Strategy #43: Make the job description a floor, not a ceiling

I often ask people who are in a state of career transition this question: “What would you do if every job paid the same and had the same social status?” That’s a pretty good question, isn’t it? If you were to ask a variation of that question to each of your employees, do you think everyone would be in the same job that they are in right now? If the answer is no (hint: the answer will be no), can you see how there answers might open opportunities for you to do a better job of capitalizing upon people’s innate strengths and talents, as well as giving them a greater sense of hope and ambition that they can actually bring those strengths and talents to work?

Try this:  Most job descriptions have a blanket statement to the effect that employees covered by that job description are also responsible “for all other things delegated” by anyone who happens to have a position higher than theirs on the organization chart. What if, in addition to that necessary postscript, there was a space left for the employee him or herself to enter the work that they would like to do, work that is over and above the standard job description? Here’s how I presented this idea in Healing the Hospital, a study guide for my book The Healing Tree:
Imagine this: An open job description entitled Fill-In-the-Blank Therapist. Any hospital worker would be eligible to apply and be added to a roster of people who donated their talent to patients. A housekeeper who enjoyed woodworking might offer to make over-bed reading tables that patients can take home with them. An amateur gardener might request a small grant for growing roses to decorate patient care units. And, of course, anyone with a knack for it could volunteer to write poems for patients.

I mentioned above the Gallup research suggesting that 80% of workers feel that they have a core strength that is not being utilized on their job.  Allowing people to design some element of their job description is a great way of telling people that you value those hidden strengths. And what a wonderful recruiting tool, to be able to tell prospective employees that at least a part of their job duties will be activities that they can designate, with the concurrence of their manager. By the way, if you would like to review Healing the Hospital in its entirety, go to www.Healing-Story.com and click on the “Hospital Study Guide” tab.

Next >