That happened to me this week as I was walking my dogs. Let me tell you what happened and how it can help you take your email skills to the next level.

Learning in my outdoor university

If you’re been a subscriber to my email list for a while, you’ve met our dogs, Zoey and Maewyn.

You may recall this video from a walk last summer when Maewyn discovered the neighborhood sprinklers.

She’s such a goof.

These two girls help me learn and grow. Because, when I take them on our daily walks, which can sometimes be pretty long, I listen to podcasts.

One of my favorites is Dave Stachowiak’s Coaching for Leaders podcast. Dave and his guests continually help me grow in my personal life and professional career.

You already know this if you’re a regular reader of this blog because I share Coaching for Leaders episodes often. The material is too good to keep to myself.

This is the case for the episode I’m sharing with you today. I was surprised when I listened to it, because the content covered so much more than I expected from the title.

And, that brings me back to how I realized how much better I could make the email guide I recently created.

Making my email guide even better

A while back I published my free email guide How to Write a Professional Email: Make a positive impact with every email you send.

Those who have downloaded it have told me the free guide is worth exactly what they paid for it.

They were kidding. (I think….)

Seriously, based on the feedback I’ve received, the guide is packed with helpful tips and tricks that people in a wide range of industries have used to significantly improve their fundamental career skill of communicating well through the emails they write.

If you haven’t downloaded the guide, click on the image or button below to get your free copy.

Or, if you want an introduction to what it’s all about, check out this blog post, Top 5 Tips To Write A Professional Email where I describe these tips.

As beneficial as this guide is in its present form, it can be even better. I’m planning to improve it to help you take your email skills to the next level.

But, so you don’t have to wait for me to release a new version of the guide, I’m going to share in this post some of the new email tips and tricks I learned while walking Zoey and Maewyn this week.

These new ideas came from a recent episode of the Coaching for Leaders podcast.

So much more than the title suggests

The title of this episode is “Where You May Be Provoking Anxiety, with Erica Dhawan.“

The conversation definitely covers the topic in the title in an insightful and practical way. But, Dave and Erica discuss much more than that.

I encourage you to listen to the full episode and purchase Erica’s book, Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance. My copy should arrive tomorrow and I am excited to dig into it.

As I walked and listened to these two experienced experts, I kept hearing tips and recommendations that I wished I would have included in my email guide. I knew what Erica and Dave had to say would help you (and me) take my email skills to the next level.

Her wisdom and suggestions for writing more effective emails were sprinkled in throughout the episode. So, I want to capture a few of them here so they’re easy for you (and me) to read and apply.

5 ways to improve your email skills

I want to be clear. All these tips are taken from the conversation between Dave Stachowiak and Erica Dhawan in this podcast episode.

The credit goes to them.

You could write all these tips down yourself as you’re listening. But, you may like to listen to podcasts while you walk your dogs too. Or while you’re driving. And, I have yet to find a good way to write and walk the girls or drive safely. (If you’ve got a solution, I’d love to hear it.)

So, to save you some time and to give us both a place to reference until I get my free email guide updated with these tips, I created this list.

Those are just five tips of many, many more contained in this podcast episode. I could easily go on, but I want to use the rest of this post to share another resource that builds on the last tip on expressing gratitude.

One more resource to take your emails skills to the next level

Another regular companion in my outdoor university is Michael Bungay Stanier. His audio version of his book The Advice Trap is outstanding.

As I listened to Erica and Dave talk about how to best say thank you in the world of digital communication, I thought about a resource Michael generously offers on his website.

Michael has created a free guide on how to be appreciative with an infographic titled, “How To Be Generous With Your Appreciation.” It’s easy to download with this link.

It contains 46 (if I counted them correctly) phrases you can use to meaningfully communicate to another person that you see and appreciate who they are.

You can easily incorporate some of these words into the next email you send to say thank you to a teammate.

I encourage you to download the guide and give Michael a mention on LinkedIn to tell him you appreciate this resource he created.

And, I highly recommend listening to the audio version of The Advice Trap. The written version is great, but the audio version is even better. Michael reads it himself (I love his voice) and he’s included a bunch of bonus content that’s not in the book.

