I recently read a news story about a PhD in the aerospace system who devoted his life to the country until he literally worked himself to death. This kind of story is all too common in our country's news — the most recent example being Luo Yang, the J-15 project director. I absolutely mean no disrespect to these people, and I would never be so arrogant as to think I'm qualified to judge their work. But every time I see stories like this, I can't help thinking: these people are so important — why do they have to work until they drop dead? Their willingness to sacrifice their health for their careers is one thing, but doesn't the government or their organization have a health management plan for key personnel? Any sports fan knows that injuries are a critical factor in competition — some are accidental, some inevitable — and good health management is key to building a high-level club. If Curry got sidelined every season, could the Warriors still be the dynasty they are? And Curry's health isn't left to fate — it's managed by himself, his trainers, and his team, through training methods, load management, injury prevention, and so on — a great systems engineering effort. Sports is ultimately just entertainment, while the nation's aerospace and defense programs are matters of national rise and fall. How can we leave the health of the key figures in these programs to chance? From what I see in the news, our country is seriously falling short in this regard.
These people are so important, in such critical positions, and so busy — managing everything day and night, handling every detail, working through the night, involved in everything — how can they consistently make high-quality decisions? The core of knowledge work is decision-making, and decision quality is a function of experience, intelligence, methodology, and so on — but the most fundamental factor is the decision-maker's energy level. A person who works over ten hours a day, constantly switching between threads — how can this be sustainable? Even if their body can take it, they can't possibly make high-quality decisions — at least not at the level they're capable of.
They're so busy — why doesn't the organization hire more people, train more people? It's like building a house: you need 10 workers, but you only have 5. Sure, 5 people working overtime might get it done, but this thinking is opportunistic. If 5 can do it, why not 1? We can ask the same question about these people: if they work 12 hours a day, why not 14? Why not 16? This logic is opportunistic and will inevitably produce poor results. Everything should be planned and managed. If a deadline demands it, working 24 hours a day may be necessary — but conversely, planning must be based on scientific principles, and the entire process must be managed. If our country's aerospace and defense programs depend on certain people working 12-plus hours a day, then I'm not optimistic about our country at all.
These are just my thoughts, and they may not be entirely right. Goals, planning, management — these are extremely important and deserve more time and attention. Completing something complex requires effort, but even more so, it requires scientific planning and management.
Hope is not a strategy. Let us take this to heart together.