时期著名的“百万富翁飞行队”。#
[00:28.79]Smith administrated the club’s business end and ran a small charter operation in New Haven.#
史密斯负责管理俱乐部的事务，同时还在纽黑文经营一项小规模的租赁业务。#
[00:35.65]With his study time disrupted by flying, his academic performance suffered,#
由于飞行打乱了学习时间，他的学业受到了影响，#
[00:41.01]but Smith never stopped looking for his own “big idea”.#
但史密斯从未停止寻找自己的“伟大想法”。#
[00:45.27]He thought he had found it when he wrote a term paper for an economics class.#
在撰写一门经济学课程的学期论文时，他认为自己已经找到了它。#
[00:50.58]He drafted a prototype for a transportation company that would guarantee overnight delivery of small, time-sensitive goods,#
他设计了一份运输企业的经营草案，该运输企业可以确保连夜递送小型或时间紧迫的货品到达美国的主要地区，#
[01:00.20]such as replacement parts and medical supplies, to major US regions.#
如替换零件、医药用品等等。#
[01:05.64]The professor wasn’t impressed and told Smith he couldn’t quantify the idea and clearly it wasn’t feasible.#
教授对这篇论文未予重视，他告诉史密斯说，他无法量化他的想法，并说这一想法明显不切合实际。#
[01:13.83]However, Smith was certain he was onto something,#
然而，史密斯确信自己已经发现了些什么，#
[01:18.36]even though several more years elapsed before he could turn his idea into reality.#
尽管又过了好几年他才得以把自己的想法付诸实施。#
[01:24.80]In the interim, he graduated from Yale in 1966, just as America’s involvement in the Vietnam War was deepening.#
在此期间，他于 1966 年从耶鲁大学毕业，那时正值美国在越战中越陷越深，#
[01:35.12]Since he was a patriot and had attended officers’training classes, he joined the Marines.#
而他是个充满爱国热情的人，又参加过士官训练课程，所以他加入了美国海军陆战队。#
[01:41.82]Smith completed two tours in Vietnam, eventually flying more than 200 missions.#
史密斯在越南战场上服役两期，完成了两百多次飞行任务。#
[01:48.50]”In the military, leadership means getting a group of people to subordinate their individual desires and ambitions for the achievement of organizational goals,” Smith says.#
“在军队中，领导力意味着能使团队中所有成员将个人的期望与抱负置于从属地位，而以实现集体目标为重，”史密斯说道#
[02:01.65]Fusing together his military and business experiences.#
这其中融合了他军旅生涯和经营管理的经验。#
[02:05.78]And good leadership has very measurable effects on a company’s bottom line.#
而优秀的领导力对控制一个公司的盈亏底线来说具有相当重要的作用。#
[02:11.34]Home from Vietnam,#
从越南战场回国后，#
[02:12.88]Smith became fascinated by the notion that if you connected all the points of a network through an intermediary hub,#
史密斯开始执着于这样一个理念，即如果能将某个运输网络的各个节点通过一个中介枢纽相互连接，#
[02:21.74]the streamlined efficient could be enormous compared to other disjointed, decentralized businesses,#
其效率较之其他各环节相互之间无联系的分散经营的模式来说要高出许多，#
[02:30.01]whether the system involved moving packages and letters or people and planes.#
不论这一系统所涉及的是运送包裹和信件还是人员和飞机。#
[02:35.33]He decided to take a stab at starting his own business.#
他决定放手一搏，创建自己的企业。#
[02:39.42]With an investment from his father’s company, as well as a chunk of his own inheritance,#
史密斯用父亲公司的投资和他自己继承财产的一部分#
[02:45.66]Smith bought his first delivery planes and in 1971 formed the Federal Express.#
购买了第一架快递飞机，并于 1971 年创建了联邦快递。
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