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The phrase 鈥渘ot my job鈥� has long been a pet peeve of mine. I remember early in my career when I was the marketing director for a general contractor. It was bid day and a bit tense around the office. I was retrieving my mail from the front desk when I overheard the project manager responsible for the bid inform the controller that the fax machine wasn鈥檛 working (Back then, that was how we received subcontractor bids). She shrugged her shoulders and blandly responded, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not my job.鈥� My younger self was not so skilled in the art of communications, and I am pretty sure I snapped at her. I declared something like, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 care if the estimating team needs a $%@ cup of coffee; it鈥檚 our job to support them on bid day.鈥�

No doubt the 鈥渘ot my job鈥� mentality bristles against my predisposition for helpfulness and my Midwestern work ethic. I also worry that it can rob people of the camaraderie experienced when there is an 鈥渁ll-hands-on-deck鈥� task to execute. Doing what it takes to get the job done and having each other鈥檚 backs have been the epitome of teamwork for me. As someone who hasn鈥檛 always been great at asking for help, a culture that promotes lending a hand also makes it easier to ask for and accept support.

I realize the annoyance for me is more about the attitude I perceive behind it. The reality is that it鈥檚 more complicated than that. There are ways in which the 鈥渘ot my job鈥� mantra can be invoked for smart operational management 鈥� bringing clarity and accountability to roles, responsibilities, and workflows. There are times when 鈥渘ot my job鈥� provides a reality check of an organization鈥檚 true resource capacity. (When we stretch ourselves too thin, upper management just sees work getting accomplished and may not see the labor it is taking to get there).

Having worked with hundreds of organizations navigating growth and change, I have witnessed how muddied roles and responsibilities can get and how quickly communication breaks down. Confusion in roles and responsibilities can plant the seeds for frustration and resentment 鈥� and often precipitate a decline in productivity and quality.

Expectations + accountability + firefighting

People want to understand what is expected of them and for what they will be held accountable. If it falls outside of their domain, they can still contribute on occasion, but it is not a regular ask.

If someone tries to delegate an undesirable task that is theirs, it might be appropriate to redirect their efforts. A classic example I see is when a manager identifies an employee who needs a performance improvement plan (PIP). Oftentimes, that manager informs the employee that Human Resources will be putting them on a PIP. HR is your business partner, there to guide and support you, but it is not their job to manage the employee. You can鈥檛 delegate a relationship!

If your organization is 鈥渇ighting fires鈥� daily, it is worth examining how clear people鈥檚 authority is in their role. Also, check whether procedures and protocols are well-known and followed. Ironically, it is often when a team slows down that it can begin to catch up.

Ownership and boundaries

It鈥檚 healthy to own our role and be accountable for our work. It can be inspiring to tackle tasks that are not in our lane but that build our knowledge and skills 鈥� and our empathy and understanding of how the broader organization functions. It can fuel our creativity to help a colleague navigate a challenging problem. Lending support can foster a more resilient work community. (Note: I recommend thoughtfulness when embarking on something not in one鈥檚 lane as it can be perceived as interfering, controlling, and/or untrusting).

It鈥檚 unhealthy when we say 鈥測es鈥� when we need to say 鈥渘o.鈥� We can feel overworked, underappreciated, and overwhelmed. Consistently overcommitting (no boundaries) deteriorates trust and leads to burnout. If we don鈥檛 have boundaries for our workload, our own work may suffer, and we may mask underlying organizational ailments. Is the organization under-resourced? Is it tolerating vague, haphazard, and unpredictable workflows? Is it asking people to do work that they are ill-equipped to execute? Is it ignoring poor performance by having top performers pick up the slack?

Sometimes saying 鈥淟et me help you with that鈥� is the right offer at the right time. Sometimes a boundary is exactly the right response.

You may receive requests to perform tasks that are legitimately not your responsibility and require conversations to navigate. Consider it your job to speak up, to articulate your needs and your capacity, be your own advocate, redirect a request, be a team player, and contribute to problem-solving. For example, 鈥淚鈥檓 afraid I don鈥檛 know anything about the fax machines; that鈥檚 Terry鈥檚 expertise. Let me bring her into this conversation.鈥� Or 鈥淎ctually, as your HR business partner, I don鈥檛 manage the performance improvement plan. However, I can coach you through the process so you can mentor your team member.鈥�

Helping our colleagues can be an immensely satisfying experience. When we share a common goal and have our fingerprints on the work, we get to celebrate in the collective wins. It can foster a sense of being needed, appreciated, and belonging. If we are regularly asked to do more than our fair share, it can feel exhausting and generate feelings of being taken for granted.

Healthy boundaries at work can keep us from getting into unhealthy dynamics. What can you own as your job?

Karen Natzel is a business therapist who helps leaders create healthy, vibrant and high-performing organizations. Contact her at 503-806-4361 or [email protected].

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed in the preceding commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Daily Journal of Commerce or its editors. Neither the author nor the 91视频 guarantees the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein.