Work very hard ethic expected of our PM

logique

Work very hard ethic expected of our PM
ALISON REHN

Daily Telegraph


THERE is nothing special about Kevin Rudd's renowned workaholism.

Almost every Australian prime minister has burned the midnight oil, as the current PM likes to put it, working 15-hour days.

Rudd's work ethic has excited debate among doctors, unions, and even his own colleagues, who worry the Prime Minister's health may be put at risk by his long hours.

How soon the public forgets.

When Gough Whitlam was elected prime minister, he and deputy Lance Barnard ran the country for two weeks before the rest of the cabinet was sworn in.

The two-man government -- Whitlam quipped it was composed entirely of ex-servicemen -- introduced a swathe of reforms before the rest of the ministry was formed.

And John Howard was hardly made of lazy bones, beginning every day with a 6am morning walk -- at which point he'd already been up for an hour, read the newspapers and got across the issues of the day.

Howard thrived on his job, so much in fact he loved travelling to Perth because he could add an extra three hours to his day.

So how does Kevin Rudd compare?

Rudd's late nights and early starts are becoming legendary -- right up there with Paul Keating's peculiar trampolining hobby.

Rudd's staff begin work at 4am, reading newspapers and monitoring other media, then outlining the issues of the day for their boss.

He may not appear in a Wallabies tracksuit for the media to see, but Rudd is awake and beginning his day about 6am.

After familiarising himself with the headlines, he is briefed by policy advisers. He does early morning radio and television interviews, both in the comfort of the Lodge and in studios, on camera.

In fact, he's such a media man TV networks have had to introduce earlier shifts for crews, to ensure they don't miss any Rudd action.

After a busy day pounding the pavement in any given electorate, or following a gruelling day in Parliament, Rudd doesn't stop when the sun sets. He holds more meetings -- usually from between 7.30pm and 8.30pm. And that's on the days he has no evening engagements where he's required to speak. Even then he will often follow up the event with a live late-night news broadcast.

It's fair to say the Rudd machine is cranking at least 15 hours a day.

As he told The Daily Telegraph yesterday: ``Australians elected us to do a job, and they expect us to get on with it -- just as Australians themselves are working hard in all sorts of jobs, whether they're running small businesses, working on construction sites, in the mining industry, in call centres and offices.''

And it seems he feels he balances work life and family just fine.

``Working hard doesn't mean we don't need sensible downtime. Everybody needs time off work, to rest and recuperate and spend time with their family and friends,'' he said.

The election campaign made it as clear as day that Rudd was not going to slacken off if elected. While Howard was delivering one major press conference a day and one street walk -- if the media were lucky -- Rudd became a Westfield junkie, visiting up to four shopping centres a day. Then, he was getting by on four hours sleep a night.

During his days as treasurer, Placido Paul Keating boasted he was not only in charge of the country's purse strings but also had to fulfil his household chores too. This is the same man who when prime minister also relieved stress by jumping on a trampoline which he also claimed helped ``clean out the arteries''.

The stress of his polished parliamentary performances drove Keating to the couch with the former PM known to retreat after gruelling Question Times to the little room attached to the prime minister's office for siestas.

Kevin Rudd has cleverly cultivated the image of being a workaholic.

He knows the public wants a prime minister who takes the job seriously and is prepared to put in the hours.

With no morning walk and the images that come with it, Rudd has been forced instead to talk up his commitment, constantly reminding media of the things Labor has accomplished in its first six months of office.

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Kevin Rudd has cleverly cultivated the image of being a workaholic

logique

1. Be optimistic: the job market it in good shape and you have a lot to offer.

2. Be realistic: you will have to work hard to find what you want, and it generally takes time.

3. Know what you want: a valid, achievable goal is critically important.

4. Choose your outplacement provider with great care: it is beneficial to work with an independent career adviser.

5. Listen to the advice you are given: your career adviser is almost certainly more expert and job-wise than your mates.

6. Use your networks: a great starting point is your current contacts you need to identify and cultivate these.

7. Understand your offering: understand what makes you stand out and what are your transferable skills.

8. Recruit the recruitment consultants to your team: they are a most valuable support.

9. Be aware of the danger of accepting the first offer: the job must be right, and many jump too soon and regret it.

10. The key variable in career transition is hard work: it takes time and effort to succeed in your career transition.