Build-Your-Own-Role: Is Job Crafting Realistic?

Hi friends,

Remember how I mentioned autonomy a few weeks back?

I looked at several reasons why this is such an important concept to both leaders and teams:

Autonomy is a basic need of all employees; we need to feel self-driven to be truly motivated and satisfied.

It encourages creativity, collaboration, and out-of-the-box thinking…

…Which is how it ultimately develops agility, innovation, and long-term success.

I’ve also suggested some important ways to foster autonomy while setting boundaries , such as providing flexible working arrangements and promoting task ownership.

But there’s another strategy I’ve barely touched on, which a colleague of mine brought up this week.

Giving your teammates the freedom to shape and craft their very roles.

What Is Job Crafting?

As a leader, let’s say you hired someone called Debby because she’s a great fit with your results-driven, inclusive, open-minded team culture. You also chose her because she shows potential as a future team leader.

But the number one reason you hired Debby is that someone with her experience, skills, and knowledge was essential to performing a role within your organization.

Without Debby, the cogs in your human system wouldn’t turn as smoothly (or at all.)

All straightforward so far.

Now, how can you provide Debby’ with autonomy as a teammate, promoting her development, wellbeing, and sense of meaning and purpose?

Put yourself in her shoes for a moment and consider why she applied for this role in the first place.

Because she believes in your organizational mission. Because she wants to be part of a supportive, successful organization.

But (paycheck aside,) Debby derives satisfaction from applying certain skills and strengths:

• To achieve meaningful goals, and
• To strengthen those skills and strengths, and ultimately accelerating her professional career.

“Job crafting” is when an employee such as Debby takes steps to shape and adapt their role so their needs are satisfied and they derive more fulfillment and reward from what they do.

How Can We Support Teammates In Designing Their Roles?

Job crafting is when an employee takes proactive steps to shape and adapt their role to satisfy their needs and derive more fulfillment and reward from what they do.

The funny thing about autonomy is that you can’t force others to make the most of it (surprise!)

However, with the right communication and coaching skills, you can easily guide colleagues like Debby to make decisions and set job crafting goals.

A few practical ways Debby might craft her job:

1. By adding or removing tasks: Not every task is equally important to perform a specific role successfully. Adding new tasks that align with her values, passions, and interests can help Debby feel like her job is more rewarding while boosting her intrinsic motivation. Similarly, she might accept fewer tasks that don’t align with what she believes in or considers interesting.

→ Example: Debby’s mission as a salesperson is to increase monthly revenue. She might decide to stop emailing back and forth with clients (she hates this) and schedule Zoom sales meetings instead. She feels they’re more personal and enable her to leverage her strong Convince skills in a virtual meeting.

2. By dedicating more or less time to tasks: This is very similar to the last one, but every organization is different.

→ Example: If Debby’s clients aren’t too eager to jump on a Zoom call, she might reduce the amount of time she spends emailing them by creating templates to answer common product questions. She might spend more time pursuing leads in person or on the phone. Alternatively, she might even swap her email leads with a willing teammate’s Zoom calls.

3. Redesigning Tasks: Adapting tasks so they allow for personal growth and align more closely with personal interests or strengths.

→ Example: Debby could transform her approach to client interactions by integrating educational workshops that not only aim to sell but also inform customers, tapping into her passion for teaching and adding depth to her sales role.

Over To You

A few self-reflection questions about practical steps you might take:

• Reflect on Your Role: How could you personally reshape your responsibilities so they better align with your interests and strengths?
• Encourage Your Team: How might you coach your team to do the same? What steps can you take to encourage them to craft their jobs in a way that boosts their engagement and satisfaction?
• Measure the Impact: How might you assess the impact of job crafting in your team? What indicators will you use to ensure it’s fostering positive outcomes?

Job crafting isn’t just about changing roles; it’s about evolving them to maximize personal fulfillment and organizational success.

I’m curious to hear about your experiences trying to implement it.

Shoot me a DM or leave a comment and let me know!

— Govert