Q. People think I'm good at this, but I really don't enjoy doing it ...
Just because we're good at something, doesn't mean we find it motivating or an aspect of our job we enjoy.
Every week, we suggest a new question you can include in your Manual of Me.
Keeping your Manual of Me regularly updated helps you continue to explore and communicate how you work well with others.
And remember, you don’t need to share your Manual of Me to benefit - even just taking time to discover these insights about your way of working, helps you become more aware of your needs, preferences and motivations at work, so you’re able to build stronger working relationships with others.
Manual of Me Plus Edition members can add this as custom question, and Manual of Me Teams Edition allows team leaders to add this question too. If you don’t already have a Manual of Me - sign up for free.
Q. People think I'm good at this, but I really don't enjoy doing it ...
We all have lots of different skills - some of us might have come from different roles, perhaps we’ve moved up the ladder of experience away from one competency into another.
But there are still things we’re known for or brilliant at - which perhaps we no longer want to be doing, or never enjoyed doing.
Use this entry in your Manual of Me to share the things that your feel people look towards you to do, that you're known for doing well, but would rather no longer be doing.
How to find your answer:
Looking back over the past few months - what tasks have you been asked to do, due to your reputation or legacy within your team, but you feel are not inside your role or no longer your responsibility, or just downright not interesting to you?
Ask around your team - what are the things your colleagues feel you’re brilliant at doing, and you’re seen as the ‘go-to person’ for? How do these things make you feel? Is there something on that list you’d want to scratch off?
If you have time - for each thing on your list, consider what it is about the task you no longer enjoy, and how you might be able to turn it into a more motivating experience, or perhaps a way that you can find others who excel in this too or even train others in.
What would your answer be?
Leave a comment, so others can see how others might approach this question.
For team leaders
Including this question in your team Manual of Me encourages individuals to reflect upon the areas of skill they’d like to move on from, and can surface useful insights into the direction your people are interested in taking.
It also offers an opportunity to discuss where people are able to upskill others in the team, and share responsibilities, and identify frustrations or things which prevent people from focusing on motivating work.
This question is often a little hard to discuss in a group - individuals might not feel comfortable sharing, especially if something they dislike doing is part of their core responsibilities as a group. You might consider asking people to complete this question, but only share it in 1:1 time.
Further discussion questions might include:
How did you find yourself so great at doing this task in the first place?
What does this task take time away from?
If you weren’t to do this task any more - how would you help others learn how to do it?
Manual of Me is a living document - introducing new questions regularly helps your team embed the framework in your ways of working, and creates an opportunity to spend time as a team discussing how to work together effectively, and builds stronger internal relationships.
Share this question with your team, and encourage them to share their answers in the comments, or in your next upcoming team session.
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