April 7, 2004

Stretch yourself thin, stress yourself out, work longer hours (than is sensible), take on more responsibility (than is sensible) and make your job harder. These are the basic rules of what former Hallmark Cards creativity guru Gordon MacKenzie calls the Overwork-As-An-End-In-Itself game. He links it with the old illusion that if we just work hard enough and long enough, we will finally be found valuable, finally be found lovable, and finally find security.

John Hinchcliff, who retired as vice-chancellor of the Auckland University of Technology at the end of March, has been one of New Zealand’s more unusual – and most successful – chief executives. Why?