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You are not your job
Occasionally, but more often than we’d like to admit, we conflate our identity with our role. This conflation is risky: Roles are fluid, evolving as the organization’s needs change, whereas our intrinsic human worth (the “soul”) endures. When people define themselves solely by their job title or position:
- They cling too tightly to particular responsibilities and resist necessary changes.
- They take feedback on their work as a personal attack, creating friction and needless emotional labor.
- They treat their role as static rather than something that adapts over time.
For the organization, this often leads to rigid structures that resist change, silos driven by personal agendas rather than collective goals, and a stunted ability to pivot in response to market shifts or user feedback.
A clear separation between these ideas is therefore vital for building a more adaptive, resilient organization. By decoupling who we are from what we do at any given moment, we free ourselves to focus on meaningful outcomes and shift roles as needed. Instead of protecting hierarchies or clinging to static job descriptions, the organization (and its people) can stay aligned with the actual work that needs doing.