Learning through listening

It’s probably obvious by what I’ve written that I enjoy learning through listening. It fits my lifestyle and allows me to develop myself while also getting things done, like walking the doggos.

Knowing that about me, you may wonder why I write a blog instead of hosting a podcast.

Well, that is about to change. I will still keep this blog stream going, but most of the posts will soon be primarily in audio.

That’s right.

I’m launching a podcast. It will go live on July 29, 2021.

The podcast will be called “Connect. Mobilize. Deliver.” I’ve still got a lot of work to do to be ready, but I do have the cover artwork done.

Here it is.

The content will be consistent with what I share in this blog. So, if you’re a fan of what I’ve been writing, I think you’ll like the podcast too.

Listening, learning, and sharing

I’m listening, learning, and doing my best to share what I know. I hope today’s post will help you take your email skills to the next level by applying what I’ve been learning from others.

If you did find something in this post useful, please take a moment to share it with your teammates or on social media. The buttons at the top and bottom of this page make it easy to share these tips and techniques with those who might also benefit.

Thanks as always for reading.

Let’s lead with kindness and confidence.

Greg

About the Author – Learn more about Greg

Click here to download the free guide.

How to Write a Professional Email: Make a positive impact with every email you send.

The post How To Take Your Email Skills To The Next Level appeared first on Greg Harrod.

Perhaps you have similar insecurities at times. If you do, you’re not alone. I’m right there with you.

But, I’ve found a proven way to build my confidence.

It works for me and I’m sure it will work for you too.

The approach is captured in the fifth question in this series on how to increase role clarity in your job.

The final question

We’ve reached the last of the five questions I introduced in the post, How To Create Role Clarity With 5 Simple Questions.

You’ve taken several keys steps to get more role clarity in your job.

Before we discuss question 5, take a moment to consider all you’ve accomplished by applying the techniques in these posts.

Getting others involved with your new and improved set of tasks

You may be curious why I would say that reviewing your answers to the first four questions is critical.

After all, through the previous posts you’ve already reviewed your performance goals and your individual development plan which almost certainly included input from others.

It’s not like you created your list of job tasks in a vacuum. But the review I’m recommending you do with certain people isn’t just about getting input.

The review I’m describing has much more power than simply asking for the advice of others.

It has power that will bring you a level of confidence you may have never experienced in your career.

The power in reviewing your task list with the right people

You could make great progress in creating role clarity just by answering the first four questions.

By doing this, you will have a list of tasks you will do going forward. And, you’ll have a list of tasks you aren’t going to do. The tasks line up with what you’ve been asked to do by your manager. They connect with your performance goals and development plan.

That’s all great.

But, beyond your manager, does anyone else know about your list? If not, you’re at risk.

Power through accountability

Have you ever made a commitment to do something but didn’t tell anyone about it? And then, when things got tough and you were tempted to quit, you quietly gave up on your goal. Because, after all, no one else knew what you wanted to accomplish anyway.

No? Just me? Okay. Never mind that example then.

But, have you ever committed to do something and then told others you were going to do it? Maybe you even made your intentions public and really put yourself out there.

If you have done that, I expect you experienced the benefits of an increased accountability to do what you said you were going to do.

This applies to your task list you created. You can write it on a piece of paper and slip it in your drawer. Or you can leave it buried deep in a folder on your hard drive where only you know about it.

Or, you can review it with the right people, or even give them a copy of it, and be much more confident that you will complete the work you decided was beneficial for you and your organization.

Engaging the right people to review your list of tasks brings accountability and confidence.

Reviewing your task list with the right people also sets healthy boundaries for yourself and others.

Power through boundaries

If you don’t review your list of tasks with others, there’s another danger seeking to destroy your role clarity.

Imagine this scenario. I doubt it will be hard if you’ve been in the workforce for any time at all.

Would you do this for me please?

Someone asks you to do something that is not on your list of tasks you worked so hard to create.

