What does that mean: Work smart, not just hard?

Thanks to Michael from The Recruiting Animal for callin' me on it and asking for examples to back up my uber-vague imperative that people should work smart. He's responding to some advice I offered up to Jason Goldberg at Jobster:

I now ask myself, whenever I find work taking over, "I'm working hard, but am I working smart?" I've learned to stop doing just to do and to ask first if there's another, more efficient--smarter--way something can be done

I got this advice from a boss that, I suspect, was trying to kill me. You know those evil types that offer up words of wisdom while holding you over a vat of hot wax. They offer up these words like your last supper, or in this case, a last paycheck. Little did the wench know I broke free from the super-grip handcuffs, raced to safety and then took her words to heart: Don't just work hard, work smart.

I thought these words stood well enough on their own, but Michael begs to differ:

This maxim always sounds great but I'll need a dozen
examples to see how it works in reality.

Jory doesn't give any examples.

She was working extra-hard to please an unpleasable boss.
So, a feasibility study would have led to smarter goal.

And, tactical changes can be made to better reach valid goals.

Any examples of working less but smarter in Recruiting?

Honestly, Michael, recuriting ain't my forte. I dated a recruiter once; it ended badly. Needless to say he never placed me anywhere, but I digress. Regardless of your field there ARE some rules that transcend industry and apply to people who work dumb everywhere.

1. Understand the difference between Team Player and Team Sucker: I used to think it was a compliment that I was the Go-To Girl, the one who did everything. Several years later, after a long, intravenous dose of self-esteem I get a new distinction: It's better to be asked to do things that you enjoy.  In the end what you gain in people's undying thanks you lose in sanity. I'm now at a point where I simply CAN'T do everything, so it's nice that I imploded much sooner.

I've written a lot about my former life as a Sucker/Chronic Do-er. I still have a tendency toward over-doing, but what's that my therapist used to tell me? "Awareness is the first step..."

2. There are enough problems in the world, why take on more? It's possible that by delegating the quality of your output decreases, but if you don't do it you'll never know. And you'll never get the chance to find out. I know a woman who's a specialist in executive development (she builds programs that build the skills of top-level teams in major corporations). She's noticed, both in the female executives that she works with and in herself, a tendency to take things on, rather than delegate.

You can't blame us, really, we're multitaskers; delegation comes about as naturally to us as adjusting our ball sack. There's a fabulous corporate video by the esteemed linguistics professor Deborah Tannen in which she tapes the conversations of female bosses. We'd almost rather chop off an appendage than ask someone to do something. I do it myself:

"Do you think we should re-arrange the wording on that press release?" (Translation: Would YOU please re-arrange the wording on that press release?)

"What do you think of that contact Jim mentioned the other day?" (Translation: Would YOU contact that person Jim Mentioned?)

Of course the risk here, particularly when speaking with a man, is that the subcontext can be completely misunderstood and you can be taken quite literally:

"I don't have any opinion of that contact. I want a raise." (They're also better about asking for money)

Rarely do you hear a woman ask for something like the male boss would:

"Connie, I need that report for tomorrow, OK?" No harm no foul. Connie nods and does it.

I just saw the film Goodnight and Good Luck and was struck by the film's accurate portrayal of women in the workplace from that time. Men had the meetings, and their secretaries recorded everything and took care of the details that came up. While I don't recommend this system today, I do recommend a system that allows people to ask someone to make their lives easier and then go about the business of getting other things done without feeling like a tyrant.

3. If a relationship isn't working, realize that life is short. If you honestly believe that you are never going to experience friction in your life, and that if you do you must do everything in your power to prevent it, even if your efforts are not working, don't leave your plastic bubble. The real world is too harsh for you.

I'm not about to espouse the other bit of advice I was given by the boss I mentioned earlier: "Sometimes you just have to be a bitch." This advice only justifies bad behavior. I prefer this take on a similar principle, "Try to make people happy, and if you can't, move on."

Oh, right: specifics. I had what was once the Iron Man of projects on my plate. It required not just my hard work, but more approvals than a Supreme Court Appointee. I never got ary an approval. Every time I tried I was told to get in line. Meanwhile, I was being held to a deadline. Being a sucker at the time, I let this add to my stress and simply stayed later into the night, trying to work around issues that could have been resolved if I'd only been able to access the right people at the right time. All I could see were walls, no doors.

