Do you have role clarity in your job?
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.
1. What Am I Doing?
This is the best place to start. You won’t have role clarity until you know the tasks you are currently doing (even if you’re not doing them well).
Take time to write them down. Make a written list on paper or electronically. Don’t just say them out loud and let them float away. Capture them in some type of document that works well for you.
The first step to gaining role clarity is to get your current tasks documented so you can make real progress.
2. What Should I Stop Doing?
After you create a list of all the things you are currently doing, review it.
Are there tasks you know you can just stop doing and still be successful? If so, stop doing them.
Or, transfer ownership to the person who should be doing these things. Start with the tasks that are obvious and don’t get hung up on the items that require more thought.
Take the quick win and move on to question 3.
3. What Should I Keep Doing?
Take a look at your goals and objectives for the year. Your inventory of current tasks should support achieving your goals.
Role clarity should be easy to create with these items.
Because, for most of us, our compensation is tied to meeting or exceeding our performance goals.
It’s important to keep doing the tasks that impact our paycheck!
4. What Should I Start Doing?
Go back to your performance goals compared to what you are actually doing. Are you missing work that needs to be done?
If so, find a way to start doing tasks that will help you complete your goals.
And, don’t forget to add tasks that energize you and keep you motivated. These are just as important.
5. Who Should Review My Answers?
By now, you’ve documented what you’re doing. You’ve decided what you can take off your to-do list. You know what you need to keep doing. And, you’ve added a few things.
But, what if you’re wrong?
Don’t let that discourage you. Admitting you may be wrong is a positive behavior for leaders.
Review your task list with your manager, trusted advisors like your mentor, and others who will give you honest feedback. Their input will help you have even more role clarity and stay aligned with the overall strategy and vision of 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
