The missing essential ingredient in the Job Description
Vision, Values, Culture. There is your short answer. As leaders, we can sometimes be so enamored with what we want from a certain position in our company we overlook the person who we want to fill it and the values and beliefs we want them to possess. New positions in a company typically fill a dire need generated from the expansion of the mission and the demands on individuals. A leader envisions a new Internet Technology Manager relieving the pressure and headache related to IT problems in an organization. She or he creates a job description, a recipe designed to solve a problem and relieve pain. Missing from that recipe is what an organization wants that person to believe in and subscribe to.
Most people do not take jobs because the JD was spot on. Of course, they look at the specifics of the role and determine whether they can fulfill them but what they really want is to join a team, a family who thinks and acts like them. They don’t want a job; they want to serve a cause. This is what brings people into the military and entices them to stay. They want to be part of something bigger than themselves. They want to be part of a band of brothers and sisters. They want good leadership, culture and a challenging but fun and rewarding work experience. Cover that first in the job description. Then make that the first topic you cover in the interview. Talk about the pure magic which happens in your company day after day. Try this:
Join a team committed to building strong communities by serving the disadvantaged.
Be a part of our family bound together behind the cause of offering better diet solutions to the children of our community. Come grow with us!
Most companies have a cause but few talk about it. In Simon Sinek’s famous TED Talk, “How Great Leaders Inspire Action,” he states, “people don’t buy what (JD) you do, they buy why (cause) you do it.” So true but so forgotten.
We want to hire a person who believes in what we believe in and who subscribes to our vision, values and culture. They are...
At Company X we believe in teamwork and selfless service to our mission and each other. We are courageous innovators disrupting what deserves disruption!
At Company Y you’ll belong to a family committed to each other, our community, and our vision to improve the work-from-home experience.
Your job in Company Z will be to build strong relationships through special care and the forming of trust and belonging between your work teammates and our valued clients. You’ll belong to a team on the cutting edge!
See anything about job specifics in those statements? Of course, specific work tasks belong in the JD but they ought to be found behind headers like this. Moreover, you should work hard in interviews to determine if a candidate believes in what 'we’ believe and acts like and speaks like ‘one of us.’’ It doesn’t stop once an offer is received. Your Job Description as a leader includes the tasks of espousing vision, values, and culture, creating a fun but challenging workplaces. Have look at the job descriptions of your company and see if the recipe is missing any ingredients!
I’m never too busy for a referral. I serve a lot of clients but the need for leadership assistance is dire these days and investing in leaders is what gets me out of bed each day. Share the contact info on a deserving leader and I’ll take good care of them and the people they serve.
Make it Personal!
Rob
Rob Campbell