Unit Outline

Examining Employee Roles

Determining Leader Roles

1. How does an organization's vision direct its members to fulfill their roles?
2. Why is it important for leaders to understand their roles?
3. What characteristics do leaders exhibit in their roles?
4. What roles do leaders fulfill in an organization?

Strengthening Employee Roles

1. Why is it important for my employees to understand their role in the organization?
2. What do I need to know to make sure employees' skills match their roles?
 Well-written job descriptions
 Clearly defined expectations
 Suitable employee temperaments
3. What pitfalls should I avoid when matching my employees' skills to their roles?
4. How can I help my employees learn their roles in the organization?
 Embrace the organization's vision
 Match the job requirements
 Partner with the organization
 Observe strengths and weaknesses
 Welcome employee development
 Establish goals and objectives
 Review employee accomplishments

Unit Content

Examining Employee Roles

Determining Leader Roles

How does an organization's vision direct its members to fulfill their roles?

A vision is created by an organization to inspire its members to work together to reach for an ideal of what the
organization can become. The members of the organization should use the vision as the standard to determine
the day-to-day functions of their individual roles. The vision is the guide to use every time an action is taken, a
decision is made, or a plan is developed to improve the organization or the people in it. An organization's vision
should enable the members in every role to do what is right for the better of the organization.

Why is it important for leaders to understand their roles?

Leaders need to understand their roles in an organization, so they can be effective in directing other members in
fulfilling the vision of the organization. Leaders who understand their roles are able to help other members
enhance performance and efficiency.

What characteristics do leaders exhibit in their roles?

Leaders who effectively direct others to fulfill the organization's vision exhibit some of these characteristics:

 Loyalty to the organization and its vision

 Enthusiasm about participating in the organization
 Ability to communicate well with people
 Being responsible to fulfill the duties the organization has given them
 Being action-oriented and involved in solving problems
 Respectful and appreciative of other persons in the organization
 Modeling integrity and ethical behavior for others
 Having a desire to trust and develop leadership in others
 Making a commitment to excellence in serving the organization
 Understanding the purpose of authority and using it wisely

What roles do leaders fulfill in an organization?

Leaders in all levels of an organization fulfill different roles. Leaders have goals to empower others, as well as
enhance the performance of the organization and its employees. Some of the typical roles leaders fulfill include:

 Director. When in the role of director, leaders guide the group in setting the direction it will go. Leaders as
directors are effective in setting the goals and strategies for fulfilling the organization's vision.
 Negotiator. The role of negotiator is necessary when leaders must resolve conflict over such things as
resources, priorities, personalities, or preferences. Leaders are also taking the negotiator role when solving
problems.
 Facilitator. Leaders in the facilitator role work to make it easier to accomplish a task or work through a
situation. Leaders as facilitators often act as a liaison to ease communication between other members of the
organization.
 Coach. A leader as a coach helps other members reach higher performance levels. Leaders as coaches
demonstrate how to do a task, give feedback regarding their employees' performance, and help empower
other members of the organization.
 Advisor. Leaders in the role of advisor are effective in helping other members develop their own leadership
skills and often mentor others in an organization.

Strengthening Employee Roles

Why is it important for my employees to understand their role in the organization?

It is important for your employees to know their role in your organization because they need to know how their
efforts contribute to the success of the whole organization. When your employees know how their efforts help the
organization, they feel more connected to it. Employees who feel connected to the organization are inspired to
contribute their time, talents, efforts, and ideas, so the organization will succeed.

What do I need to know to make sure employees' skills match their roles?

Your employees want to contribute to the success of your organization. You enable your employees to contribute
to the organization's success when you match your employees' knowledge, skills, and abilities to the work they
are assigned to do.

