As you look for people for jobs or jobs for people, recognize that every job and every business function has a dominant purpose. Typically it’s either to help grow the company or to help make it run more smoothly. When it comes to hiring, trouble often follows when these two purposes are either overlooked or good people are hired for the wrong jobs.

One simple way to add purpose to the job is by tying it directly to the primary business purpose of the function. Here’s how the major business functions can be assigned to either a growth or profitability category.

Adding purpose to your jobs starts by understanding the work involved and what it takes to be successful in the role. Without this insight, it’s problematic if anyone will be motivated, satisfied or successful after they’re hired if these factors are not evaluated before they’re hired. This has been proven repeatedly over the past 20 years in Gallup’s Q12 research, Google’s Project Oxygen and Professor Rose’s recent work on the factors driving human performance. Tying these objectives to the bigger purpose of the job is how you both attract the best people and keep them motivated after they’re hired.

Functions Focused on Growing the Company

Increase Market Share, Customer Satisfaction and Revenue

Functions Focused on Running the Company

Increase Profitability and Efficiency

Questions to Define the Work Itself–Not the People Doing the Work

Identify the primary purpose. What’s the most important thing the person in this role needs to achieve, do or accomplish in order to be considered successful?

Identify the key subtasks. What are the key subtasks required to achieve the primary purpose of the job?

Retrieve the traditional job description from the parking lot.

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