I recently facilitated a retreat that included a component about systems thinking. Participants drew out the process for some common tasks and then we compared where others started and ended the process. Did they assume they had all the ingredients or did their drawings include procurement? Did they end after doing the bare minimum or did their process continue?
This exercise was a prelude to the question: “Where does your job begin?” The answer determines the amount of outreach or “upstream” activities in which you engage and the amount of time you invest in collaboration about processes that impact yours, both before and after you interact with your customer.
Several of the participants said their job consisted of a multitude of projects and it was an ever-evolving list that really did not have a beginning. I would challenge those who think that way to revisit the core purpose of their job. For example, are you hired to teach four classes or to prepare the next generation of those in your profession? The answer would determine whether middle school career days would make it onto your project list or not. Is your job to hire someone to fill the next vacancy or to create an equitable hiring system for your organization? Do you see your role as issuing credit cards and loans or is it helping people become financially stable?
Where does your job begin? And end? How you define the system can have a profound impact on your work.
