Finding the right position

I really can’t think of anything more challenging than being a person in the wrong role at work. Staff members at all levels can end up in a position that they just don’t seem to fit in. The introvert who struggles in their forward facing sales role or the extrovert whose daily tasks are repetitive and do not interest or excite them.  

So how do we make sure that our staff gets into the roles that they can thrive in? I heard the best answer to this question from my daughter’s soccer coach. I asked Coach Rob how he decided which player would play which position. I mean, all of his players were quite young, different skill sets, different levels of maturity. There was over a foot difference in height between some of them! “It’s easy”, Coach Rob said, “I asked them. I asked them and they told me. They taught me who could play where.”

That was not the answer I was expecting. I was looking for a highly technical answer that took into account  hours of drills and performance observation. I was sure it was some type of skill demonstration grading done on each girl and then run through a sophisticated soccer algorithm to match skill sets to positions.

No, nothing like that, Coach Rob just asked them.

What coach Rob knew is that by asking the girls where they wanted to play he gained instant buy in and engagement from his players. The fact that the girls weren't being forced into roles that they may not enjoy or feel passionate about helped them maintain a positive attitude even when they didn't win. They loved their roles and were happy to be on the field. Over the course of time many of the girls switched positions, (with a little encouragement from Coach Rob) as they found the position that their skills best matched. This makes perfect sense. The girls tended to have more success in the positions where their natural skill set matched the position. We all tend to gravitate to success and these 8 and 9 years olds were no exception.

Now I’m not proposing that we ask each staff member what they would like to do and then move then as they would wish. Business just doesn't work that way. However, we as managers need to be alert to what we hear and see from our staff and make efforts to get our people into the positions that they will exceed in. As we see talents start to emerge it is incumbent upon us to encourage these people to move into roles that best suit their talents. We may even have to redesign an existing role for a better fit.

It’s best for everyone. You’ll have a more satisfied, successful staff member. One who feels that you have their best interest at heart. They will be more productive, have lower absenteeism and far less likely to turn over.  From both the staff member and company perspective it’s a win – win situation.

Beside, who am I to question Coach Rob, his state champion team went 11-0 last season!