I'm going to discuss a topic that
is probably on your mind. I say this because Ogilvy Publics Relations has
reported that Hong Kong people spend 10,000 minutes per day worrying about Hong Kong’s future. So chances are, you spent some time
worrying about it today!
And why wouldn’t you worry? Every
day we hear of job losses, government deficits, rising competition from the
Mainland and suicides.
The truth is we’ve lost our
competitive advantage and other Asian cities are overtaking us. Hong Kong people are masters of hard work, persistence
and entrepreneurialism. But times have changed and I believe many Hong Kong people are running hard in the wrong direction.
If we want to maintain our healthy economy and high standard of living we must
do something different. The key to competitive success is NO LONGER in hard
work. No. We cannot win by trying to do more work for less money. We must do
BETTER work. We must develop new creative solutions to problems, and we must
give excellent customer service. We must begin to use not just our time, but
our creativity and passions to add value.
You’ve all heard
the expression ‘Don’t work hard, work smart.’
Working
smarter doesn’t mean working more hours. The more you work hard, the less smart
you are. Have you ever had the experience of working late, getting really tired
and then making a foolish mistake that wastes double the amount of time you
just spent? Like when you hit the delete key and accidentally erase your whole
day’s work. That’s called working dumb.
One of my coaching
clients worked hard in an after-work MBA program trying to better himself so
that he could get promoted. He was often so tired in the office that he made
careless mistakes and was continually passed by for promotion. That’s called
working dumb.
Another client of mine tried to please her
boss by working hard. She came in early, stayed late and never asked for help
or appreciation. The pressure she put on herself made her irritable and rigid.
She didn’t enjoy her work and lost her heart for it. That’s called working
dumb.
So how can you work smart? Here comes the
good news.
Your most creative moments come when
you are having fun or relaxing. You have most care for others when you feel
secure, happy and well cared for yourself.
The truth is,
working smarter means taking better care of yourself. It means doing more of
what you love doing, what you are passionate about and what you are naturally
good at. Here are two ways you can start to make this transition for yourself.
1)
Spend more time doing what you love to do. You will naturally be developing
your greatest assets, your creativity and your passion. In what you love to do
is your greatest potential to contribute something truly excellent to Hong Kong and the world.
2) Say ‘no’
more often to what you don’t want to do. This may be difficult sometimes but it
is vital. You must become the guardian of your own time to make sure you are
doing your best work as much as possible.
Here’s
the Proof
In my experience as a coach, I’ve seen
many people turn around their work attitudes and results once they start
focusing on what they most love to do. Here are some examples:
A
business owner I work with has been letting go of control over the operational
management of her company. Before, she had assumed she had to do this, even
though she didn’t like it. Now that she is truly delegating and trusting her
managers, she is free to focus on the creative work that is her true strength.
Without the pressure of work she doesn’t like, she’s much happier, gets along
better with her staff and is seeing better company results overall. She added
value to the company by working less.
A client of mine was
transferred to a solo marketing position from a team leader role. She was
pleased with the added responsibility in her new position but she missed
working with a team and wanted to interact more with others even though that
wasn’t part of the new job. Instead of putting up with it, she decided to take
action. With her boss’s support she found other ways to get the interaction she
wanted. As a result she was more creative and came up with better ideas. She
added value to the company by looking after herself.
My own
situation is also a good example. Two years ago I started focusing my attention
on what I MOST want to do, that is to create my own coaching business. I’ve
spent less time on volunteer work and said ‘no’ to the demands of some friends.
But I’ve also increased my income 5 times and the Hong
Kong tax man is benefiting! I’ve added value to Hong
Kong by focusing on what I most want to do.
As
you can imagine, these changes are not simple. They require new communication
skills, new beliefs and attitudes. But other countries have been through this
transition before us and there is support. As an example, I offer a course
called the Personal Foundation Program that teaches the skills needed to make this
transition. More and more individuals and companies are also offering coaching
and coaching programs that help people to find their passions and creativity.
Are
Hong Kong people ready to change direction and start working smart instead of
hard? Can you see this happening?
Never! Say the
disbelievers. Hong Kong is all about hard
work. People will never change!
But no! I believe it will
happen and that it will start with many people just like you starting to look
after yourselves more to discover your highest talents and passions. This is
the trend in the front edges of human civilization. With all of Hong Kong’s advantages, our excellent infrastructure and
free contact with the wide world, I believe it will happen here too.
As
this change starts to take place, the first thing we’ll notice is that Hong
Kong people will be happier, as they have more fun, relax more and look after
themselves better. Then they will start getting even richer.
Action
As I said before, you can contribute to this positive trend
in 2 simple ways.
1) Spend more time doing what you love to do.
2) Stop doing what you don’t want to do.
Work
smart. Be a model. The more people do it, the faster it will catch on. And
every one of you has a part to play in making this change for Hong
Kong’s future prosperity.