It’s likely a polite request, “Would you do this for me please?” They asked nicely, but this is exactly the situation that caused you to realize you needed better role clarity. What do you do?

Do you say yes to their request even though what they are asking you to do is something you and your manager agreed isn’t your responsibility?

You may be tempted to go against what you already decided. But, there is no reason for you to give in to that temptation.

In fact, if you’ve had a meaningful discussion with the right people, you can be fully confident in saying “No.” Or maybe, “No, thank you.” to be polite.

A written list of the tasks you are responsible for and committed to complete sets a healthy boundary for you and for others. It establishes a clear, predetermined distinction between what you will and won’t do.

And, when you know the right people are in agreement with the boundary you’ve established, your confidence to enforce that healthy balance is strengthened.

It’s not just you who is saying, “No, thank you.”

Your conversations with the right people remind you that it’s not just you alone who is saying you will not to take on a specific request. Your position represents the consensus of those with whom you’ve consulted.

You and your group of the right people collectively agree that saying “yes” to what you’re being asked to do is not in your best interest or the best interest of the organization.

And, the benefits of a healthy boundary created by your reviewed task list don’t only apply to saying “no” to additional work.

More confidence to say, “Yes.”

The conversations you’ve had with the right people about your tasks also build your confidence to say “yes.”

For example, when you are tempted to not follow through on your personal development tasks because you feel like you’re being selfish by investing in your own career, you can be more confident to follow through. Because, you are not just doing what you believe to be positive and healthy for you and your career.

You are doing what a select group of the right people have also said you need to be doing.

These boundaries established and strengthened by the reviews of your task list by the right people will maintain your role clarity. And, they will make you more successful and fulfilled in your career.

But, you probably have a lingering question. Who are these “right people” I’ve been referring to?

That’s brings us back to the fifth question which I said was critical. Now, let’s find the answer.

Question 5. Who Should Review My Answers?

Obviously, the details of your answer to this question will be unique to you and your situation.

But this list of people I recommend review your task list has worked for me and for many others I’ve coached. In most situations, this list captures the “right people” to review your task list so you can be confident in your work.

The right people to review your task list

Leading the right people by example

The approach I recommend is not always going to be easy. But, leading is rarely easy.

A little scary but extremely powerful

Involving the right people to review your tasks can be intimidating and scary. It will sometimes take courage. But, as you do it, it will get easier and you will be more confident with each conversation you have.

The reality is conversations like this are scary for other people too. Including some of your “right people”.

You are setting an example for them. You are demonstrating humility, vulnerability, and powerful leadership.

Being willing to disclose what you’re doing and not doing. Writing down the things you’ve decided to stop doing. Stating the tasks you should keep doing. Admitting the tasks you should start doing. These actions all communicate that you may have been wrong at some point and may still not be exactly right. Doing these things will also reassure the people you talk with that you’re okay with that.

Giving others the freedom to not be perfect

Your attitude will create psychological safety because it gives others the freedom to also not always get it right, You’re assuring them that you don’t expect them to always have all the right answers either. They don’t have to be perfect.

This act of inviting them in may be uncomfortable for you (and maybe for them), but it can bring tremendous unity to a team and an organization. And, it can strengthen other’s trust in you as a leader regardless of whether you have a formal position of authority.

Others will respect and appreciate your approach and will model your leadership behaviors to others.

Your leadership example will cascade throughout your organization

By giving your right people the invitation and space to comment on your task list, you will create role clarity for yourself and for them.

In fact, you may find this exercise reveals opportunities for others to take on tasks you are doing to free you up to do work that only you can do. By being curious with them about the best use of your time, they will want to invest their time more wisely too.

They can share these activities with their teams and cause these practices to cascade bringing increased role clarity to the entire organization. Inviting the right people to hold you accountable will encourage them to ask their right people to do the same.

The positive impact of your actions will have an impact greater than you will ever know.

Benefits far beyond role clarity

As we wrap up this series on How To Create Role Clarity With 5 Simple Questions, I trust you see how this approach can make you more effective and confident as a leader.

The benefits of asking these five questions extend far beyond creating role clarity.

