BLOG: "Trying to become balanced would be like trying to withdraw from heroin"

Please describe your career path?
The trajectory of my career can only be likened to a pinball game. How did you get into your profession? I never imagined I would work at an NGO. But, as with most of my career, I ended up at CAN through a combination of serendipity and an enduring desire to influence people's minds. Over the years, I have built up quite a rolodex and a solid bully pulpit. It seemed like a waste of my skill set, credibility and relationships to just keep on selling "stuff". It's obvious that there is a dearth of zealous, committed, able people in the NGO world, especially in HK, where most people think you're crazy if you leave your well-paid private sector job to head up an NGO.

Have there been any low times?
Besides the constant ribbing of jokes like, "Look outside. You haven't cleaned it up yet," NO! Honestly, I've never been happier in my entire life. I'm one of those people who never gets depressed. EVER. Also, 95% of the individuals and corporations we've approached have supported Clean Air Network. How can I complain or feel low?

Were you always ambitious?
Being too ambitious is probably my greatest character defect. The frisson of achievement or recognition lasts a maximum of 24 hours. Then, it's back to the grindstone, because I'm never satisfied. I also take an eagle's-eye assessment of my career every few months to determine if it all makes sense in terms of trajectory, learning and gratification.

Could you have imagined doing this job when you started?
NEVER. Being the daughter of two Chinese immigrant doctors growing up in the Midwest, I was trained to desire a career that was obvious, prosaic and remunerative. Even I myself am frequently surprised by the twists and turns of my career. What do you like best about what you are doing now? I love educating and inspiring people. That's always been my forte. At heart, I'm a preacher. I also love communicating with younger people, because they're still idealistic -- like me. At an NGO, you can give your idealism full rein. How many situations, let alone job situations, permit you to do that -- without apology or compunction?

What are your greatest challenges?
Waking up every day and believing that I can make a difference to a problem which so difficult and enormous.

What are your future aspirations?
I never give conscious thought to this issue. It is my innate tendency to seek bigger, more daring challenges. But, to answer your question, in the short term, to use social media to enable greater civic engagement and democratic participation in Hong Kong society -- inspired, of course, by the weathervane issue of air pollution. Since it's an issue that virtually everyone agrees on, it's easy way for first-timers to get involved in civil society and engage - with each other, with Government. Another reason I got involved with this issue and cause is because I think it takes someone from the private sector to demonstrate that this is NOT an issue confined to treehuggers or radicals.

How have you been able to balance your career and your life?
I'm not a balanced person. Full stop. When I'm not talking about air pollution, I'm reading up on it -- or social media. I can't do Stairmaster without my Blackberry and at least 2 newspapers. I'm obsessed with productivity and efficiency. I don't really care about balance. Trying to become balanced would be like trying to withdraw from heroin. At the same time, I do have some new rules in my life: for example, at least 10 hours per week with my 10-year old son with NO devices. With me, it can't work unless there are very strict rules and concrete guideposts. That's the most "balance" I can do.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?
In terms of career, I haven't done anything I was proud of for more than 24 hours. I'm referring to a specific achievement. But I'm a good mom. Actually, being a good parent is incredibly difficult because it's not something you can decide you're going to master. It's not really within your control to a large extent. Parenting is not subject to the same rules of achievement as all the other projects and goals in my life.

What would you change if you were to have your time again?
Honestly, I wish I cared more about money, because, then, I'd have some -- and that could be a cushion which could afford me more freedom and flexibility. I was also recently thinking that I should have had some sort of career in media -- as a talking head. Finally, I would have learned Chinese instead of French when I was growing up. This is probably the biggest regret of my life -- that, despite studying Mandarin for many years, I still cannot speak it fluently -- indeed, far from it.

What is the most useful lesson you have learned?
That, as a general rule, never be overprepared. It's an utter waste of time. For that matter, barring a few exceptional situations (like a board meeting or a major photo shoot), I strongly prefer to do things at the last minute. it's a personal style which isn't for everybody, but it's a very efficient way to get enormous amounts of stuff done.

What do you like to do in your free time?
If not sleeping, then, some form of learning. "Free" time means I can enrich my mind with activities which fall outside the remit of my professional responsibilities. These days, I'm catching up on all the bit.ly's in my twitter stream!

The above is excerpted from an upcoming interview.

JOANNE OOI IS THE CEO OF CLEAN AIR NETWORK, THE FASTEST-GROWING ENVIRONMENTAL NGO IN HONG KONG AND THE BIGGEST SINGLE-ISSUE NGO FOCUSED ON HONG KONG AIR POLLUTION. www.hongkongcan.org. Prior to heading CAN, Joanne was the Chief Marketing Officer of Filligent, the biotech company, and the Creative Director of Shanghai Tang, the Chinese luxury brand owned by the Richemont Group.