Early in my career I accepted a position without a job description or responsibilities defined. I figured…I knew the gist of what they needed me to accomplish and was excited to tackle the opportunity.

Turns out you need a little more than “gist” and “excitement” to be successful.

Just as marketing org structures are important for the function’s success…defining roles and responsibilities are important for your team’s success. And, this isn’t a “set it and forget it” exercise. Rather, it needs to be a part of annual planning so that as business objectives shift, roles and responsibilities get clarified accordingly.

I know this seems very basic but believe me…when you’re moving a thousand miles an hour and are in “get sh*! done” mode, roles/responsibilities are the last thing on the to-do list. The reality is, this needs to be one of the FIRST things on your list.

Effective role and responsibilities definition should provide clarity on the most common questions:

1. Who do I report to? (yes, as painful as it sounds…the lines here can be blurry)
2. What’s my job title?
3. Why does my role exist?
4. What are the tactics that I’m expected to perform?
5. Am I expected to go beyond said tactics to be successful?
6. What does success look like for me?
7. How will my success be measured monthly, quarterly and yearly?
8. If I succeed what will happen?
9. If I fail what will happen?

Now ask yourself…do you have answers to all of the questions above? If so, thank your manager TODAY because she or he is doing a great job building a high-performing team.

Finally, don’t forget to weave professional development goals into the role and responsibility conversation. I’ve found asking a simple question “where do you want to be in 5 years?” can uncover truths that impact the work that needs to happen today.

For more information about how 3 dots marketing can help define marketing roles and responsibilities for your organization contact info@threedots.com.