As you implement these techniques, I’m confident you will see personal benefits as will every person you choose to involve in your discussions. And, through these conversations, you will have a lasting positive impact throughout your organization and beyond.

Let’s lead with kindness and confidence. 

Greg

About the Author – Learn more about Greg

Click here to download the free guide.

How to Write a Professional Email: Make a positive impact with every email you send.

The post Involve The Right People To Be More Confident At Work appeared first on Greg Harrod.

Am I right?

I suspect I am. Because, every person at some point in their career journey seeks to step it up a notch and be more excited about the work they are doing.

This may occur after you’ve been in a role for a long time and the tasks you are doing just don’t keep you motivated. But, it often occurs at the very beginning of a new career or after accepting a different position. This is when you’re fired up and want to do even more to make a positive impact for the organization.

Whatever situation you find yourself in, I’ve got some practical steps you can take to put the energy and excitement back into your job.

It’s all part of the five question process to create role clarity in your job. Question four, “What Should I Start Doing?” will not only increase your clarity in your work, but it will also give you a perfect opportunity to energize your career.

Question 4. What Should I Start Doing?

In previous posts, we’ve discussed questions one through three of the five questions I introduced in the post, How To Create Role Clarity With 5 Simple Questions.

These five simple questions provide a framework to help you create more role clarity for yourself, your team, or your organization.

Over the past few weeks, if you’re following along with this blog, you’ve probably made significant progress in building role clarity.

You documented what you’re now doing in your current role following the guidelines in the post “Build A Strong Foundation For Role Clarity By Knowing Your Tasks.”

Then, after reading the next post, “How To Discover What You Should Stop Doing.” you dropped some things off your task list and got a welcome relief as you stopped doing work that didn’t need to be done or needed to be assigned to someone else.

Most recently, you gained confidence to keep doing what you’re doing based on the post, “4 Simple Actions To Know What To Keep Doing.”

So, you’re in a good spot, right?

You know what you’re going to do and what you’re not going to do. That’s good role clarity. You are in a position to keep doing what you’re doing.

Hopefully, you are completely motivated, energized, and satisfied to stay the course with the work you’re doing.

But, what if you’re not? What if you don’t want to just keep doing your current tasks, at least not forever?

I encourage to lean into that desire to do more, to add more or different value to your team and your organization. The question to ask to energize your career is “What Should I Start Doing?”

An obvious answer first

You’ve likely seen the multiple references I’ve made in this series of posts to performance goals. I’ve also encouraged you to keep doing your assigned tasks.

This may seem obvious, but I am going to say it out loud so no one misses this.

If you aren’t already doing the tasks assigned to you either formally in your performance goals or directly by your manager, start doing them immediately.

Doing what you’re being paid to do may not immediately energize your career, but it will definitely improve your chances of keeping your job.

If you’re reading my blog, I don’t think that’s a problem for you. But, I wanted to be crystal clear on this critical point.

Start doing the things that are not optional. And, start right now.

But, if you really want to energize your career, don’t stop there.

I encourage you to invest in yourself. Because you’re worth it.

Develop yourself to energize your career

Throughout my career, I have been most energized when I’m growing and developing by learning and doing new things. And even when I’m not doing tasks that are different and challenging, I’ve been more motivated when I know I have a plan to do those things in the future.

Even if we love the job we’re currently in, it is critical to be investing in ourselves so we’re ready for future roles.

Here are six ways you can energize your career by investing in yourself and your future success.

These six ways to energize your career by investing in yourself give you several ideas and options. And, you probably thought of several more yourself.

But, you may be wondering how to get started. It’s a reasonable question.

Here’s what I recommend.

Use timeframes to get started and stick with it

It can be easy to read the actions listed above and get overwhelmed with all the choices you have to start doing new tasks.

I feel that way at times.

I suggest you break your options into specific windows of time that are reasonable for each task.

Capture the tasks you are going to start doing to energize your career

I explained in a previous post the importance of documenting the tasks you are doing. It is equally important to document the tasks you are doing to start doing.

