Let’s do an introspective exercise. If someone asked you, what do you actually DO at your job, what would you say? If you were to ask someone else the same question, most people would probably say, “I build X”, “I maintain Y”, or “I provide service Z”, something like that. But what’s interesting is, in most lines of business, there are other key functions that everyone could be supporting, and in fact your leaders might be looking for you to assist. Let’s look at some of these things.

Selling (or at least Marketing)

If you build product X, or provide service Y, then your business makes revenue by someone else paying for X or Y. So what this means is that you have an opportunity to help your organization whenever you are talking to potential customers. This is especially true if you are a service provider role, because the customers you are working with directly may turn out to be repeat customers.

This is even true for situations like large B2B-style contracts. That client you are working with might be lunch buddies with someone in procurement or management that is a decision maker, so your impression might be a factor in future work. You are always in a position to affect the reputation of your company.

Coaching and Mentoring

If you are at all knowledgeable or good at your job, then you are in a position to teach and support other people in doing the same or similar jobs. I’m not saying that you should do other people’s jobs for them, but being willing to take a little bit of time and patience to help out others can help your organization overall with its ability to deliver on its functions, and I’ve found that your contributions will be noticed by your organization’s leadership.

Supporting Your Manager

This third item is interesting to me, in how few people focus on this. An important thing to realize is that your manager probably carries a lot of weight and influence over your career. Not only performance evaluations, but also you being positioned for other opportunities or even just visibility. Figuring out what is important to your manager, and also your manager’s manager, and then helping to focus on those goals or tasks. And this might be as simple as just asking them, “What can I do for you this week?”

***

I realize at this point you may say, “but that’s not my job function, I am not paid to do that.” And you’re probably right. To clarify, I am not saying neglect or de-prioritize your other job duties for these items above. In fact, I’m not even saying to directly take time to do them, either. What I’m saying is, keep this in mind with your attitude, and be willing to help out when you see an opportunity.