Why does your job exist?

How many people in your organisation can simply answer this question? Do you know why your team’s roles exist and does your understanding align with theirs? Can you answer the same question for your role?

As the uncertain economic environment looms large, ensuring that your team are crystal clear on the purpose of their role i.e. where it fits in delivering the business strategy, and what outcomes are explicitly expected of them in the role will be critical.

Just as in an elite sports team where success comes from each player knowing exactly what their role is in the team, and importantly what the roles of their teammates are; so too must each member of your team understand what is expected of them and what the whole team is working towards.

So how do you ensure your team are crystal clear?

To help our clients build and retain top talent we refer to the TopGrading™ recruitment methodology, in which the use of Job Scorecards replaces traditional Job Descriptions.

A Scorecard describes the mission for the role, the outcomes that must be accomplished, and competencies that fit with both the culture of the company and the role. The scorecard is comprised of three parts:

• The job’s Purpose.
• A set of specific, quantifiable, and time-bound Outcomes.
• A set of key Competencies aligned to the culture (values) of the business and specific to the role.

The scorecard is a vital tool in your hiring process, helping to separate the A-Players from the B’s and C’s (who will be frighted off by the specificity and clarity the Scorecard brings to the process), and becomes your key tool for your quarterly coaching / performance reviews.

We recommend that Scorecards are also implemented across for your existing team as, over time, their roles will have evolved beyond the initial scope. Re-framing their purpose and outcomes will help re-focus the team and energise them for the challenges ahead.

Leading from the front on Scorecards is important, and so sharing your own and your senior team’s scorecards with the wider business is a great way of launching the initiative.

Making Scorecards visible to all provides a clear understanding of what each role is accountable for and how their contribution will be measured. Including each role’s Purpose on an org chart is a great way of bringing the process to life.

Scorecards are a crucial tool in building a high performing team, strong enough to weather any storms that lay ahead and optimising the opportunities that come from challenging times.

At Scaling Up Coaches we help our clients to implement the TopGrading recruitment process and scorecards into their businesses.