"Right People, Right Goals" NOT "Right People, Right Roles"

For years there’s been a saying that you need to get the right people in the right roles.

It’s about getting the right people in the right seats on the bus so that you can accomplish the results that you want to in your business.

While this may have worked well in the past when roles were clearly defined and remained relatively unchanged for at least 3 to 5 years, if not 10 to 20 years, it is no longer proving to be effective in the modern world of work.

Why is this approach not effective?

In the world today, with the rate of change that people are experiencing, the ability to maintain roles with clearly defined expectations for an extended period of time has become more difficult and more complicated.

The more that we try to pigeonhole people into particular roles and identify who has the "right" skill set, the more we struggle.

Firstly, it can be very difficult to truly identify what skill sets and capabilities are the best or most effective in creating results in a particular role. Often times individuals perform the same role in different ways, and both accomplish successful results.

We know from much of Gallup's research that a focus on and using our strengths at work is a critical element of engagement and also brings a lot more satisfaction and effectiveness.

The more a person is able to apply and leverage their strength at work, the more effective they’re going to be at performing their role.

Instead of trying to definitively determine which strengths are the most appropriate for which role, it can be far more effective to hire individuals with the right general characteristics necessary to be successful in your organization or to achieve what is currently identified as the most important outcomes.

We can create results more effectively by working with each individual to define the right goals for them, considering their strengths, talents, and current capabilities. If we then align these goals with the needs of the organization to accomplish specific outcomes, the impact will be far greater than hiring to a role.

In my past leadership role, I had two individuals who were both performing as HR Generalists, and while they were technically in the same "role" with the same title, they had very different strengths and styles.

As a result, I was able to align them with different parts of the organization where their strengths and talents were better utilized. We then shared goals and responsibilities for projects based on who had the necessary strengths to achieve the objectives most successfully.

These two individuals amazed me with their achievements by simply identifying goals that were both motivational and aligned with their strengths and talents. They were substantially more successful, not only in achieving their goals but also in surpassing them.

A Better Way: Customizing Goals to Enhance Performance

Early in my career, I spent a substantial amount of time focused on defining all the different jobs, roles, titles, and position that people were performing, trying to identify which competencies were required and the primary objectives of those roles and then documenting all of this information.

What I realized over the next decade or so of my career was that as soon as I documented something, it would change. We would decide to reorganize, shift responsibilities for specific objectives or tasks, or things would simply change.

I look back on this time as essentially wasted effort, and energy that could have been much better applied by simply focusing on the individuals we hired, and how to maximize their performance.

Over time, this is exactly what we ended up doing.

We began using Outcomes, Responsibilities and Goals (ORG) documents to replace typical job descriptions. Instead of job descriptions that list everything a role might possible be responsible for accomplishing, ORGs are focused on:

• Defining outcomes of the role over the next few years (what impact will it have)
• Identifying goals to help achieve those defined outcomes
• Clarifying responsibilities or the day-to-day tasks they need to complete in their role

Every year, individuals would create their own ORG expectations document and, working with their manager, clarify exactly what their role would be responsible for achieving. Every individual had their own specific unique ORG document, even if they were performing the same role.

This is particularly important because individuals are not typically hired at the same time, nor do they grow and develop at the same rate. As a result, they do not perform their roles at the same level and in the same way simultaneously.

Instead, by defining specifically what would make them successful, individuals had greater clarity and understanding of exactly what they were supposed to accomplish. As a result, it significantly improved the likelihood that they would, in fact, accomplish the goals that were set for them, or with them.

Reflection

Take some time to reflect on how clear your expectations are today.

• Are you truly aligned with your manager or those you work with on the expectations of your role? Are the goals you have aligned with your strengths and talents as well as the needs of the organization right now in the current climate?
• Consider completing an ORG for yourself and seeing how much that clarity helps you to discuss your role and how you will achieve meaningful results in it.
• Outcomes: The things that if you are successful in the next two to three years, what would you have accomplished? What would the outcome or best possible result be from you performing the role or position over the next couple of years?
• Responsibilities: The day-to-day tasks and activities that people are performing and responsible for achieving
• Goals: The more detailed, specific objectives that are set in order to move towards the outcomes and achieve measurable results for the business.

Conclusion

We know from a neuroscience perspective that when you set a goal, it activates an intention in the neural networks that not only motivates individuals but also increases the likelihood of achieving that goal.

When individuals define and commit to their own goals, they take accountability for achieving them.

What I can tell you from my experience is that individuals are substantially more likely to perform and create performance outcomes and results when a goal is specific to them, their performance, where they are in their journey, and at their level of capabilities.

One way we can save our organizations a lot of wasted time and energy is to stop putting so much time and effort into trying to define specific roles with specific objectives and specific competencies.

Instead, allow your people and leaders the flexibility to work with individuals on their teams to define very specific objectives and goals that are tied to the outcomes, goals and direction of that team and organization.

Leaders are able to maximize the utilization of their team by applying people in the ways that make the most sense rather than having everyone perform the exact same function in the exact same way, or with the exact same goals and objectives.