DO YOU FIT YOUR JOB?
JOB FIT = Task (Job) + Role + Wavelength
JOB FIT involves the interplay of three components… clarity in the task the organizations is asking an individual to perform, clarity in an individual’s core passion and contribution, plus clarity in the way an individual thinks and processes information and work.
A job should never be able to encompass all of who God has created you to be, and all of what God has equipped you to do. Formation is a dynamic activity that occurs on these two fronts (Being-Doing). It continues to evolve as a leader matures and grows in his/her self-awareness and self-definition. The jobs we hold needs to be periodically assessed as to whether there is a good “JOB FIT.”
The Three Components of JOB FIT
Task = Description of the job. Is there clarity in terms of what the organization needs for an individual to accomplish, and has it be spelt out in a clear description of both responsibilities and organizational authority. Tasks needs to be clearly defined by way of behavior and end-outcomes.
Role = Description of the unique contribution of a leader. Role is the integration of your natural abilities, acquired skills and spiritual gifting. Do you know what you do… the contribution you make in the teams, environments and projects in which you participate? Role also involves passion. There are three ways or categories by which leaders exhibit passion; people, causes and function.
Wavelength = Description of how a person thinks and what a job requires. Are you an abstract thinker, or a concrete thinker? Are you on the administrative side of things or the strategic side of things? A critical component in JOB FIT is aligning one’s thinking and how an individual processes information within their work life.
So what happens if there is NOT a good JOB FIT? What next?
As leaders move from one personal development phase to the next, JOB FIT is an issue that needs to be re-examined. Needs change, both from the side of the organization as well as the individual. In today’s economy, jobs are hard to come by. Yet, JOB FIT is still an important pursuit. Burnout is often the by-product of poor job fit. Leader who stay in positions that play only into issues of duty and responsibility, at the sacrifice of passion and calling, will burnout.
Resonance occurs when there is good JOB FIT. Dissonance occurs when the job and a leader do not match. There are three ways to approach the challenges and discussions related to JOB FIT.
1. Enhancement – Taking the current job description and refining your JOB FIT, seeking to enhance certain aspects so that both the needs of the organization/church are accomplished and the job is more in line with an individual and their needs. Often this means finding one of two aspects of the job and add new opportunities.
2. Adjustment – This would mean taking a look at the overall JOB FIT and adding new components and removing those things that can be done by other individuals or no longer are important to the organization/church. Adjustments should be done over-time, and involve pilot ventures to help ensure that the change is right for both parties.
3. Change – This would mean that JOB FIT cannot be achieved between the needs of the individual and the organization/church. This should be only considered after either enhancement or adjustment have not addressed the sense of miss-match between where an individual is in his/her development and the needs of the church/organization. This conclusion should come only after time and attempts at potential re-alignment.
