Comments on: Whose Job is It Anyway?

By: Jann Freed

Jann Freed — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:09:49 +0000

Susan–I like the idea of guest writers. Would you be a guest writer on my blog in the near future? I would love that. Thanks. Jann

By: Swiss Ball Exercises

Swiss Ball Exercises — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 08:06:53 +0000

nice post. thanks.

By: CNA Training

CNA Training — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 16:34:54 +0000

What a great resource!

By: minority scholarship

minority scholarship — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 08:56:18 +0000

I’ve recently started a blog, the information you provide on this site has helped me tremendously. Thank you for all of your time & work.

By: Susan Mazza

Susan Mazza — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 00:41:20 +0000

What a great “rule”! And a wonderful demonstration of an act of leadership – taking a stand.

Thanks for sharing your example Donna.

By: Susan Mazza

Susan Mazza — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 00:38:25 +0000

Using job descriptions as a guide to growth – now that is an interesting idea. Career paths in organizations have typically been plotted by navigating the path to go upwards (even if to go up you have to take a step sideways once in a while). You have me thinking about how that could look/work in practice. Since the nature of jobs are changing so fast, and most people no longer stay with the same company for many years, I wonder at what point a job description becomes a process of defining the unique intersection of a person and a position at a point in time rather than a more static box on an org chart.

Thanks for sharing your insight Meghan.

By: Donna Svei

Donna Svei — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 22:24:16 +0000

Hi Susan,

I loved this post too.

When I was a department head, I had a simple rule. “If one of has to work on Saturday, all of us will work on Saturday.” Every Friday afternoon about 1:00 p.m. I started noticing people talking to each other, moving around the department, and doing the work that needed to be done, whether it was in their job description or not. Needless to say, all of our work got done and we didn’t work very many Saturdays.

Cheers,

Donna

By: Meghan M. Biro

Meghan M. Biro — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 15:37:26 +0000

Love this concept Susan! Job descriptions fit in more defined organizations. Providing teams a framework for a tangible shared stake in the mission is often a wise tack. Dynamic personalities on the team tend to quickly outgrow their roles. I vote we should view descriptions as a guide to growth + revise job descriptions as people inevitably change course. This can work from a leadership + management perspective but not always a simple equation. Communication lines function best when an open flow of dialogue is encouraged.

By: Susan Mazza

Susan Mazza — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:51:57 +0000

The leader most definitely sets the stage for how people behave. If we want people to take more ownership we must consider how our beliefs and actions are in the way of that. Thanks for enriching the conversation Gwyn!

By: Gwyn Teatro

Gwyn Teatro — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 18:16:21 +0000

When it comes to work, it seems to me that the business owner, team leader or department manager sets the tone and attitude for the rest. Some do it consciously and some do it without much thought to how their behaviour is influencing others.

If, for instance, the leader is prone to being very specific and formal about the tasks s/he expects others to perform, they may be reticent to go outside the scope of what has been laid out for them for fear of overstepping their “boundaries”. Among those with less than noble intentions, this kind of specificity also invites a “sufficient unto the day” kind of attitude where some people will do *only* what appears on their position description and nothing more.

If, on the other hand, the leader has provided wider parameters, acknowledges the position description as a way of helping people see how they fit in the overall scheme of things and, by example, encourages a wider scope of contribution, I think people will be more willing to do things that go beyond what is written down for them to do.

As well, leaders who are clear about their primary overall goal will have a better result in terms of encouraging voluntary contribution. In the case of the dentist, lets say his/her overall goal is to ensure optimal patient comfort. If s/he consistently conveys this message as being of primary importance, it is, I think, easier for an employee to think of things to do that will contribute to that.

In summary, I’m thinking that the key is the level of consciousness with which the leader conveys his or her expectations and attitudes with the job description being a tool for guidance rather than a laundry list of things to do.