There comes a point when someone has to say, after hearing, "Can I get back to you?", the words "No. No you can't, actually. This is what I need," and when they start rolling their eyeballs, repeat.

4. Humility gets you places. I'm not trying to contradict myself; I just realized my list had a female bias, and we tend to downplay ourselves. Men (and some women), on the other hand, can overplay a hand. I've been watching B-friend negotiate with employers for work. Since starting his job search his attitude has been, "I'm Hot Shit. Hire me." I don't doubt that he is, however I see my role here is not to be a pin, per se, but a subtle deflater of his hot-air approach. I've subtly suggested that he make his genuine interest in his potential employers known. His confidence has gotten him in the door, but his humility has sealed the deal--he just got an offer.

People who are humble and approachable get stuff done because people like them. I've had the opportunity to work with some dynamic people over the last few months--very successful people who are running their own companies. And I notice something similar in all of them: a willingness to listen, and a willingness to get their hands dirty.

Though I should be clear: Humility should not be confused with suckerdome, as I describe above.

5. Work for the people who want your product, not for those who don't. This is a tough one for those who want to conquer the world, but consider this: If you make the people who already like you REALLY happy: you have a chance to convert the ones who don't. If you focus on the gripers then you alienate your best clients--the people who will help you grow. It really is a numbers game.

There's a similar principle being touted by management gurus like Marcus Buckingham that's so common sensical it seems almost silly to bring up--yet it's revolutionalizing the way corporations are working with their talent: Focus on the high potentials, less on the low potentials. Hi-potential employees and customers make a little of your effort go a lot farther.

6. Eat, sleep, and do something else once in a while. My best ideas come to me doing something completely unrelated to my work, or when I'm socializing. I used to think that doing lunch with business acquaintances was an utter waste of time; now I make sure to connect with people regularly. More often than not I'll mention something I'm grappling with, and a friend/acquaintance will have an idea or contact that points me toward a solution. Doing something other than work once in a while opens you to serendipity.

Michael, I don't have a dozen examples--YET. Maybe I'll think of more after I eat something.

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Comments

[Phil Gerbyshak]

Wow Jory - GREAT article, and some great suggestions and examples. LOVE IT!

[Troy Worman]

He never placed you anywhere? I would rather read about that.

[Mike]

I think most of the advances in our culture are the result of lazy people (like myself). If you give me a ten hour job to do, I'll spend 8 hours figuring out a way to do it in 45 minutes.

Which is great when it works, but I do sometimes end up screwed when my shortcuts don't work, and I end up 8 hours behind.

[Gloria Luzier]

Jory -- What a terrific article, and 6 great points about *smart* working! Yes! I totally get your recommendation about "finding a system that allows people to ask someone to make their lives easier and then go about the business of getting other things done without feeling like a tyrant." -- Great point! Thanks!

[Marg]

Love this one Jory.

Work smart and don't waste time with nonsense. I wish I had learned that years ago.

Marg

[Michael Wagner]

"I simply CAN'T do everything" - that is the lesson that gifted people have a hard time with. I'm one of the fortunate ones - limited and average.

I wrote a post this week on the three college buddies that started Blu Dot Furniture - what struck me was they each discovered in the process of starting the company what they are best at. I'd say humility was essentail to their success.

Thanks for enlarging the conversation in a "smart" way!

[Seymour Lecker]

I read your comments about VALERI BOCAGE.

Unlike many of us VALERI BOCAGE lost very little due to Katrina because as a business failure she had almost nothing to loose.

She does not pay her debts.

She has, on at least one occassion, used an associate's credit card and has not paid her back.

DO NOT LEND THIS WOMAN MONEY.

[Seymour Lecker]

I read your comments about VALERI BOCAGE.

Unlike many of us VALERI BOCAGE lost very little due to Katrina because as a business failure she had almost nothing to loose.

She does not pay her debts.

She has, on at least one occassion, used an associate's credit card and has not paid her back.

DO NOT LEND THIS WOMAN MONEY.

[Mary]

If you have more information about Valeri Bocage - where she is from and her past I would like to hear that.

Thanks,

Mary

[Sairam]

Thats a nice post
Thank you for sharing the information.
It would really be helpfull to know about these in early stages of career