Working Hard? or Working Smart?

What to say to employees who are working hard but not working smart..


If I were the district sales manager…

I will do a reverse psychology conversation with him/her.

First, I will commend all the good qualities he/she possesses. Second, I will make it clear to him/her and let him/her feel that I have nothing against him/her. Lastly, I will give him/her advices that may guide him/her toward greater productivity.

The following will be my advices to Name of Employee:

1.      Name of Employee, you may be working hard but not working smart. It is important that you work hard and at the same time, work smart. People think that they can bring about great changes in their career if they work hard. Yes, it is true, for nothing can be achieved without hard work. But working smart makes a lot of sense either. It might lessen the amount of energy we put on to accomplish a specific task.

2.      Assess everything that needs to be done.  You should look over every aspect of the job so that you can be sure that every detail is accomplished on time, and accurately.

3.      You should make a checklist of your tasks even if it's in your head.

4.      Once you've assessed the job and come up with a plan, it's best to stick with the plan.

5.      You should communicate with your clients properly. Always remember that communication is a two-way process. So, after talking and explaining your side, it’s best to listen to what your customers think and respect their opinions.

6.      Do not cram! Working quick and ahead of time but as efficiently as possible is much smarter than looking at the schedule and telling yourself you have five more days to get it done.

7.      Being dead tired at the end is not smart. So, you should be strong and still energetic even at the end of a job done. Be sure that you are well rested at deadline time.