Does your position have a detailed, written job description?

I recently received a detailed job description for an operations manager position. I was amazed at how detailed the outline was, at least three pages. Every expectation and goal was outlined and dissected. I have never seen anything like this except the slight detail that goes into job postings in the trades.

One of the big touts of my market manager in Fresno was "job clarity". He believed in the Harvard Business School value of explaining and making sure employees knew what was expected of them in their prospective positions. Some of the demands of positions are right brain and others left brain. It should be a compilation of both. Guidance, understanding, passion and pride make up the great job outlines. 

Clarity is great, but in this work force, managers are looking for two things: Can you do the job and play well with others?

• Does everyone on your team have an accurate written job description? Is it written in a manner in which they fully understand the requirements and performance expectations of their role?
• How often do your employees undergo written performance appraisals? Does everyone know and understand how their performance is being measured?
• Are employees matched with the appropriate role within the organization based on their skills, knowledge and talent?
• How well do employees understand how their performance of daily activities impacts the attainment of the strategic goals of the organization?

One of my biggest failures as a manager, I felt every employee should be driving at the same level. Sometimes they do not understand your process and I would assume they knew how to perform. Mis-match here. Time for job clarity: With role clarity being a key driver to employee performance, it should not be surprising then that 64% of performance-related issues stem from the employees lack of understanding of the requirements of their role.