
DEFINING ROLES
Defining and documenting clear and agreed upon responsibilities for a person.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Clearly defining people's roles is one of the key factors that determine's people's efficiency and effectiveness. Leaders must focus on defining the roles of each and every staff person. This includes a job description that defines a person's day-to-day responsibilities and should be used to help with performance feedback and reviews.
For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.Romans 12:4-6
Skilled Characteristics
Clarity
Is good at establishing clear roles and responsibilities
Stretching
Sets stretching performance goals and objectives for staff
Even
Distributes the workload evenly and appropriately among staff
Organized
Lays out assignments and roles in a well-planned and organized manner
Two-Way
Maintains two-way dialogue with others about their work roles
Maximizer
Creates roles that bring out the best in people and that utilize their strengths and passions
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
– Steve Jobs
Unskilled Characteristics
Unclear
Unclear communicator to staff about what is expected them them
No Goals
Doesn’t set performance goals, targets, mileposts and objectives for staff
Random
Not very thoughtful when giving out work – gives out tasks without thoroughly considering who would be the best person to do them
Impatient
May be too impatient to take the time to clearly structure work and responsibilities for others – has a bias for action rather than defining and documenting plans
No Delegation
Doesn’t delegate well – prefers to do tasks oneself rather than trust others with the tasks
Brief
Doesn’t take the time to clearly explain assignments
Lacks Interest
May lack interest in leading others and instead be more eager to work on one’s own assignments
“It takes generosity to discover the whole through others. If you realize you are only a violin, you can open yourself up to the world by playing your role in the concert.”
– Jacques Yves Cousteau
Causes of Weakness
Impatient
Does not have interest or patience to define and document roles and responsibilities
Inexperience
Inexperienced and/or unskilled in identifying and defining roles
Doer
Lack of interest in administrative activities
Time
Time management – too busy to clearly assign and explain work responsibilities to others
How clearly are the roles and responsibilities defined for each of your team members?
Advice
Review the simple application steps below and choose 1 or 2 things you can do to spur yourself on to further growth.
Passion and Purpose
PASSION AND PURPOSE: Discover what the passion and purpose is of each of your staff. 80% of the work they do on a daily or weekly basis should fit within what they understand their passion and purpose to be. If your staff don’t have a good understanding of their passions and purposes, then point them to the many free online assessments they can find to tell them more about how God created them. This includes things like their personality, giftings, strengths, love languages, career anchors, etc.
Define Roles
DEFINE ROLES: Role descriptions should generally provide the following types of information:
– Job Description
– Under Whose Authority
– Main Job Functions
– Main Role(s)
– Job Tasks
– Required/Preferred Skills
– Performance Measures
– Prior Job Experience, Education or TrainingEvolve
EVOLVE: Allow roles within the team to evolve naturally. One member can play more than one key role. Make sure you have studied your strategic plan to understand what key roles you need to fill on your team.