Having recently started a new job, I find myself constantly asking “What do you need me to do?” or “what do I do next?”  As I learn the processes in place and take care of the more administrative functions of this job, it’s necessary for me to just do what comes next.

There’s not a whole lot of room for that, though.  Seth Godin examines asking the questions “What do you need me to do?”

This is a question that defines the person asking it. It is very different from, “here’s what you might need…”

If you ask people for the next task on the list, if you allow them to define the thing they are buying from you, you have abdicated responsibility. Your work product becomes dependent on the insight and guts of the person giving you an assignment. This is especially dangerous for consultants and freelancers, because the answer might be, “nothing.” Or it might be a paying gig that’s profitable in the short run but a career deadener over time.

Far better to reach a level of confidence and skill that you can describe solutions rather than ask for tasks.

For the many sales and marketing people I know and love, how often do you let the client/customer dictate you next move?  Until I get a handle on the way my predecessor did her job, I won’t have a clear definition of my next step.  That won’t be long…

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 8th, 2009 at 9:40 am and is filed under blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.