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Who Are You?

by Leigh Butler

If someone asks you the question, "Who are you?" how would
you respond? Most people respond by stating their name.
For instance, I would respond, "My name is Leigh." But,
does my response tell you anything about who I am?

What if I asked you to tell me about yourself? How would
you respond? More than likely you would respond by
listing your roles and positions followed by your interest.

So, who are you? Do you know? Are you merely a name, or
are you much more?

We often fail to realize that our roles and positions
help to define who we are. For example, I am a student,
daughter, educator, consultant, and guardian.

DEFINING YOUR ROLES AND POSITIONS

Roles and positions are interrelated but have different
meanings. Roles are the different parts we play when we
interact with other people. Positions are our locations
within a collection of interconnected roles. A role includes
the duties or obligations of the position.

In order to define your roles you must first understand that
for every position there is an expectation of what should be
the behavior of a person who holds that position. For
example, educators are expected to teach, assist students,
grade papers, etc.

Defining your roles and positions help you to better manage
them and maximize your role performance.

MANAGING ROLES AND POSITIONS

Every individual learns that certain behaviors are expected
of him as an occupant of a particular position. In other
words, he learns the role associated with the position.

Everyone occupies a number of different positions and
therefore has a number of different roles. However, few
people learn how to effectively manage them all. Usually
ineffective management is due to ambiguous understanding of
role expectations and/or the burden of managing the behaviors
associated with multiple roles.

In order to manage your roles and positions in a more
efficient and effective manner, list each role and position
you hold followed by the behaviors that are expected of you
as an occupant. Show your list to someone such as your
husband, wife, or boss who can tell you if you
have accurately captured what is expected of you.

Give your list careful thought and make necessary revisions
to the expected behaviors. From this list you should be able
to effectively and efficiently manage your roles and
positions.

MAXIMIZING ROLE PERFORMANCE

Socially appropriate role performance requires knowledge
about what is expected, the ability to perform what is
expected, and the motivation to perform what is expected.

Learning to define and manage your roles and positions
provides you with knowledge of what is expected. However,
you determine your ability to perform what is expected and
your motivation to perform what is expected.

After final list revisions are completed, examine the list
carefully to determine your ability to perform each role and
position. Only you can make that determination because only
you know how much responsibility you can manage. Remember
your goal is to maximize role performance.

You've determined that you have the knowledge and the ability
to perform what is expected. But, are you motivated to
perform what is expected? Never accept a role or position
that you are not motivated to perform. Generally, you will
not do a good job if you are not motivated even if you have
the knowledge and the ability.

In order to maximize role performance all three ingredients
must be present - knowledge, ability, and motivation.

Knowledge of roles and positions should help you to better
understand who you are and empower you to look beyond your
name into your inner self.

So, the next time someone asks you, "Who are you?" make sure
you not only give them your name but also inform them about
your roles and positions. Your roles and positions are part
of the essence of who your are.