While I was in an office today I ran into one of my top pet peeves; It's not my job! I'm sure all of you have worked with someone with that attitude somewhere in your career. Please don't tell me it's you. This is not the mindset of a team player; this is somebody clocked in from 9-5 and doing the minimum amount of work to get by.
I want to challenge you, tell me the difference between your "job" and your "role" at work.
In every organization everyone's "job" is the same. That "job" is the company's ultimate outcome or purpose. Let me give you a sports metaphor. In sports, the goal of the team is to win the championship. So, everybody's "job" is to support that effort; everyone on the team has a different "role" to fill in making that happen. Sometimes you will need to add to your role; something maybe not specifically in your job description but needed to support the goal.
Granted, there are those cultures that will try to overload you with things so you will need to learn to set boundaries to avoid that happening. You can't simply take everything thrown at you. "It's not my job" refers to the unreasonable attitude of those that are unwilling to take on anything extra even when needed for the success of the team.
So, here's how you can find a balance between having no boundaries on one end and the "it's not my job" mentality on the other end:
- Pitch in and help others whenever you can
- Set limits for the right reasons – make sure you are setting limits for the right reasons
- When setting limits be helpful – give the team suggestions to solve the problem
- Make it your job – if you are continually being asked to do something that truly isn't your job, consult with management for a resolution (like perhaps compensation for taking on the job.)
Remember that old saying, "You are either part of the solution or part of the problem." Which are you?