“Not my problem! I’m just here to do my job. I mind my own business.”
This is the core of an individualistic task-based mindset. “My task is to lay pipes from point A to point B. It’s someone else’s job to look for and remove the obstacles in the way. If not, I’ll just work around the obstacle even if it doesn’t meet the specifications.”
Do we sometimes do this? Do you know anyone who does this?
Have you ever complained about the service you get to the company’s salesperson and he doesn’t seem to care? Is it because he believes that’s it’s the customer service’s problem and not his?
Sometimes, it’s company culture. I know of a digital marketing company that tells their graphic designers to ignore even the most obvious grammatical errors in the copy-writing. “It’s someone else’s job. It’s not your job to highlight it.“, they are told.
Imagine if your work ethics and values are not in line with this. How do you continue working in such an environment?
Obviously, there’s a lot of perspectives at play. We can discuss it all in the comment section. But let me summarise one of the solutions — which is to put on a solution mindset. Our job is to solve problems; not just perform a task. Don’t pass the problem to the next person.
Have you encountered this sort of situation at work? How did you overcome it?
TOP TIP: Individualistic task-focused mindset can bring on undesirable results..
About the Author: Gina Phan is a consultant and trainer with Zinfinity Consulting. She currently conducts courses in workplace performance skills. Click here to contact her, follow her on Facebook or connect with her on Linkedin.
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