New Jobs

It seems companies are always cutting jobs in order to cut spending. At the same time, inadvertently they end up cutting jobs and programs that help those remaining perform their best. We were just brainstorming some new jobs that companies should create to really increase the energy and resiliency of their workforce and to attract and retain the best talent.

Here is our list:
 

.01  Chief Sustainable Performance Officer - a person to oversee the entire organization from the perspective of creating, rewarding, and maintaining high performance at all levels.

.02  Head of Recovery - a person to make sure that key individuals and teams get the recovery they need to be their best when it matters most. This person could also help teams rotate members to keep top performers fresh (similar to the Tour de France teams pulling for their lead rider).

.03  Human Innovation Director - a person who doesn't focus on R&D outside the company but instead constantly looks for innovation within the company. This includes constantly challenging and capturing the ideas of everyone within the company.

.04  High Performance Meeting Enabler - a person to help meeting leaders make their meetings high performance. This could include everything from honing agendas to making sure the length and environment of the meeting supports high performance. It would also include being sure the snacks and drinks are high performance oriented and the breaks are designed to improve brain performance and energy.

.05  Peak Season Manager - a person who helps the entire organization for the upcoming peak seasons. This includes energizing, focusing, and preparing everyone to maximize their impact during the times when high performance matters most (i.e. retail/holiday season, accounting/tax season, etc.). This also includes helping everyone recharge after the peak season and capturing the best practices so they are ready for the next big push.

.06  Director of High Energy - a person to focus on the plethora of energy drains that exist within organizations and then to take the steps to eliminate them. This person would also maximize efforts within the organization to create more energy and to focus that energy.

.07  Chief Nutritionist - a person to educate the leaders and the workforce on the benefits of high performance nutrition. This person could select the foods for the canteen, the vending machines, meetings, celebrations, and for conferences and key events. This doesn't mean take away the pleasure foods it just means put them in the proper context.

.08  Director of High Performance Travel - a person to organize business travel to reduce the negative impact that travel can have a person's attitude, energy, resilience, and brain performance. This includes flight selection, airline selection, hotel selection, travel support, travel tools, etc.

.09  Chief Laughter Officer - a person who looks for and creates opportunities to make work fun and create laughter. Research is showing the huge value of laughing on creativity, resilience, and job satisfaction.

We filled in the first nine so tell us what position you may want to see as number 10. Imagine you had a couple of these jobs in your organization. Do you think it would make a difference? As always, we'd love to hear what you think.

Jogi Rippel & Scott Peltin
Chief Sustainable Performance Officers

Comments

[Patrick]

Number 10 could be Chief Kindness officer - a person to make sure people within the company are doing acts of kindness for one another, as well as their customers and suppliers. This creates a virtuous circle of good deeds within the company, which in turn fosters improved health through endorphin release, etc. and overall goodwill between employees. this leads to more effective working relationships and improved networking and performance.

[Fred Stevens]

I really love Sarah's suggestion because I see the same thing in my company. It used to be only in the working mom's but to tell you the truth I see in more and more working dads who want to be part of their kid's upbringing and struggle with the endless demands of the job.

If I had to add a 10th position I would add the Director of Positivity. This person would help everyone in the company fight the endless flow of negativity. They would challenge untrue negative thoughts and rumors and constantly help leaders and their teams reframe things to stay positive. After reading Barbara Fredrickson's book on Positivity I think there could really be something here. In fact, I think your book fits perfectly with hers.

Keep up the great work.

[Sarah M, New York]

As a working mom, I find the biggest struggle I have is balancing the family and work life. From meeting the needs of my kids, to the guilt of being away from them and my husband when I travel, it becomes a real energy drainer when I have high needs at work as well. So for me #10: Having some type of position that really focuses on the needs of working moms and dads, helping to create ways to ease the stress of juggling both work and family life. Is that onsite daycare, I don't know. Is that special rooms for feedings, I don't know. Is it planned lunch times to go to your kids' school, I don't know. Or is it special coaching, I don't know. But to know someone is doing the research and helping to find solutions to a growing stress (more moms working) would be an awesome benefit for a company.