Work Role Security and Attracting Organizations
Below are thought provoking questions to help thinking about performance and work role security in three very important areas:
A. What are questions to ask or help me think about outcomes, deliverables & productivity?
B. What are questions to ask or help me think about risks, liabilities & uncertainties?
C. What are questions to ask or help me think about resources, expenses & time allocation?
A. The following questions are potential discovery opportunities both for a supervisor and a worker to better understand the outcome realities of a work role. Rule of thumb: Maximize outcomes
1. What are the outcomes and deliverables a person in this role should produce in the short-term? What about long-term?
2. What are the tasks or functions that need to be performed?
3. What are the outcomes related to:
a) customers/clients/patients
b) internal stakeholders/team
c) financial gain
d) innovation/ideas/improvements
e) internal results
f) external results
g) products or services
h) production
i) processes and procedures
j) good will
k) systems, tools, technology, machines, devices
l) quality
m) safety
n) leadership
o) management
p) talent stewardship
q) hiring
4. Define or describe success in this role.
5. Describe a typical “day in the life” of this role.
6. What are the most important qualities that lead to success in this role?
7. Who are the examples or exemplars of success in the role? What can be learned from them?
8. With whom will good rapport be essential to success?
9. What are the key metrics or measurements for success?
10. What hard skills and competencies are "must have" requirements? What additional ones would be beneficial?
11. What soft skills and competencies are "must have" requirements? What additional ones would be beneficial?
12. What certifications and licenses are required?
13. What are the communications skills required?
14. What personality, experience, and educational assets tend to be most successful? Which traits are the least successful?
15. Who is accountable to this role?
16. What attributes of this role affect the success of the people accountable to it?
B. The following questions are potential discovery opportunities both for a supervisor and a worker to better understand the risk-related realities of a work role. Rule of thumb: Minimize risks.
1. What are the risks a person in this role should help reduce, minimize or eliminate in the short-term? What about long-term?
2. What risks are tolerated or even encouraged?
3. What are the risks related to:
a. customers/clients/patients
b. internal stakeholders/team
c. financial gain
d. innovation/ideas/improvement
e. internal results
f. external results
g. products or services
h. production
i. processes and procedures
j. good will
k. systems, tools, technology, machines, devices
l. quality
m. safety
n. leadership
o. management
p. talent stewardship
q. hiring
4. What can be learned from past successes and failures of this role in your Organization?
5. What types of hard and soft skills and past work, academic and life experiences would be beneficial for an individual to bring to this role? Are there any undesired traits or experiences that should be avoided?
6. Are there any organizational dynamics or politics that pose a risk to the success to this role?
7. What historically has been the cause of the greatest failures in this role in our organization? At competitors? In the related industry?
8. What are the factors that can inhibit success?
9. What past educational experiences would reduce risk?
10. What past work experiences would reduce risk?
11. What past life experiences would reduce risk?
12. What are the thinking style risks? Learning, creativity, communications, problem solving, big picture, details, peace making, negotiation, etc.?
13. What are the lifestyle risks… travel, hours, stress, delayed gratification, significant other sacrifice, relocation?
14. What are the risks from internal competition to the role's success outcomes?
15. What is the risk from external competition to the role’s success outcomes?
16. What are the conflicting value system risks?
17. What are the conflicting behavioral risks?
18. What are the conflicting philosophical risks?
19. What are the conflicting ethical risks?
20. What are the risks of organizational design, culture, and accountabilities?
C. The following questions are potential discovery opportunities both for a supervisor and a worker to better understand the resource demand realities of a work role. Rule of thumb: Minimize resource demands.
1. What are the compensation factors with this role? What compensation is offered? What compensation is not offered?
2. What are the benefit factors with this role? What benefits are offered? What benefits are not offered?
3. What benefits are not needed or valued by the person in this role that may reduce resource demands for the organization?
4. What are the resource demand factors such as time and attention related to:
a. management or supervision
b. leadership
c. coaching
d. mentoring
e. peer attention
5. What are the resource demand factors related to:
a. equipment, tools, systems, devices, technology
b. office/work environment
c. uniform, clothing
d. supplies, materials
6. What are the factors related to time and other resources that are needed to get up to speed and productive in this role?
7. What are the factors related to time and other resources that would keep a person in this role for the desired length of time?
8. What are the factors related to resources that would enable a person to be productive?
9. What training and development is provided? What is not provided?
10. What personal traits or capabilities would reduce the need for resources?
11. What past educational experiences would reduce resource demands?
12. What past work experiences would reduce resource demands?
13. What past life experiences would reduce resource demands?
14. What are the lifestyle factors that may impact resources… travel, remote working/telecommuting, significant other, or relocation?
