Trading 1,000 Hats for Roles With Purpose

It is another day, another show, everybody. You’re listening to Faithful on the Clock, the podcast with the mission of aligning your faith and work, and I’m your host, Wanda Thibodeaux. In this episode, we’re gonna be laser-focused on the roles leaders have. How many is too many, and how do you make sure the hats you have really are the ones you should wear? Here we go.

So I just want to start this show with a little observation that I’ve made over the past few months or so, you know, going online, seeing different professional profiles. And I see it with a lot of the leaders I interview and write for, too. But what I’ve noticed is that, it’s becoming ridiculously rare now for people to list just one thing that they do. It always has to be some kind of list. You know, you’re not just a CEO, you’re an investor. You’re not just an investor, you’re a speaker, you’re an author, you’re a philanthropist or member of all these different boards, or all these kinds of things. And in fact, there was an article in Entrepreneur, I think, by Aytekin Tank--I hope I’m pronouncing that correctly--but the title on that piece was “The Era of the Specialist Is Over”. And the whole argument Tank was making was that if you specialize too tightly it has a way of suppressing creative problem-solving.

And I want to reassure you, I’m a firm supporter of doing multiple things you love. I write for a living, but I also go a little nuts for music, that’s actually what I majored in. And I can’t imagine my life without either one of those things. So I really do believe that this idea of, oh, you have to find your passion, that one single thing you can be passionate about forever, that’s a little misguided, especially because you’re gonna get exposed to things and grow over time and keep discovering what you like. And you can have people, polymaths, that really are incredibly gifted in multiple areas. Leonardo Da Vinci is a great example of that.

But I also think that, while having broad knowledge is fantastic for building a better perspective and creativity, we’re almost...I don’t know, I get the sense that we’re almost creating a culture of fear around it, where we’re not taking on a lot of hats because we’re genuinely interested or all that gifted, we’re taking on a lot of hats because we’re just so crazy scared of missing out. You know, we get fed this message that everything is so competitive that now it’s not enough just to be good at something, you have to be good at everything. And I think that does an incredible disservice across industries, because it puts pressure on people to learn and develop based on expectation, rather than just their natural curiosity or aptitudes. And I think that it muddies priorities, and that’s really problematic, because when your priorities get muddy, not only can you end up with a lot of mediocre results, but you really can lose a sense of purpose about what you’re doing. And you really need a sense of purpose to feel good about yourself, you know, to be happy in life.

So if you take a God-centered approach to it, the first thing I want you to understand is that God absolutely has the roles you’re supposed to play planned out. And a lot of the time, those might be roles that make you nervous at first. I use it as an example a lot, but the story in Exodus 3 of Moses being called to save Israel, he basically said, who am I to do that, I’m nobody.” The book of Esther, you see a queen who steps up and defends her people against annihilation even though she could have been killed. Joseph, starting in Genesis 37, he had no idea why his brothers sold him to be a slave, but that became clear when he saved Egypt from famine. In every one of those stories, God triumphed. And in that context, take Exodus 31:1-6, where God is telling Moses that he’s picked certain people and given them specific skills to do the jobs that are necessary to build the temple. So you can be really confident that if there’s a role God wants you to take on, you are gonna get results, and he’s absolutely gonna equip you for it.

But I understand, I get it. You’re not always going to be sure if the role or opportunity in front of you is something He wants for you. And I think a lot of that is just because, you know, how you feel isn’t always the truth of things. I tell people that all the time. It’s just how you feel. So you still might need some reassurance you’re making the right move, even if your gut is telling you, yeah, take that role. And you know, God doesn’t always reveal everything right away. But you can pray for wisdom, you can pray that He’ll show you what He wants. And I’d really just encourage you to start there, to just approach God in humility and say, “Hey, you’re the one directing the show, so you know, I’m ready, just tell me where to stand and I’ll go ahead and say whatever lines you want.” Just don’t accept anything until you’ve taken the time to talk to Him about it. That’s the first rule of thumb.

But there are also some really practical questions that you can ask yourself, kind of some good self-awareness questions, that can help you make good choices, too. So, I’m gonna list a few out, but I’ll put them in the show notes as a reference for you, too. So #1, is,

What will taking on the role deliver back to me? You know, how is it going to help or be rewarding for me? The more it’s going to reward you, the more valuable that role is going to be.

#2, How might this new role interfere with my current ones? Remember, you want to be able to keep your word, and the more hats you wear, the harder it gets to not have conflicts.

#3, Is the role consistent with my personal values and vision for the future? If it’s something that’s gonna make you compromise God or who you are, just walk away. That’s all there is to that.

#4, Are the people I would work with enjoyable to be around and able to present healthy challenges for me? We’ve all been around people, where they just make the work difficult or keep you in a box. You want to find opportunities that help you push your own boundaries, where you feel like you can be yourself.

#5, Does the idea of taking on the role fill me with a sense of energy, or do I just think about whether I am technically and logistically capable? You know, if a role doesn’t make you excited, if it doesn’t grow you, then it’s probably not one that’s gonna let you grow or excite anybody else, either. You want your roles to be fun, even if they’re a lot of responsibility.

#6. Are there roles I currently am in that could be revised to provide similar benefits? I think a lot of time, we take on a new role because we want just that little extra something, not a lot, just something. You might be able to tweak your current roles so you get that without having to take on something entirely new.

#7. What feedback am I getting from others? Do they just say it’s a good opportunity, or do they point out specific, non-technical reasons why you’d would enjoy the work? Is there a real sense of urgency from them that you get involved? You should know why you’re a good fit across the board, rather than just, oh, you know, the pay is good or whatever. You should feel like it’s important for you specifically to be there.

So this list, you know, it’s not perfect, but I think it’s a good start for just getting yourself to not be so impulsive about accepting something. They’re gonna force you to think about what your current situation really is, the dynamics you’d be getting into, what you can offer, all those kinds of things. And when you’ve got some confidence about those areas, you can be a lot more sure that the role is one you’d actually thrive in.

Now as for how many roles is too many, I think that’s really individual. I think some people really thrive with a lot on their plate, they like the energy and bustle of that. Other people, you know, they get overwhelmed really fast. So rather than give a specific limit or range for this, I’d say just keep asking yourself basic self-care questions. You know, do you feel rested, are you able to manage your stress and not drop the ball on things and do good reflection at the end of the day, do you honestly feel happy--if you’re able to answer those kinds of questions feeling really good, then you’ve probably got a load that’s appropriate, even if it doesn’t look like what other people are doing. And then of course, just look at your results. If your results, what you’re getting, is subpar, that’s a good sign you probably do need to hand off that role or other ones you’ve got to somebody else. You might not want to admit that you’re not doing that great of a job, but in the long run, it’s way better that you do.

So let’s go to God as we always do and share a prayer.

God, I’ve said it before now, but the whole point of this podcast is not to do business right. It’s not about exact processes or technologies or those things. It’s about doing the right business, finding out what kinds of work really are going to matter and make a difference. And in the same way, the way we approach roles, don’t let it be just that the culture has set a minimum or that we want people to see us a certain way. Let it be that we know our limits and take on roles because you set them in place for us, so that when people look at us, they see You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

We’ve reached that time where I have to sign off, so the sneak peek for next week, the show is going to be about diversity and inclusion. Why do most D&I efforts fail, and how can your organization beat the odds? And if you want to get involved in the show, come follow us on Twitter @FaithfulOTC, I post there every single day, it’s a great place to get even more content, so take full advantage of that. Let’s start some discussions, and until next time, be blessed.