Monday 27 June 2011

Verbal Diarrhoea #4

"Everyday, I start off my day earlier than my staff, and [go home] after them. Doing more work than everyone else earns their respect."
Resina Wong, 47-year-old executive, Cheung Kong Holdings (May 2011), Hong Kong


a) Doing more work does not necessarily equate to working longer hours.
b) Working longer hours does not necessarily earn respect from one's employees.
c) Earning respect does not necessarily mean doing more work than others.

Respect, longer hours and more work are in fact mutually exclusive; however, it is the local, traditional supervisors and bosses in Hong Kong who mistakenly apply this faulty circular reasoning to their workers and employees.

One wonders whether Ms(?) Resina Wong has spent important time outside of work (perhaps to marry and raise a family?) whilst simultaneously earning the respect of her staff by apparently always being the first in and last one to leave the office ... with no 'siestas' in between?

Based on her reported comments, does Resina Wong, and those like her, deserve the respect of her staff? Or does she, and those like her, simply demand it?

About Verbal Diarrhoea


Reference: Resina Wong (The Standard)
Karen Ha
Monday, May 30, 2011

Resina Wong is a 20-year veteran of the Hong Kong property industry, having started off as a trainee at a local developer before joining Cheung Kong Holdings (0001) in 1990.

The local property market, especially the retail sector, is in a constant state of flux. It is vital for developers to keep abreast of changes and always have a bevy of potential clients who can rent out soon-to-be vacated premises.

"This is why I need to get out and meet many people," says Wong. "I never feel bored in my job."

Like most other women, Wong loves to shop. "I need to keep myself updated. I go shopping to malls seven days a week and I enjoy it."

As 1881 Heritage, a Cheung Kong project, often hosts large art exhibitions, Wong has used the opportunity to get to know many local and foreign artists.

Starting off as a trainee, the now 47-year-old executive worked her way to the top. "The key is to keep learning while enjoying the work," she said.

"Everyday, I start off my day earlier than my staff, and [go home] after them. Doing more work than everyone else earns their respect."

Wong is big on communication with her colleagues and with other departments of Cheung Kong.

"A company is like an orchestra. The leader is like the conductor. The members have to coordinate among themselves before they can play a beautiful piece.

"It's useless to rely on just one or two outstanding individuals," says Wong.

5 comments:

  1. aimlesswanderer29 June 2011 at 18:52

    I wonder if she has heard about that work-life balance thingy? I don't think your workers are going to be all that efficient if they spend 12hrs a day at work. And they probably resent her because her behavior suggests that longer hours are necessary to get her approval.

    And a person who needs to go shopping 7 days a week, gawd, no wonder you work so much, you'd have nothing useful to do otherwise.

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  2. These kind of people don't understand the smarter side of work productivity. Also, I reckon what she says (and claims) is just lip service. I believe she is a typical old-fashioned boss in Hong Kong who believes her staff love her, but in fact they fear her and do not have respect for bosses like that.

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  3. aimlesswanderer4 July 2011 at 20:05

    Work smarter, not longer. Some people are a bit slow however.

    Yeah, she seems like someone who thinks her staff loves her because she is just so awesome and works like a slave driver.

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  4. Thanks AW. Yes, I reckon this one is a bit slow. Unfortunately, she also thinks her staff works like her, hence the longer hours. How sad.

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  5. aimlesswanderer10 July 2011 at 15:23

    Hello totally anonymous survey of minions! Though that may make things much worse.

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