When I was young, I played soccer, although I didn’t play
that well. I never really understood why some players would stay away from the
ball instead of chasing after it. I could see the goalie stayed in his place,
but I thought everyone else should chase the ball. I found, with experience,
that the players who stayed in place were often more effective at what they
were doing than those who spent their time running after the ball.

We have the same situation in IT. We need people to stay in
roles and positions that leverage their strengths and allow them to be good at
what they do. While occasionally the goalies have to get out of the box, their
primary focus is guarding the goal. The same is true of your IT staff. They
need to stay focused on what they do best and allow others to do what they do
best.

Finding everyone’s true position

People’s positions do not necessarily reflect current roles
in the organization. In placing employees in a role, it is important to assign
them to tasks that fit their capabilities. Whether you are a CIO, director,
manager, supervisor, or worker, you have a set of strengths and weaknesses that
are uniquely yours.

I, for instance, hate long assignments. If I do the same
thing day in and day out for a year, I become restless. Conversely, there are
people who like the routine of knowing what they are going to do each day.

The result is that my position allows me to focus on
important, rather than repetitive, tasks. I prefer the high-stakes, high-reward
projects where I feel like I can make an impact and move on.

There are seemingly endless dimensions to a person’s
position. Consider whether the person is introverted or extroverted. Does the
person enjoy a large or small group environment? Consider what motivates a
person. Is the motivation group recognition, overcoming challenges, or creative
projects?

Creating the position

Now it’s time to create a position in which your employee
can succeed. Unlike a game of soccer, you have control of the positions that
you create on your team and what people need to be able to be effective. In
doing so, you have the ability to formally or informally create a small niche
for each person that maximizes his or her ability to succeed.

By creating opportunities around their strengths, you give
them the ability to do things at which they excel. By doing so, you maximize
their enjoyment of their jobs, and thus, their productivity, and you minimize
their frustration.

For example, if you have an energetic, extroverted network
administrator who likes to talk in front of groups, you might ask him or her to
deliver an IT status report to your management committee. You might also
position a senior technician to write policies and procedures if he or she
likes to create documentation or is a process-oriented person.

Perhaps these are not the roles that these individuals would
normally play, but they still might be the right positions. By leveraging each
person’s strengths and supporting his or her weaknesses, you can create a
happier and substantially more productive environment.

Reevaluating the position

The interesting thing about putting people in the right
position is that, over time, their interests, passions, and even skills will
change. What was once fun for the individual may become a chore.
This is particularly true for challenge-oriented people who like constant
change.

Because of this, it’s necessary to constantly reevaluate
what is exciting and effective for each person and shift the position
accordingly to capitalize on new strengths, passions, and skills. This not only
maintains a positive environment, but also creates the opportunity to learn new
things about each player on the team and how he or she may be more effective.

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