It’s too easy to have good ideas about what you are going to start doing to energize your career but then never actually do them because you don’t write them down.

That’s true for me at least. I have to write things down to make sure I actually do them.

If you have a formal Individual Development Plan system in your organization, that’s the perfect place to add the actions you are going to take to develop yourself. But, even if you don’t, you can easily add them to your document of current tasks.

Whatever format you choose, it’s important to write down these new tasks you are going to start and commit to doing them.

And, to be successful it’s almost important for you to get others involved.

Getting others involved with your new and improved set of tasks

You started with a list of your current tasks and now you’ve removed as well as added some items.

How can you validate your set of tasks is optimized for you and your role?

To get this validation and ensure you will reach your overall goal of achieving role clarity, it’s important to make the most of your network.

It’s time to get others involved in reviewing your new and improved set of tasks and get their input.

We’ll cover that in our next post, but until then, I encourage you to look back through the new tasks you’ve decided to start doing.

Does the thought of doing these things immediately and in the future motivate you? I hope so. Because taking even a few of the actions described above is a proven way to energize your career and position you to do all you were designed to do.

I’m confident you can do even more than you’re doing now for the good of your team and your organization. By designing your future and investing in your own development, these new tasks can not only benefit those around you, they can also give you the energy and motivation to keep you performing at your very best.

Let’s lead with kindness and confidence.

Greg

About the Author – Learn more about Greg

Click here to download the free guide.

How to Write a Professional Email: Make a positive impact with every email you send.

The post How To Start Doing Tasks To Energize Your Career appeared first on Greg Harrod.

In my experience, not everyone does, especially if you’re early in your career.

And, that lack of assurance in what you should be doing can chip away at your confidence and slow you down.

And, it can keep you from performing at your best and delivering the results you know you can achieve.

I’ve been in that situation.

But, over the years I’ve learned how to be more confident by focusing on the right tasks and knowing what to keep doing to be successful.

In this post I’ll share with you four simple actions I’ve found useful. Based on my experience, these steps will help you gain the confidence you’re looking for. It’s all part of the journey to create role clarity using five simple questions we’ve been discussing in previous posts.

Question 3 of the 5 simple questions to create role clarity

A few weeks back in the post, How To Create Role Clarity With 5 Simple Questions, I introduced these five questions to help you create more role clarity for yourself, your team, or your organization.

We covered the first question, “What Am I Doing?” in the post “Build A Strong Foundation For Role Clarity By Knowing Your Tasks.” where you learned you are doing more in your job than you originally realized.

Then in the next post, “How To Discover What You Should Stop Doing.” you hopefully were able to find several tasks you could take off your list. And, you did this without feeling guilty or lazy because you understood that not doing these things was good for you, your teammates, and your organization.

As we explore question three in this post, I trust you will be encouraged to keep doing the things that are most important for your career and for your team’s success.

What are those things you should keep doing?

Here’s how you can identify them with four simple actions.

Four actions to decide what to keep doing

It’s time to pull out the list of all the tasks you are currently doing. If you haven’t created your list, jump over to this post now and build your written list.

You’ll need it to complete these steps to become even more confident in knowing the tasks you should keep doing.

If you’re back and you’ve got your list, go ahead and try out these four actions.

Keep doing what you’re doing with confidence

These four actions should bolster your confidence in yourself.

Reviewing your list of tasks and finding important tasks that you’ve been asked to do is a powerful reminder that you were hired for a reason.

You are in your role because you add value to your team and your organization. And, there are jobs that only you can do. Ideally, you are doing many tasks that energize and motivate you on a regular basis.

In other words, you have critical tasks that you should keep doing. And, you can keep doing them with confidence.

But, don’t stop there. You might might want to do even more.

What else might you do?

As you’ve worked through the five questions to increase your role clarity, you’ve identified what you’re doing, you’ve stopped doing some tasks, and now you’re confident in what you should keep doing.

With the reminder of the tremendous value your work is adding to your organization, you may be thinking about what else you might want to start doing to serve your team and your organization.

I hope that’s the case because I’m confident there are some tasks you want to start doing. We’ll talk more about that in the next post and help you discover just what those tasks are.

Let’s lead with kindness and confidence.

Greg

About the Author – Learn more about Greg

Click here to download the free guide.

How to Write a Professional Email: Make a positive impact with every email you send.

The post 4 Simple Actions To Know What To Keep Doing appeared first on Greg Harrod.

For high achievers like you who are hungry and always searching for new ways to add value to your team, this may be hard to admit.

I get it because I’ve been in this situation. And, I know many others just like you who are hesitant to admit that’s how they feel too.

They know they have too much to do, but they feel guilty or lazy when they even consider doing less.

But, the truth is not identifying the tasks you can stop doing can be a real problem. And, not just for you.

A problem for you and your team

Because you’re reading this blog and diligently striving to be the best leader you can be, I suspect the following statement describes you well.

That isn’t all bad because you like what you do. You may even love your work.

But, wouldn’t you love your job even more if you could stop doing a few of the tasks you’re responsible for?

Because just when you think you know what’s required of you in your job, you somehow end up with a new task.

It’s a good problem to have because others are expressing their trust in you to get things done.

But, it’s still a problem.

Assigning too many tasks to one person causes issues. And, it can destroy role clarity.

This post will help you when you find yourself in this predicament. You’ll soon be equipped to discover what you should stop doing and have good reasons to reduce the number of tasks assigned to you. Without feeling guilty about it.

As you recall from previous posts, asking what you should stop doing is the next step on the journey to improved role clarity.

A quick refresher on the 5 simple questions to create role clarity

In the post, How To Create Role Clarity With 5 Simple Questions, I introduced these five questions to help you create more role clarity for yourself, your team, or your organization.

We outlined the simple steps to answer the question, “What Am I Doing?” in the post “Build A Strong Foundation For Role Clarity By Knowing Your Tasks.“

Using the simple exercise in that post, you got really honest and vulnerable with yourself as you created the list of all the tasks you are doing. And, because you did, you probably noticed you may be doing some things you shouldn’t be doing in your role.

But, because you’re such a go-getter, you may have actually added more tasks to your list since reading the last post.

For committed team members like you, it’s almost always easier to take on new work than to say no. And, it’s even harder to stop doing something once you’ve started doing it.

For your own good and the good of your teammates and the organization, it’s important that you stop doing some of things you are currently doing.

Here are 9 reasons I believe this is true.

9 reasons you should stop doing a task

Stop doing some things without feeling guilty

Now that you’ve reviewed these reasons, I hope you’ve discovered some tasks you can stop doing. And, you can stop doing these things without feeling guilty or lazy because you have good justification and pure motives to support the actions you’re taking.

As you take this step are you feeling the role clarity starting to build? Is a little bit of the burden of all you have to do easing? The weight on your shoulders lifting, even a little?

I hope so. This exercise is meant to help you and reduce the overwhelm, not make it worse.

And, taking the next step to get clear on what you should keep doing will make your situation even better. We’ll cover that topic next and move you even closer toward role clarity in your job.

Let’s lead with kindness and confidence.

Greg

About the Author – Learn more about Greg

Click here to download the free guide.

How to Write a Professional Email: Make a positive impact with every email you send.

The post How To Discover What You Should Stop Doing appeared first on Greg Harrod.

But, if I asked you to show me a full list of all the things you are doing, you probably wouldn’t have one available.

Most people don’t. In fact, most people aren’t even aware that role clarity begins with knowing your tasks.

Documenting what you are currently doing in your job is the foundation for creating role clarity.

So, in this post I’ll introduce a few simple steps you can take to ensure you have a solid foundation for the role clarity you and your organization need.

The 5 simple questions

In my last post, How To Create Role Clarity With 5 Simple Questions, I introduced these five questions to help you create more role clarity for yourself, your team, or your organization.

The first question helps remove the frustration that gnaws at you as you think about all that has to be done in a day, a week, or a month.

It seems easy at first, to answer the question, “What Am I Doing?” But, if you’re going to make real progress, it will take some effort. And, a willingness to be honest and vulnerable with yourself.

