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JOB RESPONSIBILITY
Discussion:
There are many aspects to success in one’s job. There are few core basics. One of these is job responsibility. Job responsibility involves the ability to recognize the inherent requirements and authority of a job position and the acceptance of personal accountability therein.
Nothing creates more work for your superior than to have to constantly oversee and manage someone else’s responsibilities. Not understanding your own responsibilities or not managing them creates just that situation for the superior. This is guaranteed to damage the working relationship with the superior. Of course, this is likely to show up on performance appraisals and be reflected in slower advancement opportunities.
Furthermore, causing your superior to over-manage your job trains undesirable habits of micro-management into your superior. This is a clear cut case of making the bed you must now sleep in. If you find yourself micro-managed, evaluate how much of the situation is of your own making. The best way to cure micro-management is to consistently demonstrate your ability to stay on top of your responsibilities.
Sometimes what appears as a lack of job responsibility is really a failure to understand what one’s responsibilities are. Do you know what you are responsible for? Have you ever asked yourself or your superior the question? Do you know what you’re decision parameters are? Have you ever asked that question? Until you know you’re responsibilities and decision parameters, it will be a hit-or-miss affair for you to fulfill them.
In contrast, a clear understanding of your job responsibilities and your decision parameters can vastly improve your performance. Such an understanding will also relieve a lot of your worries. You may find that clarity is a lot easier to take than wondering. Once you know, you can act on your knowledge.
There are few outcomes more reassuring to your superior than to see an employee stepping up to their responsibilities. Many people don’t realize how much their superiors want them to succeed. Not just for the superior’s sake, but for the employee’s sake. Many don’t realize how much their superiors agonize over an employee who isn’t doing well. When you realize how much people in the organization care about your success, you will realize how much managing your job responsibilities effectively can count for you. It gets noticed every time.
A major component of job responsibility is your “ownership” of the task and its successful outcome. “Ownership” is reinforced by the proper rewards. Rewards can be “externally” provided or”internally” developed. However, only you have control over developing internal rewards to motivate your desire to take ownership. The more you can connect your job responsibility with your natural interests, personal goals and/or passions the easier the “ownership.”
Prescription:
1. Identify the parts of your job responsibilities that you feel most interested in; help you meet your personal goals; unleashes your passion. Note: No job will be 100% match. As a rule of thumb 30% is often enough to motivate someone.
2. If possible, sort out your work efforts so that some of these interests are being “feed” by the job each day, even if only for a few minutes.
3. Set a target of three months as a trial period. During this period note daily on a 3 x 5 card something you learned today and on the other side note a question you would like to learn the answer about or something you enjoyed today.
4. On the bottom right corner of the front of the 3 x 5 card mark a number from 0 to 100 as to how well you took responsibility fort he “full job” today. 100 is a perfect score. Mark this number in color.
5. Review these cards every two weeks to note your success.
6. When you are becoming comfortable with your success trend share what you are doing with your superior.