You should know what are you hired for…but have you ever ask WHY?

Here’s a recent conversation with a mutual friend who’s thinking about leaving a position that he took up less than 6 months ago.

“How’s things lately?”

“Work-wise not looking up, pal…getting tired of the politics at workplace.”

“Tell me more, what happen?”

“Actually, I am beginning to enjoy my role and handling the responsibilities with confidence; recruitment, headcount acquisitions and so on…but I dread the politics and micro-managing style my new manager brings with her from the public sector…”

He went on for the next 10 minutes without a script like a seasoned screenplay-writer. He vividly described the drama being unfold in the office like an episode out of a BBC award winning mockumentary “The Office” -  which has spin-off to many version in Europe and US.

“I am sure you know what you were hired for…but do you know why?”

“Umm….never thought about that. Why huh?”

Some years ago, I asked the same question about why am I hired into a position or role. What are the basis for the hiring person/people to fill the role that he/she is tasked to do. It’s easy at the first level of recruitment screening process; eligibility, suitability, experiences, qualifications and so on…But when it comes to the big decision-making for the reporting manager (the person that this role report to), I discovered there is more than just the factors mentioned above.

For the role that you are hired into, generally there are three broad categories:

Helper – I want you to be a pair of ‘hands and legs’

You are being engaged (hired with agreed compensation) as a pair of hands and legs. You are valued for your past experiences, your ability to ‘run-the-miles’ with task that are being assigns and largely able to take instruction to go about doing the work that’s expected of you. You may not be valued for your ideas, resourcefulness and initiatives depending on overriding situation such as personal ego and hierarchical structure etc.

Expert – I want you to be able to solve problems (for me first, then yours)

You are being engaged as a problem solver (or sometime famously dubbed as firefighter). You are expected to solve problem that are expected of us and provide some level of initiatives within the role and accountability. You may not be valued for your resourcefulness and initiatives beyond your level and role. Structurally, organization leaders tend to build experts around them to help them to be effective in their work.

Partner – I want you to be successful in your role (so that I can be successful in mine)

You are being engaged as a trusted partner. You are value for your expertise, insights, ideas and the ability to challenge assumptions and status quo. You are given space and time to explore options and empowerment to exercise initiatives within your level of influences. You and I must find alignment in our commitment to our collective goals…in another words; Your success and failure are mine.

I understand that at different juncture of our career life-span we may experience the different roles above that we are hired for…Nevertheless, I think it is critical to begin to ask ourselves some questions about the WHY of hiring.

I find it interesting to get to the crux of WHY we hire…and many time we avoid asking these questions:

1. Why is there a position to fill? Who’s role was it originally? Is it a new role? Why is there a need for this role?
2. Why the predecessor left? What happened? Is there a need to review the roles and responsibilities?
3. Is there someone within the organization can fill this position? Why and why not? Who?
4. Can the role and responsibilities be taken by existing team members? Why not?
5. What are the competencies needed to be successful in the role? Is there a need to change? Why and why not?

And when the above (and possibly more questions) have been exhausted, before you rush out there to fill the position because you have the budget or because your manager or business push you to do so, ask again:

1. Who should be involved in this hiring process? Why should they involved? Are they committed to the process?
2. When can we start and end? How critical is this to the business? What are our alternatives? What’s our budget?
3. How should we go about getting the right people? How should we interview for this position?
4. How would this hiring complement our business strategy? What is our value proposition?
5. Why we think that anyone would be keen to assume this role? What is our plan for this role?

The questions above just keep popping out of my head as I write…hence, it may not be very well researched and studied. But I do think that it is quite common-sense to a large extend as inviting people into the organization is not (and NEVER) like deciding to buy a piece of furniture or office equipment.

The other question I would invite you to think about…What you think you are currently hired for? WHY?