But, don’t worry, with these simple steps, you will soon have a full list of what you’re responsible for. And, by knowing your tasks, you’ll be much closer to achieving better role clarity.

Question 1. What Am I Doing?

If you were asked what you do each day, you would probably quickly state the many things that occupy your work time.

And, you would likely end by saying something like, “And, there’s a whole lot more than that.”

In other words, you have what seems like an endless list of things you are doing.

That’s a problem.

Lists with no end are overwhelming and exhausting

A task list with no end is overwhelming. It’s mentally exhausting to think about all the responsibilities you have.

To solve the problem of exhausting overwhelm, you have to do your best to find the end of the list.

And, that won’t happen if your list is only in your head. Or even in the air after you’ve said it out loud.

The first step in creating role clarity is to write down what you are currently doing.

Knowing your tasks and getting role clarity requires data

If you want to get better control of your finances, you would start with documenting where you are spending your money. Or, if you want to lose or gain weight, you would need to know what you are eating each day.

You need data to solve problems and make progress.

And, in this case you need data to create role clarity. You need to have an accurate list of the tasks you are currently doing or are trying to do, even if you aren’t actually getting them done.

Creating this list is not as hard as it might seem. But, it will take some discipline.

Because here’s what I’ve found with the people I’ve coached in this area. It’s easy to talk about all the things you have to do and how overwhelming your job is. But, it’s much harder to stop and write down all that is on your task list.

This is the first act of discipline that’s required to create role clarity.

Document what you are really doing

I want to make this very clear. You won’t have role clarity until you know the tasks you are currently doing (even if you’re not doing them well).

You have to document the things you are doing. In other words, you have to write them down.

The power of writing down the things you are doing.

Disciplining yourself to write down the things you are doing is a powerful first step to create role clarity.

This may seem blunt, but here’s what I’ve experienced personally and with my teammates.

If you or your teammates aren’t willing to put in the effort to document what you are currently doing, you will stay frustrated and overwhelmed by all you think you have to do.

Creating a written list of everything you are doing in a typical day, week, month, or year will instantly introduce reality to your perspective.

So, if you want improved role clarity you must accurately answer question 1, “What Am I Doing?”

And, your answers need to be captured in some form of written document.

Here’s a four-step process I and many others I’ve coached have found works well.

Follow these four steps to make sure you are clear on what you are doing regularly in your role.

The 4 step process to capture what you are doing in your role

When you feel confident you’ve captured most of the items on what you originally thought was an endless to-do list, I want you to do two things. They’re both simple steps, but I will admit the second is harder than the first.

Two more steps to take

Here’s the easy one.

1. Celebrate your first big step toward role clarity

Celebrate! You’ve just taken a huge step forward on the journey to create role clarity for yourself. Congratulations!

The first step to gaining role clarity is to get your current tasks documented so you can make real progress.

You’ve done that so you should be encouraged and proud of yourself.

Now for the slightly harder next step.

2. Be a little more honest and vulnerable

Go back through your list and be a little more honest and vulnerable this time.

Maybe I should have made this step 5 of the process above. But, I wanted to draw special attention to this step because it’s important.

Ask yourself what’s missing from the list. Then write these things down too.

What are the things you are doing that you are scared to admit to others, or maybe even yourself?

It’s okay. Write them down. They are tasks that are actually taking your time. That’s the reality of the situation even when it’s not easy to acknowledge.

Like it or not, we have to deal with reality to make progress.

To create a more accurate task list, try asking yourself these questions.

So, now that you’ve been a bit more honest with yourself and added some tasks to the list of things you are doing, how does it look?

Does your list accurately represent how you are typically investing your time each day, week, or month?

If it does, you should pause here for another even bigger celebration of this accomplishment.

Celebrate again, and even bigger this time

In my experience, I’ve found most people will not invest the time to create a written list of all the things they are doing.

The majority will consistently complain about how much they are expected to do. And, they will continue to experience the overwhelm and frustration that comes from what feels like an endless list of tasks.

But, they won’t do something about it.

