I have a friend (let’s call her Jenny) who volunteered for a large non-profit organization for a number of years. She worked hard and was good at what she did. But she hated her position and the jobs she was tasked with. As a result, Jenny eventually quit her volunteer role and moved on to a different organization. Jenny’s leader did not set her up to succeed, and not only did that cause Jenny to dislike her work, but it also hurt the organization as a whole: they lost a very strong leader, and they missed out on her skills that were underutilized.

It is true that Jenny did not enjoy her position, but that is not the main reason she left the organization. Leaders know that sometimes they have to take on tasks that they might not enjoy, and Jenny knew this. She was willing to take on the task for the betterment of her team. The problem, however, was twofold: first, this task turned from a temporary measure into a permanent position; and second, Jenny’s skills were not of any use in this position. Let’s take a look at both of these issues separately.

1. Turning a temporary task into a permanent position

Leaders are willing to take on an undesirable task for the good of the team. Such a willingness is a sign of a good leader. Some leaders are even willing to take on such a task for an indefinite period of time. But if you’re going to leave a leader in that situation, you need to provide constant encouragement and the promise of an end to that task. Jenny received neither from her leadership, and the longer she remained in the thankless position doing a job she disliked, the more she resented it.

Unfortunately, this is a classic leadership mistake. A leader needs a role to be filled, so she asks a team member to fill that role, just temporarily. The team member does a great job at it (because the leader has assembled a team of winners who excel at any task), so the leader decides to just make the task a permanent position.

If you are going to make a temporary task a permanent position, either give that member an opportunity to refuse the change or give them a vision for why they are needed in that position. Only make a temporary task a permanent position if it is the right fit for everyone.

It is selfish to force someone to permanently fill a role that is the wrong fit.

Even better, a leader should immediately look for a way to transition that team member out of that role. Jenny should have been in that role for a temporary, finite period, and replaced at the first opportunity. Upon the replacement, Jenny could have been assigned to a position that better suited her abilities.

2. Ignoring your team member’s skill set

Jenny is a natural-born leader. She is good with people and now has a job where she works with and leads people on a daily basis and she is good at it. Rather than embrace her skills and providing her with an opportunity to use them, Jenny’s leaders put her in a position where she worked by herself with little or no influence on anyone. Her talents and natural skills were useless to her in that position.

It seems obvious that a leader should place her team members in positions well-suited for their skills, but sadly this is not always a gimme. If you’re in doubt, ask that team member where they feel comfortable. Review the position with them to make sure they find it a good fit.

And allow your team member the ability to approach you if they feel that their skills are being underutilized.

As a temporary measure, sometimes you need to put someone in a role where their skill sets are not being utilized. But if you must do that, make sure you have a plan to bail them out as soon as possible. In some rare occasions you may even find that your team member has an entire skill set perfectly suited for that role that you knew nothing about. In such cases it may be worth making a permanent move, but again, this should be a decision made WITH your team member, not for him.

Dynamic lessons

As a leader, it is your job to make sure that you are getting the best OUT of your team, but also that you are getting the best FOR your team.

Communicate with your team members; find out where they feel comfortable and challenged, but also where they feel out of place. Find a position that utlizes their skill sets. If you must move them to a temporary role, make sure you have a plan in place to replace them as soon as possible.

Have you ever been assigned a role, temporary or otherwise, that was a bad fit for you? How did you feel? How did you respond? We would love to hear your stories in the comment section below!