The Hours

Lonnie Golden observes that "we value ourselves by what we do and how we spend our time." Who would you rather be -- someone who works long or works smart? The best managers know that, in order to do smart, innovative work, we need to lead interesting, creative lives. They can (and some do) reward activity outside the business that brings freshness and insight into the business. Their appraisal systems assess quality of work and customer satisfaction, creativity and the ability to inspire our co-workers. I even know of a few companies that use annual reviews to ensure that their employees are going home, taking vacation, and having real lives. Not only are they not impressed by long hours; they positively reward those who can be productive without them.

Time is a company's most precious asset. Unlike capital, you can't make more and you can't borrow it. Yet most companies today squander their asset in a desperate attempt not to be productive but to feel productive. I think we'd do better to follow Gail's example and to interpret long hours as incompetence.

You'll be amazed how swiftly competence will follow.

Margaret Heffernan is former CEO of ZineZone Corp. and iCAST Corp. Additional information about Heffernan -- as well as additional Culture Club columns -- are available in Online Insights.