What will you choose — Work Smart or Work Hard?
“If you want to grow in this company then start working Smart rather Hard” — Common water-cooler phrase
I am very sure you would have heard this advice at some point in your career — “If you want to grow then be SMART and stop working non-stop for 9 hours at a stretch”.
I heard this watercooler wisdom right at the beginning of my corporate life which was more than a decade ago, and let’s just say that it was very bad advice. Even now, this piece of advice is being thrown around like a magic tale. The surprising thing is that none of those wisdom mongers would ever teach you the “How” and your primary conflict with this advice would be — ‘shouldn’t we work hard if we are smart’?
How do you then learn?
It becomes one of those “job-things” you pick up by copying everyone else. Like smoking, because everyone smokes with the boss and you want to be with the boss (remember Rachel from friends who got peer pressured into smoking) or leaving the coffee mugs at random places because who has time?
You might ask, then where would we go to learn “How to be smart”?
But definitely, towards that person who is perhaps flamboyant, talks a lot in meetings, gets random rewards & recognitions and everyone knows that he/she will get promoted this year. I am sure that just by reading this description, you know whom I am talking about. You know this person. Yes? My Advice — Run. No No, don’t look back, run for your life, my friend.
Ok finally coming to the point, I promise.
How would one be “SMART” at work, after all?
Before getting into that, I want to share a small story: I was lucky that my first ever team leader taught me how to work smart and it was not what others meant. There were no SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound) goal setting principles in his technique nor the common wisdom of “being smart by being at the right time with the right information in front of the right person”.
The advice of being smart basically boiled down to staying consistent, looking for a higher purpose in a job, and staying true to your values. Now, you do learn from the example and your general corporate setup has many “smart” examples like the ones we met above and you ideally should avoid them like dangerous mosquito bites. There will always be a handful of real linchpin models around you. Look for them, follow them and be a sponge around them. Observe their behavior, mental habits, and job-related mannerism.
“Discomfort brings engagement and change. Discomfort means you’re doing something that others were unlikely to do because they’re hiding out in the comfortable zone. When your uncomfortable actions lead to success, the organization rewards you and brings you back for more.” — Seth Godin
These smart linchpins will not only be getting the usual recognition, appraisals, promotions but they will also be one of those people whom everyone would turn to in times of crisis. Once you start modeling yourself after these champions which by the way, all jobs need more of, you will also be sold to the idea of working for passion and purpose rather than to fulfilling the Water-cooler prophecy.
