The work we do is not as simple as a job description written down on paper. It’s not just about showing up at 8a and leaving at 5p. There are two very different parts to how every person goes about their job:
- What the actual job is.
- Their perspective on the best way of accomplishing that job.
The first is external to the person. Almost all of us receive our direction for what we are expected to achieve from some external source. It is possible to be very clear what we are expected to deliver.
The second is internal to the person. How do we choose to go about completing the job that we have been asked to perform? A direction that we choose for ourselves will often determine how successful we are perceived to be based on the expectations of others – even when the outcomes would have been the same regardless.
Types of internal perspectives include:
- Churn and burn: Work as quickly as possible to just get the job done at whatever level of quality is required. Work comes in, output goes out. There isn’t a lot of thought to doing things differently.
- Fill the hours: Complete the work provided in no more and no less than the number of hours assigned in the day. This may mean being inefficient with how the work is performed but the goal is to blend into the background.
- Learn and grow: Take on the work provided and determine ways to do it more efficiently. Often this will include taking on new requirements as you gain availability.
- Superstar to the stars: Look good at everything you do. Do it better than others, get all the attention you deserve, seek out that annual plaque for best performer. It may not matter how good you actually are as long as you are recognized as great!
- Quiet greatness: Everything needs to be done the best way possible. The best reward is a job well done. You aren’t seeking personal credit, but you do want everything to be the best way possible.
This isn’t a comprehensive list of perspectives that a person may have in their job. Humans carry more nuance than just one way of doing work. Sometimes we may even have one perspective on one task and a very different one in another. It may have to do with comfort level or something else entirely.
It’s also important to know that none of the above are “the best” perspective for any given person or job. Sometimes you want someone that will churn and burn and sometimes you absolutely need to avoid quiet greatness. A person who excels at one job may not fit well in another.