You have an opportunity to be better

A small percentage of people will do what you’ve done. They will create a document capturing what they are doing in their job.

With those who are in this group, I’ve had the privilege of observing the satisfaction they experience through this exercise.

Those who invest the time to create a list of all they are doing are often surprised.

Once they can hold in their hands a list of all they are doing to contribute to the success of their organization, they are no longer overwhelmed and frustrated. Instead, they are encouraged.

The list of their contributions is typically significantly longer than they realized.

Having their work captured in a written document is a tangible testimony of the immense value they add in their role.

You can be in an elite group

In my experience, an even smaller percentage of those people who do make a list will take the last step you just took.

Only this elite group will add the activities they don’t really want to admit are taking their time.

Sadly, they miss out on recognizing and celebrating all they do for their team.

But, you’re different.

You’ve made your written list, added to it over time, and even included the tasks you were hesitant at first to include.

You’ve obviously got a lot of things you’re doing on your list. And, I expect you have tasks that shouldn’t be there.

As a result, you’re need to ask the next question, “What should I stop doing?”

The next question: What should I stop doing?

By knowing your tasks, you’re on your way to role clarity.

The next step is to determine which of the things you are doing can be removed from your list. We’ll cover that question in the next post.

Until then, keep recognizing and adding to your list of tasks. Making it as complete as possible is a good investment of your time.

Because as you discover the end of the endless list of all the tasks you are doing, you will see your exhaustion and frustration get replaced with pride and satisfaction in knowing just how valuable you are to your organization.

Let’s lead with kindness and confidence.

Greg

I would love to hear how these tips helped create role clarity for you. Please take a moment to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section.

About the Author – Learn more about Greg

Click here to download the free guide.

How to Write a Professional Email: Make a positive impact with every email you send.

The post Build A Strong Foundation For Role Clarity By Knowing Your Tasks appeared first on Greg Harrod.

Or, are you confused about what you should and shouldn’t be doing? And, along with this frustrating lack of role clarity, do you also feel overwhelmed with the growing list of things you are being asked to do?

If this describes how you feel, you’re not alone.

I’ve felt exactly the same way at various times in my career. And, I talk to people every week who are also frustrated and discouraged.

Unfortunately, most people don’t know what to do about it. They want role clarity, but don’t know how to make progress in this area. You may also be struggling to get started so I want to share a technique that will help.

Here are five simple questions you can ask to create role clarity for yourself and for your team.

This technique has worked for me and for many others I’ve coached. I’m confident it will work for you too.

5 simple questions to increase your role clarity

Asking (and, of course, answering) these five questions is all it takes to create more role clarity for yourself, your team, or your organization.

A simple but effective way to start creating role clarity

Asking yourself these five simple questions won’t eliminate all the frustration you have about what you should and shouldn’t be doing in your role. And, reviewing your task list with others may introduce even more questions.

That’s okay.

You’ve still made significant progress and put yourself in a position to become even more clear in your role.

Asking and answering these five questions, or even one of them, will help you take a first step out of the muddy mess of uncertainty that’s currently slowing you down.

But, I also recognize you may need a little more guidance on how to ask each of these questions in a way that gives you even more insight.

Stay connected to learn more, but don’t wait to get started

I’ll be diving deeper into each of these questions in future blog posts. Be watching for those to learn more, but don’t wait to take action.

Use these five simple questions to start making progress immediately.

Create your list of things you are doing now. Stop doing some of them. Keep doing other tasks. And, add some important work that is missing. Do a quick review with a few people and enjoy the increased role clarity you’ll gain in no time at all.

I would love to hear how asking and answering these five simple questions helped create role clarity for you. Please take a moment to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section.

You can also stay connected with me and get all of the latest content delivered directly to your inbox, by clicking here to get my weekly emails.

Let’s lead with kindness and confidence.

Greg

About the Author – Learn more about Greg

Click here to download the free guide.

How to Write a Professional Email: Make a positive impact with every email you send.

The post How To Create Role Clarity With 5 Simple Questions appeared first on Greg Harrod.