In one recent White House, for example, a person bargained for four elements to his job, any one of which would have proved sufficient. In the end, his portfolio was far too vast for him to be able to properly execute any part of it. While his colleagues recognized his inability to perform all of the tasks he had undertaken, no one, including his President, was willing to reshape his job to leaner dimensions. Once created, momentum favored the continuation of his job even though he was not performing it well. In the end, a job has to have a basic element to it.
Most jobs are similar in that they hold an identifiable set of responsibilities and priorities.
Yet the importance of identifying clear responsibilities for each position is a reality not appreciated by many as they assemble their new team members. Return to the top of this document.