No job description
ARE JOB DESCRIPTIONS, especially for senior positions, passe? Remember those corporate lists of activities for which one is accountable, inevitably ending with that all-embracing “and any assignments that may be given to you from time to time”? Titles in the C-Suite seem to be self-explanatory. There seems to be no need to make a detailed […]
Tomas Kauer 
ARE JOB DESCRIPTIONS, especially for senior positions, passe? Remember those corporate lists of activities for which one is accountable, inevitably ending with that all-embracing “and any assignments that may be given to you from time to time”? Titles in the C-Suite seem to be self-explanatory. There seems to be no need to make a detailed list of what the job is supposed to be. The incumbent will define that as he moves along, or another executive contests his authority.
More current now than a job description is a list of yearly “deliverables” which are quantified targets like revenue, turnover rate, operating income, and maybe some ratios. These are determined at the annual budget meeting. (Smiling at associates and subordinates is not deliverable.)
Even when talents are poached from another industry or even the competition to “report directly to the CEO,” their roles can be vague, as if to see where this senior recruit will eventually fit, and who he will replace or supervise, after a reorganization, of course.
What if a senior hire needs to be given a high salary and an acceptable title when there’s not even a vacant box to be filled? Is he a CEO successor in training? Why hire an expensive executive with no clear job description? It could be an accommodation to grant a request that cannot be refused, or a family member being given hands-on experience — please don’t even mention the word “nepotism.” This is a listed family corporation after all.
A suitable title is created, maybe “Adviser to the Chairman” something that sounds impressive on a calling card. (Even this piece of corporate arcana is no longer in vogue.) No job description is provided, except verbally when introducing the new face — to head a task force for “cultural transformation” Project Borealis. (We aim for the stars.)
An announcement of the appointment is made for those wondering who the new guy in sneakers is. Why is he always taking coffee at the lounge? An e-mail from the Head of HR introduces the recruit as the inventor of the wheel for filing cabinets. A short biodata of previous positions is listed without dates, especially when the gap in time between that job and the new one may have stretched over a year. (Was he pounding the streets when he was called in?) This e-mail blast enjoins all to extend courtesies to the new hire and offer him coffee if he happens to peep in — are you busy?
One function that the newcomer’s job description does not mention is an appetite for calling meetings to keep him in the loop as he reviews policies to make the organization adhere to a culture of accountability. Food is a main feature of the frequent meetings.
The adviser’s executive assistant sets up one-on-one meetings over coffee or lunch. (Do you prefer Salad Nicoise to Caesar?) He also sets out to meet the top clients accompanied by the marketing head. Nobody is impolite enough to ask the obvious question, but why do you need to meet anyone? The corollary question is even more elusive — how do we introduce you to the clients? (This is Moses who just joined us and wanted to meet you.)
Parkinson’s Law states that “work expands to fill the time available for it.” This well-known economic law seems to justify one’s utility even when the value added is vague. Someone with no specific assignment has time on his hands which he needs to fill up, often by taking over other people’s busy schedules.
Does an ambiguous role lead to becoming a loose cannon? A well-meaning but idle executive looking for a justification for his high salary and too eager to intrude on other people’s tasks. Can a job description at least define the boundaries of the senior staff?
Still, the high-level executive with a vague title cannot simply be shrugged off and ignored. What if indeed he is the designated successor? People sipping coffee and trying to fill up a day’s schedule seem to have long memories of slights like being too busy for a meeting. Behind that confident smile is a person waiting for his turn to remove the job descriptions of those who never replied to his messages — or nodded in his direction.
Tony Samson is chairman and CEO of TOUCH xda