Employees whose work matches their knowledge, skills, and abilities are more motivated because they enjoy job
satisfaction. Some of the ways you can motivate employees to find their roles in the organization include the
following:

 Well-written job descriptions

 Clearly defined expectations
 Suitable employee temperaments

 Well-written job descriptions

Make sure you use well-written job descriptions that outline the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities the
employees will need for their positions. When defining job descriptions, you should also include any knowledge,
skills, and abilities their positions may require in the future.
 Clearly defined expectations

Make sure both you and your employees understand the purpose of their positions, the responsibilities of their
positions, and the expectations of their positions. It is your responsibility to communicate the purpose,
responsibilities, and expectations for a position to your employees.

 Suitable employee temperaments

Make sure your employees' temperaments are suited for their position, including their level of comfort in working
with others. Your employees will be motivated by job satisfaction when you match temperaments to task
assignments and work groups.

What pitfalls should I avoid when matching my employees' skills to their roles?

It is important to match your employees' skills to their roles because they want to be part of the organization's
success. You need to remember to match your employees' skills with their roles and avoid the following common
mistakes:

 Attempting to push or ''sell'' an employee into accepting a position just because you need to fill the position
 Promoting an employee into a position before he or she has had the opportunity to master a necessary skill
 Filling a position with an employee who has seniority but is lacking the knowledge, skills, abilities, or
temperament for the position

How can I help my employees learn their roles in the organization?

You can best help your employees learn their roles in the organization by helping them understand how their
performance affects each other, how their roles are interrelated, and how the success of the organization depends
on superior performance from each member.

Lead your employees to find their roles in the organization by empowering them. You empower your employees
by involving them in decision making and planning, and by giving them the necessary authority to fulfill the
responsibilities you give them. To remember how to empower your employees, use the acronym ''EMPOWER.''

 Embrace the organization's vision

 Match the job requirements
 Partner with the organization
 Observe strengths and weaknesses
 Welcome employee development
 Establish goals and objectives for growth
 Review employee accomplishments

 Embrace the organization's vision

Your organization's vision was created to clarify the organization's purpose. Learn the meaning of your
organization's vision and it applies to you, then use the vision for what it was created to do--inspire the members
of your organization to reach for an ideal of what your organization can become. Let the vision inspire you and
your employees to reach for a standard of excellence in performance.

 Match the job requirements

Your employees need to know what the requirements are for their position. Employees should be matched with
jobs that require the knowledge, skills, and abilities they possess. When you match employees with the right job,
you create the best opportunity for success, both for the employees and the organization.
 Partner with the organization

As a leader, you should encourage your employees to partner with the organization--to align their goals with the
organization's--by making sure they feel valuable. When you communicate to your employees that you trust,
respect, and appreciate them, you help create in them feelings of loyalty toward the organization. Feelings of
loyalty toward the organization will strengthen the partnership.

 Observe strengths and weaknesses

When your employees know what their strengths and weaknesses are, they can improve their performance. Your
leadership can help them to grow in turning their weaknesses into strengths and make their strengths even
stronger.

 Welcome employee development

When you encourage your employees to develop, you help your employees find their roles in the organization.
Your employees will develop their knowledge, skills, and abilities through training or other classes, through
performance improvement plans, and by assuming roles with greater responsibilities and authority.

 Establish goals and objectives

Establishing goals and objectives with your employees helps guide them in their efforts to perform for your
organization. When your employees have direction in their work, they can strive for excellence in job performance.

Goals and objectives should be based on the expectations outlined in the job description, as well as on the
standards that drive the organization's vision. When you establish goals and objectives, remember to write them
down. You and your employees need to specify the standards for desired performance, their level of involvement,
and the completion time, as well as how observable or achievable the results should be. An example of a clear
goal or objective is that ''Susan will increase her sales volume by 15% over the next six months.''

 Review employee accomplishments

You should review your employees' accomplishments because your employees need to know they are performing
to your expectations. Give your employees feedback about the work they have completed, so they can gauge
whether they need to improve their performance. You will motivate your employees to want to achieve success in
their work when you acknowledge their efforts. When your employees feel confident in the quality of their work,
they will be more interested in the success of the organization and in finding their role in the organization.