You need a job description! Yes, you!

One of my leadership coaching clients, who I’ll call Claire for the sake of confidentiality, recently transitioned from COO to CEO of her company. While she was excited about the new role, she found herself struggling to shed her old responsibilities and embrace the scope of her new position. Her days were filled with tasks that no longer aligned with her primary objectives as CEO, leading to overwhelm, inefficiency, and a lack of strategic focus.

I understood where Claire was coming from. Everything felt urgent and important. But I realized that she was missing one key tool that could help her clarify her priorities, hold productive boundaries, and focus her efforts on what she uniquely could do for her company: a job description.

I know, I know – why should she make a job description when she already has the job? Can it really be that impactful? My take is yes. 

I’m consistently surprised by how many professionals are moving through the world without job descriptions. I’ve found this to be a common gap among C-suite executives, solopreneurs, consultants, and folks who’ve been recently promoted. 

Here's why you should create your own job description:

Focus on what matters

The primary function of a job description when posted publicly to court new talent is to clearly outline the expectations of the role, and it can do the same for established professionals.This clarity can help you align your day to day tasks with your long-term goals. For Claire, this meant focusing actions that explicitly contributed to strategic vision, fundraising, and building a kickass team rather than operational efficiency.

Offload what doesn’t fit within your scope

Defining what falls within your domain and what doesn’t is the first step to identifying what you need to take off of your plate. Tasks that fall outside of your job description need to be: 

• Delegated: if a task is important or urgent and can be done by someone else on your team, delegate it.

• Outsourced: if a task is important or urgent and requires specialized knowledge, or can be done easily at an affordable cost, outsource it.

• Deprioritized: if a task isn’t important or urgent, it’s time to reconsider whether or not it needs to get done at all. Consider deprioritizing it entirely or tabling it until your team has the bandwidth or resources to get it done.

We all have elements in our day-to-day work lives that do not serve the ultimate function of our roles. It can be difficult to “offload” those tasks (no one wants to be seen as the “not my job” person), but it’s important to recognize how our actions are or aren’t serving our purpose within an organization.

Enhance effectiveness 

By focusing on your core responsibilities and offloading non-essential tasks, you can enhance your efficiency and productivity. Spend your time on activities that you are uniquely suited to lead and have the most significant impact for your role, team, client, or business. 

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Use the following guideline to create your job description:

1. Draft a role summary: Start with a brief summary of your main objectives. This is a high-level overview that outlines the purpose of your function.

2. Outline key responsibilities: List your core responsibilities in detail. Be specific about the tasks you handle and the outcomes you are expected to achieve.

3. Identify qualifications and skills: Hone in on the key skills and qualifications needed for your role. This section can help you understand what strengths you want to be doubling down on, and what areas for development you want to invest in.

4. Create clear boundaries and exclusions: Clearly define what is outside the scope of your role. This will help you communicate to others what they shouldn’t expect from you, and drive productive dialogue around how those tasks or activities can get done in another way.

5. Review and revise: Check in to regularly review and update your job description for relevance and alignment as your role grows and evolves.

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While I genuinely believe that all professionals, across industries and levels, can benefit from developing a clear job description for themselves, I’ve found that folks that hold the following positions can particularly benefit from this exercise (and are most likely not to already have a job description to lean on:  

• Leaders and C-Suite executives

• Solopreneurs and consultants 

• Professionals recently promoted or transitioning into a new role  

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Crafting your own job description is more than just a formality; it’s a strategic tool that brings clarity, sets boundaries, hones focus, and helps in achieving your goals. Whether you are navigating a new role, leading a team, or managing your own business, a well-defined job description can empower you to excel and thrive. 

If you’re keen to grow in your role and feel more ease as a leader, let’s chat. I’m here for you. :)